A spotlight on... Employee Mental Health: Remote Workers
21 August 2024
Data suggests remote workers are more productive and have a better work-life balance. It sounds great. Yet statistics also indicate that remote workers are more likely to feel the impact of isolation and loneliness, causing stress and other health implications. Our research supports this second theory, finding that 42% of remote workers feel working from home negatively impacts their mental wellbeing. Although many businesses are encouraging employees back to the office, many more are embracing hybrid and remote working ways. Read on to discover how you can protect the mental health of your remote teams.
We’ll start with the positive.
A survey of over 1,000 UK employees found that 67% of fully remote workers rate themselves as highly productive compared to 54% of hybrid workers (HR Grapevine).
A plus for employers, but the benefits remote workers reap don’t end there.
The report suggests that remote workers have the best work-life balance in the UK, and 59% of fully remote workers say they find time to relax, compared to 46% of hybrid workers.
Less time to travel = more time to yourself!
It makes sense that if you can eliminate the commute, you will have more time to use as you choose, whether it’s using those thirty minutes or so to tackle some chores and life admin or a morning walk or trip to the gym.
The suggestion that remote workers get travelling time back is valid, but do they have the energy to use that time to enhance their wellbeing?
Actually, yes. During our research, we asked our employee respondents whether they skipped exercise due to work fatigue. Only 29% of fully remote workers said yes, compared to 31% of office-based and 41% of hybrid workers (HR Review).
Hybrid working offers fantastic flexibility, but it’s clear that employees need the right support to truly thrive in this environment,” Tom Nash, HR Business Partner, Pluxee UK
Remote Workers & Social Wellbeing
So far, it sounds great for remote workers and their employers due to higher levels of productivity and balance.
So, let’s ask you: what’s your favourite thing about being in the office?
Ask your colleagues this question, and the majority will share that they enjoy interacting with their colleagues.
Technology enables us to keep in touch with our peers from anywhere, but it’s not the same as having a face-to-face chat over a cup of coffee. Being in the office also allows interactions among teams who don’t usually work together, creating a wider network of awareness and socialisation across the business.
What is social wellbeing, and what is the role of the workplace in enhancing it?
Social wellbeing stems from feeling connected to our environment - our world - and feeling valued. We achieve this through our interactions with those around us and the meaningful relationships we nurture.
This includes the connections we make in the workplace.
Social interaction at work can be just as important as time spent with friends and family." (Bupa)
60% of adults have had a romantic relationship with a colleague, and 43% of those led to marriage (Forbes).
The connections we make at work can last a lifetime, and most hybrid employees look forward to office interaction, making it easy to understand how remote workers can feel isolated at times.
Remote Worker Loneliness
A US study by the Harvard Business Review claims that loneliness increases stress. Stress and loneliness-related absenteeism cost the economy $154 billion annually.
How can businesses make remote workers feel more included?
1. Set aside time for team interaction.
Start the week on a high by setting time aside for remote workers to join office-based and hybrid colleagues on a virtual call. Make it social rather than planning for the week ahead by encouraging them to have a drink and snack and chat about their weekends. It’s an excellent way to wrap up the week, too.
2. Celebrate milestones.
Ensure you celebrate remote worker milestones and occasions like you would colleagues who make an appearance in the office. Send a virtual card signed by their team and a cake to their home... you may as well have some in the office, too.
3. Recognise achievements.
Don’t let remote workers become invisible. Recognise and reward their successes alongside those of their hybrid and office-based colleagues.
Discover how to make recognition count…
- Affordable and inclusive ways to harness the power of employee appreciation
- Inclusive employee rewards for all generations
- Reducing Stress by Increasing Recognition
4. Equal Opportunities
Data suggests that remote workers are 31% less likely to be promoted compared to their office-based colleagues (HR Daily Advisor).
This is a guaranteed way to make a once highly productive and engaged remote worker become disengaged.
Ensure performance reviews reflect working environments, learning and development opportunities are available to all, and promotions are offered based on merit and suitability.
Reducing Stress for Remote Workers
Statistics suggest that remote workers are more balanced and restful; on the other hand, contradicting studies suggest that remote workers experience more loneliness and stress.
How do you manage stress in the workplace when your workplace is your home?
There’s something to be said about leaving the stress of the day at the office, but how does that work when your office is your home?
Personal discipline and mutual respect - that’s how.
If they can do so, remote workers should close the door to their office outside of working hours. This ensures the space remains separate from the rest of their home and helps them switch off from the working day.
The right to switch off or right to disconnect is getting media attention, with talk of it becoming a formal policy. The fact that a policy is needed highlights the existence of some poor working practices and cultures if employees feel they do not have the right to be uncontactable outside of their working hours.
Mutual respect is essential. Managers should be mindful of their colleagues' working hours, ensuring they do not plan meetings or make calls outside of them unless it’s an emergency.
Encouraging Healthy Lifestyles in Remote Workers
If your remote workers feel isolated and stressed, you can ensure they always have somewhere to turn with an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).
As well as helping them proactively enhance their wellbeing - mentally and emotionally, they also have access to:
- Face-to-face, phone, or email-based counselling with BACP-accredited counsellors, 24/7, 365 days a year.
- A mental wellbeing App.
- Crisis support.
If they have more time to get active, why not help make it more affordable with a corporate gym discount scheme?
Our Gym & Fitness Discounts give employees access to over 3,000 gyms, fitness centres, boot camps, and a wide range of online and digital fitness providers. If remote workers are missing out on social interaction at work, going to the gym or a group class will give them some much-needed social connection and a sense of camaraderie.
FAQ
How do you manage stress in the workplace? Whether remote, hybrid, or office-based, employers have a duty of care to protect employees from excess stress. There are multiple ways to manage stress in the workplace. Head over to the mental wellbeing section of our blogs for more information.
What is the difference between mental health and emotional wellbeing? Great question! Mental health relates to what we think, how we respond to situations and our overall psychological health. Emotional wellbeing involves how we feel - our ability to manage our moods. In this blog, we’ve given an example of how the two are connected. Isolation and loneliness are feelings, but they can lead to increased stress and potentially depression or anxiety, which are linked to mental health.
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