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Ensuring employees’ wellbeing, wherever their workplaces are

A wider view of employee wellbeing

Let’s start with a few statistics. The charity Versus Arthritis recently conducted a survey of people working remotely and found that 81% of respondents were experiencing some back, neck or shoulder pain, while 48% were less physically active than they were before lockdown. Another study, by the Health Foundation, discovered that more than two-thirds of adults in the UK feel somewhat or very worried about the effects that Covid-19 is having on their lives. A further survey undertaken by the RSA reported that from over 1,100 workers’ responses, four in 10 had worked within 10 days of a positive Covid-19 test result, while over 10% said they’d been ordered on-site when they could have worked easily and safely from home.

I’ve brought these statistics together because they touch on the physical, mental, occupational and social pressures being exerted on people during this extraordinary chapter – and suggest the need to look at employee wellbeing holistically. The pandemic’s effects have reached into all areas of our lives, not least our work situations. There’s surely never been a period of such flux in modern times, featuring so many changes to the fabric of the work environment including the shift to remote working, the need for altered workplaces when that’s not possible, as well as the furlough scheme. So there are naturally many tests and tasks to overcome on the road ahead.

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Posted 06/04/2021

The changes and challenges we face

Government guidance currently places a firm emphasis on the rule that people should work from home if they can, but the reality is that it’s not always practicable. For site-based operations, it means creating and maintaining Covid-secure workplace environments, undertaking comprehensive risk assessments and implementing controls such as social distancing, cleaning, hygiene and handwashing, appropriate ventilation and air conditioning, and sometimes the use of PPE. One challenge in this area is the introduction of new risks when bringing in new measures because Covid-19 has the potential to divert resources away from a business’s usual activities and lead to pre-incumbent risk controls deteriorating over time. Another challenge is that having conducted risk assessments and implemented controls, companies need to clearly communicate them to employees so that they’re confident in the steps taken and feel safe at work.

Health and safety is now a tier-one consideration for most employees. Let’s face it, it wasn’t previously a subject that came up at the dinner table much, but that’s now changed with employees actively engaged with colleagues, family and friends about their perceptions of control levels at work and how safe they feel there. There’s also the pressure of creating and maintaining safety measures, pitted against any loss of productivity.

Finally, it’s significant that there are less connection and consultation between safety managers and employees, because, with social distancing, remote working, staggered shift patterns and restrictions on travel, organisations must grapple with the maintenance of regular communications and open, effective relations with employees.

Responsibilities around remote working

For some organisations, remote working has been a way of life for a while, but for many, it’s new and was rapidly implemented at scale. Either way, it’s likely it’ll remain in place for a significant number of workforces in future, for at least a portion of the working week. There are many potential mutual benefits: flexible schedules, custom environments, fewer distractions, increased productivity and cost savings, among others. However, as the survey results mentioned earlier suggest, remote working can also bring problems, including physical consequences. It’s a phenomenon that occurred in crisis conditions, so there needs to be an emphasis on the careful management of the health and safety of remote-working employees. After all, employers’ responsibilities for the wellbeing of remote workers extends to them every bit as much as they do to site-based colleagues.

It’s all part of a material change to the workplace environment that demands a review of strategy and processes that were previously focused on office and on-site environments and may mean assessing situations on an individual basis. There’ll be a need to review risk assessments, training and communication channels to cater effectively for remote working – and to take a long-term view, rather than look at things as a point-in-time intervention. Regarding emerging challenges and risks relating to home-working, here are some key elements to consider from a health and safety perspective:

  • Workstation set-ups (ensuring people are aware of practicalities and any specific risk controls required)
  • Ergonomics (establishing requirements and risks, and empowering employees to self-assess situations)
  • Time management (encouraging good practice – e.g. screen breaks – to foster effective working days)
  • Hardware requirements (reviewing and addressing equipment needs so roles remain dischargeable)
  • Software requirements (providing the right apps and tools to let everyone stay productive)

Creating Covid-secure workplaces

Of course, many employees can’t work from home, but a significant proportion of them will be concerned about the safety of their workplaces. In recent weeks there have been various stories in the media about this and a worrying perception that some employers aren’t doing enough to protect their staff. The BBC recently reported that HSE received 2,945 complaints from employees between 6-14 January 2021. Then there are the figures mentioned at the outset, suggesting some employers are directing staff to flout Covid-19 rules.

So how can we stay on top of Covid-19 risks in operational workplaces? Employees need to see, feel and know that they’re secure and employers must get their approach right to keep people safe and avoid prosecution, all of which is the responsibility of an organisation’s board as well as its health and safety officials. There are many different factors to consider when seeking to make your workplace Covid-secure and you can view a summary of these below, along with the risk assessment process to adhere to.

There are also five key steps for building confidence across the on-premises workforce and keeping businesses safe. These are: carrying out specific Covid-19 risk assessments regularly; ensuring accurate audit trails are in place, not least for any HSE inspections; communicating with staff clearly, so they know what’s required of them and why; setting up Covid-19 training to embed the practical steps required, and making it easy to report Covid-19 symptoms and collect relevant data.

Facing up to employees’ feelings

Do your employees feel safe in their workplace? A key factor here, as touched upon earlier, is the pandemic’s detrimental effect on mental health. Feelings of uncertainty, isolation, challenges outside of work, the loss of team dynamics and coping mechanisms, difficulties with focus and motivation – these are all known negative impacts resulting from the situation we find ourselves in.

So now more than ever organisations should recognise wellbeing challenges and support colleagues with them. We must ensure a strong message – that it’s okay not to be okay – is embedded throughout businesses. Communication like this starts from the top and a culture of trust is vital to it so that people feel they can be honest about their feelings and any challenges they’re facing. Empowering managers and team leaders with the tools and guidance they need to offer support via open conversations, active listening and tools for employee monitoring, is going to crucial. Managers also need to be trained to recognise the signs of deteriorating mental health and possess the right tools and information to assist team members.

While the pandemic has undoubtedly brought about challenges in the arena of mental health and wellbeing, if there is a positive to take from it, it’s that the subject has been placed firmly in the spotlight and there are a wealth of resources available for practical support and guidance, including the mind.org.uk website.

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