Mental Health at Work: Wellbeing in the Hybrid World

Are we coping with the post-pandemic workplace? For many organisations, promoting good mental health at work is more important than ever

Mental health at work is climbing the agenda of HR teams and boards as we continue to adjust to the workplace transformations of recent years. Organisations are now starting to grapple with one of the most important employee challenges of the decade. While our IT systems may be up to speed with the new world of hybrid working, are our minds?

The Scramble to Adapt

Within a few weeks of the first pandemic lockdowns, most organisations were reengineering their processes for remote working. Online productivity tools were rolled out and video calling became the norm as we adapted ourselves to a different type of 9 to 5.

So why didn’t life return to normal after the pandemic subsided? How did hybrid working suddenly become the new normal? The simple answer is that COVID-19 rapidly accelerated something that was already happening.

Changing Attitudes to Mental Health at Work

Homeworking has been on the rise for many years. In 2019, 12% of the UK workforce worked from home at least one day a week, while 5% worked from home most of the time.

However, homeworking was still largely associated with ‘taking it easy’ but that stigma quickly vanished during the pandemic. Organisations found that productivity didn’t necessarily diminish when its workforce stayed home. In many cases, employees became even more productive.

Naturally, this wasn’t the only benefit to emerge. Organisations discovered that homeworking provided an opportunity to reduce office costs, which helped to cushion the blow of pandemic losses and the rising cost of living. Fixed desks became hot desks, and organisations began downsizing their premises. Many smaller companies even gave up their offices in favour of flexible coworking spaces.

Studying Mental Health at Work

With more time to breathe, organisations and occupational health professionals are re-examining mental health at work, particularly the way our minds have adapted to recent transformations.

Key areas of concern are the increased physical and psychological distance between employees, and between employees and the organisation itself.

Many studies focus on productivity, such as how creativity and collaboration have been affected. However, health professionals are calling for greater focus on the many new stresses that are impacting mental health at work.

Here are some of the key challenges that today’s employees face.

Out of Hours

Traveling to an office and back provides a clear physical separation between our personal and professional lives. If the home becomes the workplace, then these boundaries are blurred.

One of the key problems is switching off, which can be particularly challenging for employees of multinational organisations that are active around the clock. People feel compelled to start work earlier, stop later and respond to requests whenever they arise.

Naturally, phones play a part in this. When we check for messages, we often feel compelled to check work apps too. This can lead to feelings of anxiety if we discover that someone needs us to perform an urgent task.

Workplace Loneliness

A 2023 survey by the British Red Cross found that one in ten workers often or always experience aspects of loneliness at work, while almost half of workers feel lonely at some point.

Emotional connection is a fundamental human need, and the workplace is an important source of interaction and friendship. Even employees with the most loving families can feel cut off from the additional social vibrancy and enjoyment that come from working with colleagues.

In our increasingly hybrid world, workplace loneliness is a rising contributor to poor mental health at work. Organisations are finding that employee disconnection diminishes productivity and leads to an increase in staff turnover that affects profitability.

Workplace Anxiety

Ironically, spending more time away from the office can also generate feelings of anxiety about going in.

Homeworking certainly has its perks. No stressful commuting, no need to prepare packed lunches, and you can avoid people you don’t quite get on with. For employees that work from home two or three days per week, going to an office can easily become an uphill motivational struggle.

Furthermore, employees who already feel overloaded with work may experience even greater stress due to the noise and distractions that office-working usually entails. Homeworking can also increase anxiety about physically collaborating with people you feel may judge you, such as line managers and other senior colleagues.

Loss of Identity

There is a strong symbolic association between entering an office and entering the organisation itself. Once inside, employees are fully immersed in the organisational environment and its processes and culture. Less time in the office may weaken this association, leading to reduced productivity and changes to the way employees work.

Disconnection can also drive a loss of professional identity, which is a particularly destructive source of poor mental health at work. Distanced employees miss out on many valuable positive reinforcement opportunities such as collaboration and praise from managers and peers. As a result, confidence can drop and anxiety can increase.

