Wellbeing in a hybrid world

The need to focus on the wellbeing and mental health of our teams has never been more critical, with more disparate teams and remote working created by the pandemic.

Lockdown has affected people in many different ways, often with negative impacts on physical and mental health. For some, balancing work with new family care responsibilities has proven challenging. For others the loss of the social aspects of work, the blurred boundaries between office and home life, on top of increased workloads have added to stress levels. Leaders have had to respond by showing greater concern for the mental health of their teams, giving the right support where needed.

Now, as organisations face a partial return to the office, hybrid working, or the blending of on and off-site approaches, has presented new challenges to employee morale. Understanding the ways in which this new world has the potential to impact employee wellbeing, makes it possible for leaders to keep their focus on this and take early action to reduce risk.

How do we take care of our people in the new world of working?

1. Offer support and show understanding

Since everybody is experiencing these rapid changes differently, it’s important to attempt to understand people’s personal circumstances and go the extra mile in demonstrating understanding and offering the necessary support. 

Even as life appears to go back to normal, there is still a lot of adjustment we are asking people to make. Asking people directly if they are receiving the support they need can open up a channel of communication that provides priceless information about how we can help them. It also builds trust by letting people feel heard. Perhaps they need additional training to support the new ways of working, or they need an adjustment to their hours to allow them to continue to care for loved ones. Leaders can also demonstrate a kinship with those they manage by also sharing their own stories of challenge, increasing the sense of shared experience. 

2. Office vs Home teams. 

With employees based in different locations, there is a risk that those working from the office begin to have more say on decisions, leaving those on the outside to feel excluded and demoralised. This can have a particularly pronounced effect on those with extra care duties, those who must stay home because of their health or those more introverted who might tend to feel more comfortable working from home. 

Leaders can minimise this impact by consciously choosing not to refer to groups as ‘Team A’ or ‘Team B’ for example. Also, making an extra effort to include all in decisions as if they were working from the same spaces keeps everybody feeling involved and appreciated. It sends the  clear message that their opinions and contributions are valued even if they are working remotely.

It’s also important to try and connect people in different locations as best as possible. For example, team events could be hosted that unite people wherever they are working, while regular team check-ins would allow for more informal opportunities for your people to connect with each other. By making space for social events, such as team quizzes or wine tasting events where everybody is sent the same bottle, you help to create a common identity and shared sense of purpose that invigorates the team.

3. Invest in wellbeing programmes

One positive that has come out of the pandemic is that organisations have increasingly put focus on setting up wellbeing programs. Employers needed to help their staff adjust to social distancing and find ways to alleviate their sense of isolation. Such efforts to focus on employee wellbeing will stick even once more staff return to co-located workspaces. Organisations may have been pleasantly surprised to discover that investing in wellbeing pays off for organisational goals too. A workforce that is able to operate with improved mental health will produce far better results for the business. 

Even as restrictions continue to ease, the mental health and wellbeing of employees should remain the primary concern as organisations move into the new hybrid working model. Businesses can keep wellbeing in focus by arranging one-to-one meetings with staff or by holding mental health awareness events to help create an environment where employees are able to talk about their wellbeing or request support should they need it. Also, giving employees access to coaches empowers them to take care of their own wellbeing and find ways of navigating all this change most productively. 

To Conclude

According to mental health charity Mind, over half of adults said their mental health got worse during lockdown, an effect driven in part by health concerns and loneliness. As our people increasingly move back to working in offices, it’s imperative that we keep the focus on helping them adjust to all the changes and make sure that we facilitate improved communications and better working relationship regardless of where are teams are based.