Looking after your mental health

Our working lives have been changing for a while now – but the

emergence of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has led to a massive change,

more uncertainty, and new challenges for many of us.

IT and technology

For many of us IT and technology will be a lifeline during a period when

our working patterns will change. It can be quite an adjustment though to

do a lot online, and we aren't all tech geniuses:

 Ask for help with IT - from IT department and from colleagues.

Wherever possible try and use equipment provided by work - but if

there's no alternative most conference software can also be used on

mobiles and tablets.

 Use online training to guide you to learn new skills - Microsoft and

other companies that provide remote working software have good,

free videos available to help.

 Try and use video calls whenever you can - there's no substitute for

seeing another person's face. If videoconferencing is a step too far,

you can do WhatsApp video for basic video calls with close
 colleagues.  If you'd check in with colleagues in person in the office

- check in with them virtually as well - whether by video or by

call/email.

 Try and keep your work channels clear for work topics - but create

social channels too on your intranet or messenger tool. Have a

space where people can shoot the breeze or share pet pictures

without talk of the virus - and have a separate space where people

can find updates about policies and procedures relating to the

outbreak.

 Think about your digital working style and how it fits with others in

your team - you need to find a rhythm. Sending an email doesn't

mean that everybody has read it - and some people like to send

emails at off times - but they don't necessarily expect you to

answer.

Getting into a routine

Working from home or remotely can be very challenging and isolating.

Sometimes our attention wanders, or we miss people.

A structured day can be a good way to address this:

 Designate a place to work that is as free of distractions as you can

make it.

 Set a routine for working at home - it's important to get up and get

started, to take regular breaks including a lunch break, and to finish

working and turn off at an appropriate time.

 No matter how tempting, avoid working in your pyjamas all day.

This is likely a big change already so try not to lose all your daily

routines at once.

 Try and set clear tasks for the day - three major decisions or

activities is a good day's work - but keep an eye on ongoing tasks

too. You won't always get as much done at home - but you might

get loads done. One great tip we heard of this week was to have a

WEB list – W – what you want to achieve – E – what you expect to

achieve – and B – what you had Better achieve that day. This helps

prioritise.

 Have a proper lunch break. Stop, makes something nice to eat, and

eat away from your work area.  Try and get outside and get some

natural light if you can do so safely, and try some exercise, again

within guidelines on social contact - it's easy to get dragged in to

work out of hours.

  Use your diary to clearly say to others when you are working and

when you are available to speak.

 Consider keeping a journal - incorporating gratitude practice - ask

"What was I grateful for today?" - and learning - ask "What was I

challenged by today?" - in a week or so you will start to get insights

into things you can improve in this working pattern. Soon you'll get

to know when you do your best focused work, or need the most

input. At home that might be different to the office. You could

combine this with a paper bullet journal or planner to keep

thoughts, tasks and achievement in the same place.

 When you are done for the day, pack away your work things or

leave your work area at the end of the day.

 If you are home-schooling or looking after children whilst trying to

work, have a conversation with work about those realities. Try and

set up a routine whereby you have distinct times for working and

for helping with school time. Dividing your attention may leave both

things suffering and being there for children offering undivided

attention at these uncertain times is very important.

Keep up the formal and social flow of work

It's really important that structured and unstructured connections with

work and colleagues carry on whilst people are working remotely or

flexibly:

 If you are a manager, discuss with your teams how you'd like to run

supervision, check-ins, and sign offs remotely. Let people know how

and when to contact you and try not to go outside those lines until

you've got a routine established.

 Try to use video for all formal discussions, and any discussions

where you are checking in on someone’s well-being - the non-verbal

communication is key for this.

 Follow-up video chats or calls with a quick note with a summary of

the actions to take, or your understanding of the major points to

ensure that things are clear.

 Use video calling software for informal chats - Soup. Sandwich and

Skype lunches - or virtual coffee catch-ups for example.

 If a new starter joins your team during this period, try to take time

off your workflow and have a long videoconference induction with

them and a virtual lunch. Acknowledge they’re not starting under

ideal circumstances and this might stress them out on top of the
 common stress of wanting to demonstrate their skills and fit for the

new job.

 Consider having break or lunch buddies to encourage you to take a

break or a lunch break - or check in with your team at the end of

the day to update on what you've done - work and otherwise that

day.

 Try and keep a separation between work and personal - think for

example before connecting with colleagues you wouldn't ordinarily

link with on things like Facebook and respect the boundaries people

have between work and home life.

Use the support that's available

This is a challenging time for all of us – and whether we are at work or

not many employers provide support.

 Many employers offer Employee Assistance Programmes, and wider

benefits. Use these wherever you need - many have dedicated apps

and websites and they aren't just about counselling.

 If you have ongoing health or mental health conditions, even if they

aren't disclosed, your employer has a duty to make reasonable

 adjustments. In this case this could include home working,

additional support from managers, or equipment.

