How employers can support the mental health and wellbeing of remote workers

Posted 23 hours ago

UK Wellbeing Ranked Lowest Among Developed Western Countries

Remote working has brought many benefits to both employers and employees, however not without some challenges to mental health and wellbeing. With a lack of social interaction and blurred work-life boundaries, it can begin to impact the health and wellbeing of your staff.

But that’s where we’re here to help! Our remote working tips will support you in making sure your employees are as happy as can be when they’re working from home.

Remote working wellbeing tips

Make clear boundaries

Many employees find the blurred boundaries between work and personal life a challenge from working remotely, but it doesn’t have to be this way. By encouraging your staff to set clear work hours when they start the day then it’ll support them in separating the two. Discouraging communication and messaging outside of these hours can also help them create a clear boundary.

Encourage staff to take breaks

It’s easy for staff working at home to just continue with the day and power through lunch or break times, but they can make a huge difference to their mental health and wellbeing. A survey conducted by the Workforce Lab at Slack showed that workers who regularly take breaks report a 62% improved work-life balance and a 43% better ability to manage stress.

You can read more about this in our blog ‘How often should I take a break from my computer?’.

Create a dedicated workspace

This is one of the most important remote working wellbeing tips. Having a designated workspace at home helps to separate work and personal life because staff won’t be working on the sofa, in the kitchen or in other places like these.

Offer support to employees

Provide access to online resources and tools that promote mental health, mindfulness, and stress management. Things like Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) are a great way to speak with your staff confidentially and work out how you can support their mental health and wellbeing.

Health and wellbeing employer responsibilities for remote workers

You also have some legal responsibilities that must be considered when employees are working from home, such as:

Risk assessments

According to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, employers must conduct risk assessments for all employees, including those working from home. The assessment should identify common remote working hazards like ergonomic risks as well as mental health risks like isolation and burnout.

For more information, see our blog ‘Remote working legislation for employers to know about’, so you can make sure you’re complying with the legal requirements.

DSE

The Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Regulations 1992 outlines the requirements for employers to provide DSE assessments which make sure that risks relating to staff’s workstations are minimised. Our DSE Training (Display Screen Equipment) is a great way to support this in your workplace.

Why not take a look at our blog ‘What is a DSE Assessment’, or our DSE & Workstation Checklist for Staff? We have lots of free resources to support you and your staff.

Train your staff in remote working with iHasco

Here at iHasco, we offer a range of accredited online training courses that have been built to help keep staff safe, happy, and productive whilst working remotely. Some of our most popular courses include:

We’re already helping thousands of organisations just like yours, and we’d like to help you too. Why not check out our range of courses for the care sector today by claiming your free, no-obligation trial? Alternatively, you can request a bespoke quote and we’ll be in touch to discuss your unique training requirements.

Don’t forget to explore our guide to remote working for employers blog for more information on this topic!