It’s a new era in balancing mental health and remote work

Millions of professionals had to suddenly embrace full time remote working as the Covid-19 pandemic intensified. While it decreased commute times and resulted in higher productivity for some employees, the hours of digital meetings made maintaining a work-life balance more challenging than ever before.

“Seeking the right balance between the job, household chores, childcare and, in some cases financial uncertainty, were issues of major concern before the pandemic. However, in the last year and a half, mental health became the focus of most ‘employee wellbeing’ conversations,” says Jiten Vyas, Regional Group Chief Operating Officer at VFS Global, the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide.

“The recent LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index highlighted ‘balancing work with personal needs’, ‘not making enough money’ and ‘slow career advancement’ as the biggest factors affecting the mental health of employees in India.

“Burnout, anxiety, and a feeling of isolation, if not handled at the right time in the right manner can snowball into more serious, long-term consequences that are harmful not just to the employee but organisations as well.”

The causes of mental health problems

Working in the same place you live may feel like your life is playing on loop. Most remote workers follow a routine while being confined to the walls of their homes. Vyas says that such a lifestyle coupled with pertinent issues like job security, losing a loved one and being completely isolated, has only intensified mental health struggles.

He believes that another contributor to employee mental health concerns is the blurring of personal and professional lives, resulting in employee burnout.

According to Microsoft’s 2021 Work Trend Index survey, one in five global survey respondents say their employer doesn’t care about their work-life balance, while 54% feel overworked and 39% feel exhausted.

Vyas adds: “The idea of working from ‘home’ made employees feel like they should work longer hours to prove that they can be effective from the comfort of their homes with no time spent on commuting anymore. With hybrid work models becoming a part of the new normal, it has become imperative that organisations have a more holistic approach to employee wellness, and not evaluate corporate wellness programs solely by their return on investment (ROI).

Moreover, it is important for businesses and leaders to look into the changing paradigm of how they view workforce productivity and create a resilient workplace, one that places mental health at the core of it.”

Can organization’s help?

According to Vyas, the very first step in dealing with the stress of working from home is to reassure employees that they are not alone in this situation. It is important to remember that human capital after all is ‘human’ first and requires care and support to thrive.

A recent analysis by Deloitte on the stock performance of the S&P 500 Index companies found that the companies that scored high on health and wellness, appreciated 135 percent compared to its peers.
While corporate organisations are increasingly becoming aware of the need for safeguarding their employees’ mental health needs, driving a change will be possible with the support and participation of top management.

At an organisational level, Yyas advises that firms adopt a company-wide mental health strategy to raise awareness and work towards reducing stigma surrounding mental health discussions. Employers must assist their employees both in the short term (such as return to work) and in long-term situations. HR heads should encourage free communication, allow longer breaks and come up with creative ways to hold engaging meetings and events. The efficient use of technology can also help understand employee health better. For instance, using mind-mapping tools to assist their employees manage tasks and communicate more effectively.

A good example can be seen by GitLab – a firm based out of San Francisco that encourages their remote-only employees to take ‘virtual coffee breaks’ during work hours to stimulate collaboration and create a more comfortable work atmosphere.

“Similarly at VFS Global, we organised Wellness Wednesdays, an initiative wherein employees received fortnightly newsletters with information and emphasis on stress management, hydration, sleep, mindfulness, self-care, walking, health & safety, and mental health. This was supported with an activity called Walky Talky, where employees went on a 15-minute walk with a colleague or friend to check on each other,” he says.

The COVID-19 pandemic has in many ways impacted mental health but Vyas believes that it also gives organisations the opportunity to redefine success of their human capital initiatives, and along with it, the way employees work and live. “Employees are no longer associating long work hours with success and it’s important that organisations acknowledge the situation at hand and work towards making an industry-wide shift that places employee wellbeing at the centre,” concludes Vyas.