Remote or hybrid working also introduces the opportunity for individuals to become more engaged in their local community, which helps develop feelings of belonging and can provide a way to step aside from the office and do something very different.
She says employers could support this with flexibility around working hours to attend groups and classes whether that’s a fitness class, a knit and natter, a book club or a gardening group; or to volunteer in their community.
Know your employees
Alex Freeman, vocational rehabilitation consultant and owner of Absence Management Solutions, agrees with the importance of surveys and engaging with staff.
She describes some of the ways that employers can mitigate and prevent contributory factors to stress, and says the primary way to help is “by knowing their employees”.
For example, Freeman says: “An employer may know that someone finds change particularly challenging, and putting in place steps to help them to navigate this (possibly with the support of their colleagues who ‘embrace’ it) may make that transition less impactful.”
Alternatively, and creatively, she recommends mentoring and buddying programmes where “an employer may want to use people who love a certain task to support those that find it quite challenging".
Small adjustments in difficult times can also go a long way in resolving stress and helping someone to maintain their wellbeing, she says.
This could be giving staff flexibility in relation to start or finish time if dealing with an issue outside work, or removing a task for a short period (and offering training if needed) if that is causing particular stress.
Freeman says: “Having open and honest conversations is also very important, being clear about role, expectations, what can be supported and what cannot is vital.
Freeman describes different ways that employers can help their employees to be involved.
She says: "It’s important to remember that while we are all employed to do a job, we spend a lot of time with our colleagues and usually get to know them quite well."
Therefore, Freeman says it is important to “encourage employees to look out for each other, possibly putting mental health advocates / first aiders in place or considering wellbeing activities that encourage the team to engage with each other and get to know each other as people.
"Using part of team meetings to discuss how everyone is feeling gives people the confidence to speak out and should help to ‘catch’ issues early."
One of the benefits of creating that psychological safe space is a more open and communicative workforce.
"Everyone wants to work in a happy and positive environment but sometimes we get so caught up in what we are doing that we lose sight of how we achieve this, and we can easily forget that we all have a part to play.