 It's quite likely that we will need to accept a certain amount of

distress and anxiety relating to the outbreak, in the short and

medium term. If you have self-care techniques that work for you,

try and make sure that you have what you need. You may need to

think differently - for example doing exercise workouts from videos

instead of attending classes. You may want to consider looking at

mindfulness practice or finding ways to help others in your

community. Self-compassion, and support for others is going to be

very important.

Try not to share or encourage employees to share other articles and

information. There are a lot of media and social media discussions that

are based on a rapidly evolving field of research. It is best to stick to

reliable sources for official communications.

2. Consider who needs information and when

You may have a group at work who are planning how your workplace will

manage during the outbreak. If so, remember to consider carefully who

needs to be involved in that planning and when, to minimise gossip and or

anxiety.

3. Talk to your people

You could keep in regular, possibly daily contact with your people - both

the general population, and with managers and supervisors.

Try to be honest, authentic and sincere in what you say. Start by

acknowledging the uncertainty and the stress it causes. Be prepared to

say that you don't know and that you will come back to people with

answers. 

This is important whether people are in the workplace or at home. Make

sure that alongside regular communication with all staff, you also

communicate with line managers. They are the main contact between an

organisation and its people and if you want to achieve consistently

applied policies and advice, they may need more information than you

give to all staff.

4. Everyone has mental health - consider the impact this
has across the board

We all have mental health, and whatever our circumstance this

outbreak is going to have an impact on how we think and feel about

ourselves and the world we live in. Good work is great for our mental

health and it's important that we preserve the opportunity to enjoy the

benefits of work wherever we can. 

Some people are at greater risk of poor mental health. When you plan

your response, consider how it affects staff with protected characteristics

(sex, age, disability, race, sexual orientation etc.) or other challenges

(e.g. how people from Asian or Italian backgrounds may be facing

discriminatory behaviours) - and adjust accordingly. Try to act in a way

that protects the physical and mental health of staff - starting with those

who are at greatest need.  

5. Remember vulnerability has many faces

There is a lot of talk of physical vulnerabilities in relation to the

Coronavirus. But senior managers will feel vulnerable too in

demonstrating leadership in unusual circumstances. Help each other stay

composed by encouraging and reminding how good a job they’re doing.

This can be a particularly difficult time for people with pre-existing or

past mental health problems. Staying at home may be bringing back

memories of bad times to people who have experienced depression or

trauma. Know your people and do a little extra for those who are more

vulnerable if you notice changes in their behaviour.

These circumstances might lead people to disclose mental health

problems they have previously not discussed at work. Treat new

disclosures with respect and compassion and make adjustments.

6. Promote access to support

You may provide access to support services through your workplace - if

you do, make sure these are advertised well and find out whether there

are specific resources relating to the outbreak.

Make sure people also know where they go and who they talk to

internally. If you have mental health champions, allies or mental health

first aiders make sure they have the latest information, and that if you

change working practices that this network of mental health support

carries on if possible.
7. Use technology for work and social aspects of work

Provide equipment and support for staff to use technology to keep in

touch with each other, with colleagues and with their managers. Offer

advice for those not used to working in this way - perhaps with a buddy

scheme to gain confidence. 

Encourage people to maintain the informal conversations too if they are

working virtually. You may have an instant messenger or intranet like

Slack or MS Teams - but text messages and calls work as well.  You could

also try video call lunches and coffee chats and virtual birthday

celebrations. A daily check in with teams and direct reports, with weekly

manager briefings is a good idea.

8. See opportunities for growth and development

alongside crisis planning

Consider whether there are tasks that you can do if regular business is

disrupted - planning, staff development, and catching up on admin jobs

are all possible things that can be done that increase your readiness to

resume business as usual later. If you are able, you could support local

food banks and connect staff to volunteering opportunities and

community support schemes if appropriate.

9. Encourage personal planning and self-care

Encourage your people to plan for how they will manage under self-

isolation, or quarantine. If people are at home social distancing or self-

isolating with symptoms keep in touch. If you put on virtual social events

for staff - like a virtual book-group or a daily creative challenge or

puzzle, make sure people at home are included. 

Coming into work where necessary

If you are an essential worker coming to work during the epidemic, thank

you for everything you are doing in our communities.

It will feel unusual, and may add to the anxiety you feel, or that loved

ones feel for you.

 If you can reduce your travel, consider doing so, or changing the

method of transport you use or the times you travel to reduce peak

travel and increase the distance between you and others so that you

can observe social distancing guidelines.

 Maintain the scrupulous hygiene measures advised by authorities.

Hand washing, catching sneezes and coughs, and not touching your

face are still a key strand in preventing the virus spreading. 

 The virus is likely to be a hot topic of conversation at work. Try to

minimise gossip and hearsay about both the news and personal

stories of things you've heard and people you know. It can help dial

back people's anxiety.

 Look for specific advice from your union, trade organisations and

trade press.