Mental health and working from home

Each week we move closer to the end of lockdown and a return to normality and while the focus largely seems to be shifting to what the workplace will look like and how things will never be the same again in our offices, there's still an important conversation to be had about mental health.

With everyone having very different situations at home, whether they are alone, working alongside homeschooling or simply lacking adequate spaces to work from, each individual will have experienced some form of challenge while working from home. This week I spoke to Tash Bristowe at Sanctus to get her personal insight on working from home and how this could impact our mental health.

Have you personally found it difficult working from home?

To be completely honest I'm really enjoying working from home. Especially on Mondays. I basically really struggle on Mondays, so knowing I can start the day in my own time from my home genuinely makes me feel way calmer about starting the week... it's slightly odd. It took me a good few weeks to get into a routine and I finally feel like I've found one that works for me. I wouldn't say I'm a 'smart' worker normally as I'm productive at really random times. Often early in the morning I'll work from my bed or late at night or even on a Saturday. And then during the week there might be times where I'm super unproductive when I'm in the office. Therefore, having complete ownership of when I work (seeing as all days roll into one at the moment) feels great. Something I struggled with at the beginning was feeling like I wasn't working hard enough. I get this a lot anyway but being in the office around the Sanctus crew or having a meeting somehow alleviates that anxiety. o overcome this went hand in hand with when I found my routine, accepting that if I'm not working at a certain time that's okay and trusting myself with my time and own recognition.

What are some of the things we could be doing to look after our wellbeing during isolation?

I personally believe one of the most important things we could be doing to look after our wellbeing during isolation is to not tell ourselves that we 'should' be doing anything in particular. I've really felt the guilt from seeing peoples Instagram being the 'best isolation version of themselves' during this time. Whether that being exercising 24/7, learning a language or baking a million cakes. Meanwhile I'm sat there watching the daily briefing religiously with a glass of wine every day at 5pm. Sure... that's not ideal but either way comparing myself to others isn't going to help. Just like we should try to not compare ourselves to other people’s Instagram in 'normal' life we should try to not compare ourselves to isolation Instagram lives. Do what feels right for you and find a routine that works for you. Of course, getting fresh air once a day whether that be a walk or a run is going to help you and but from my experience these are things I have struggled with and as soon as I took the pressure off beating myself up for this the rest came naturally. Try and stay connected to people. Check in on them and remember to check in on yourself too.

What has your perception been of how companies are generally trying to look after staff wellbeing while they are not in the office?

I would say companies have 2 priorities at the moment. Firstly, the financial health of the business and secondly the wellbeing of their employees. It's a slight catch 22 for businesses as of course it costs for you to roll out mental wellbeing initiatives with staff. I have seen HR take on a lot to support employees at this time as well as Founders coming together with HR. I think keeping connected has been extremely important and doing this by utilising the amazing tech we have as best as we can at this time.

How do you think this mass working from home experience will shape opinions on wellbeing in the workplace when we return to our offices?

This is really mixed from what I have seen and heard. So, I would say that one of the biggest changes will come from businesses who will need to accept that this way of working is, in fact, possible. Especially for the people with children or say who have long commutes I believe they will now have a real push back on businesses that don't offer this type of flexibility. There is also the other part of this making us realise how much we enjoy human connection and face to face interaction and that the people who perhaps wanted this flexibility may now realise that they want to be in the office so it could go the other way. To be honest ... I don't know what affect this is going to have. It is also very different when you are ALL working from home...clients, colleagues... everyone. But as soon as it isn't everyone that massively changes the dynamic of working relationships and efficiency. I have always strongly believed that if you hire the right people the trust in flexibility comes from there. We are all adults and we should all be trusted with our common sense and time.

If people are struggling and want extra support, here is the Sanctus directory: along with their Coronavirus page, and some other useful services too:

https://sanctus.io/resources

https://sanctus.io/coronavirus

https://sanctus.io/making-mental-health-preventative