None of us is an island, let’s keep it that way

Home working has now been a feature of many of our lives for far longer than we envisaged.

For some, taking advantage of having no commute, and the ability to fit in life admin around work and seeing more of family has been a positive to come out of a very tragic situation.

Some people have established a new routine that works well for them, such as longer in bed each morning, working in comfies and fitting in more home workouts.

Sadly, that it not the reality for all, especially those with young children to home-school, those living alone, those living in dysfunctional homes and those who need the stimulation of those around them in order to stay motivated and creative.

Our clients have seen a significant dip in mood, energy, and motivation recently and they admit that they have lost momentum on a lot of the support they temporarily put in place in the first lockdown. So, we felt that a reminder of some of the key factors in keeping those relationships strong with your team members would be useful.

Be transparent

- Try to keep people up to date on updates even if you don’t have all the information. Remember you are all in this together.

Have empathy for all of your team

- People have very different levels of resilience and some are able to adapt quickly to change, while others take quite some time.

- You may believe someone’s anxieties are trivial, but take the time to listen and reassure people that feeling anxious is natural, and ask if there is anything you or they can do to manage these feelings.

- Also, expect people’s tolerances to change day-to-day in response to family, friends, news etc. as well as work.

Provide clear guidance on expectations

- Emphasis on keeping well, encouraging staff to take breaks regularly, stick to normal working hours, establish healthy routines which incorporate activity and to contact you for support / advice – manager to lead by example!

- Discourage people from working at home if they are unwell, checking in regularly on staff to find out how they are feeling. Many individuals will not want to take the day off while at home anyway so it is important to be aware of individuals who feel unable to switch off until everything is done who may place themselves at risk of burnout.

- Set clear objectives to provide structure, but allow autonomy on how this is completed.

- Give clarity on how work will be monitored e.g. through a daily email, weekly team call, or verbal feedback after deadlines.

- Reassurance again that distractions such as pets and children, other people on the phone is OK, we are only human.

- Offer flexible working, or where you can, state you do not expect full working hours where this is not practical.

Try to be open with your team

- Show that you are vulnerable too, and what has helped you manage any anxieties e.g. things you do to keep well day-to-day - remember to try and practice what you preach (however tricky sometimes).

Maintain regular one-to-one connections with your team

- Having one-to-one time with your manager is important, as many will not want to share their concerns with the whole team on a video call. Have these scheduled in to give people permission and space to talk about how they feel rather than feeling anxious about whether they should call you. This is especially important for new starters.

Provide clarity on what support is available

- Whether this be through HR, you as a manager, peers, in-house Mental Health First Aiders, national helplines or delivery of webinars / online training.

Bring some fun to the workplace

- Can we bring back some of the fun and spontaneity that we saw in the first lockdown?! Your team may be sick of Zoom quizzes, so can you mix it up? There are plenty of team games that can be played online, as well as activities such as cooking, origami, pottery, playing X-box or whatever floats your teams boat!

- New starters will not have had the opportunity through lockdown 1 to do these activities – so keep them going to help build relationships.