Out of Balance

When we talk about the work-life balance, we tend to think about the ‘life’ part of the equation, but being away from home can be an essential part of daily coping.

Even the happiest homes have their stresses, and physically going to an office can help to compartmentalise personal and professional challenges. Once the line is blurred, some people can feel significantly more overwhelmed and less able to cope.

Working from home also requires greater discipline. Some home environments can be far more distracting than offices, with pressing chores, home deliveries and the needs of children and relatives. Not to mention the temptations of streaming services and long lunches in the garden on sunny days. All of this can add anxiety.

Promoting Good Mental Health at Work

In light of all that has happened over recent years, occupational health professionals are urging organisations to rethink connection and balance in the modern workplace.

Most important is to not simply treat this a matter of telecommunications. Productivity apps may connect employees technologically but they don’t necessarily connect them emotionally. Organisations need a proactive strategy for keeping their people together.

Naturally, individuals play a key role in maintaining their own good mental health at work, but organisations can get the ball rolling. Here are some essential initiatives you can start implementing today.

Get Louder

As people get further away, you need to speak more loudly to be heard. Similarly, as employees become more physically distanced, organisations need to enhance their approaches to engagement.

Naturally, line managers are the pivotal link with employees, yet too many organisations overlook the huge value they bring. A well-thought-out engagement strategy executed through your line managers can greatly increase the sense of connection.

Many disconnected employees feel out of touch, so make a point of keeping people up to date with business news. However, judge the optimal frequency and format of communications so employees don’t feel more overwhelmed.

Find a Flexible Balance

Modern organisations help employees to work in a way that suits them best. That doesn’t simply mean allowing them to work at home when they need to. It’s just as important to ensure they have office facilities when they need them. This is particularly important for organisations that no longer own or rent commercial premises.

Keep agility in mind as you update policies and processes, and avoid introducing mandates. Some organisations are enforcing a set number of days in the office and at home per week, but this simply adds stress and may unintentionally hinder productivity. Remember that working from home with fewer interruptions may be the optimal way for certain roles, projects, and tasks to be undertaken.

Set Boundaries

Setting digital boundaries is fast becoming an essential concept for promoting good mental health at work and home. There are many simple things you can do to alleviate ‘digital stress’ such as scheduling quiet periods on apps and devices to prevent out-of-hours notifications. You can also block out parts of your calendar so you can complete urgent and complicated tasks without the interruption of video calls.

Some organisations encourage employees to add their core working hours to email footers, which helps to manage recipient expectations about when they will receive a reply. Good digital discipline also helps, such as only checking emails at certain intervals, and never out of hours.

Assess Digital Skills

Lack of confidence when using video-calling apps and other online productivity tools can be a key cause of disconnection, particularly for less tech-savvy employees. Furthermore, those who feel left behind by the recent technological acceleration may be embarrassed about putting their hand up for help.

Addressing this doesn’t necessarily mean sending everyone on a training course. For example, why not send a regular digital tips bulletin about the video-calling and productivity tools you use? You can focus on capabilities, new features, shortcuts, and, most importantly, how you prefer everyone to use these tools.

Take the Temperature

Have you undertaken an employee engagement survey recently? If your workplace has transformed over recent years then why not find out what people really think about it.

Ask employees about the stresses and pressures they experience, and how connected to the organisation they feel. You can also ask for suggestions about how to improve the culture of the organisation. Make the survey anonymous to encourage honesty.

Rethink Resilience

Resilience is our ability to handle change and challenges, which makes it one of the most important qualities in our transforming workplace. Many organisations have yet to consider the resilience of employees and may be overlooking those who are struggling to cope.

Book individuals on our:

Building Resilience Course

There are many simple steps you can take to improve resilience. Make sure employees understand what the new normal is by keeping them up to date with changes in processes and technology. Set realistic expectations for tasks, and look for skills gaps that can be solved by training and other means of development.