Most of us are aware of the risks posed to lone/remote workers with regards to physical safety, but what about Mental Health? How can we support employees and help ourselves? Lone and remote working has always been a talking point with regards to mental health. Is it good for us? How much of an affect does it have on our mental health? Does it really have a negative impact on the work force?
When you are working from home, rather than an office, the most common problems can be summarised as follows:
- Blurred boundaries between your work and home life
- Feelings of isolation
- Lack of collaboration
- Difficulty creating cultures in remote team
It is common to be aware of people who work alone e.g., domiciliary/home care workers, personal assistants (PAs), live-in carers, supported living workers, drivers, staff that work remotely on the same site as their team members e.g., residential/nursing homes, overnight workers (sleep-in and awake), social workers, community care assessors. However, now more than ever as a nation we have all become somewhat lone workers through the pandemic. Whether that be from wearing copious amounts of PPE, or up routing your daily lives and starting to work from home. With many staff experiencing new routines, e.g., working from home for the first time or perhaps if you are a frontline worker you were not even able to go home, with all of that comes a multitude of feelings including; anxiety and stress perhaps due to the building feelings of uncertainty, lack of motivation, loneliness and/or fear.
It is also extremely common for lone/remote workers to find challenges in everyday communications. Many say that it can be more difficult to discuss issues or challenges that they are experiencing, and to catch up with colleagues. They can experience increased stress levels through feeling the burden of decision making and not having other colleagues present to seek advice and discuss different options. For live-in carers, there could be a sense of feeling ‘penned in’ within a person’s home, and finding it difficult to relax, particularly if living in rural areas or somewhere with few socialising opportunities. Lone workers also said that they can feel more pressure to work when they are unwell because it can be harder to cover absences. This can also lead to lone workers taking on more work if no-one else is available, especially at short notice. It is important that employers understand how employees feel, so that you can address any issues or concerns early and avoid them escalating to a point that affects someone’s mental health and wellbeing. Lone workers can have less opportunity to share pressures and can feel they carry sole responsibility for everything they do. Staff who work alone are more likely to continue working when they should rest, due to the responsibility that they shoulder for their roles.
Whether you work alone on a regular basis (pre-pandemic and post-pandemic) or whether you have been thrust into the working way due to lockdowns. It is important to remember that every day you will be building positives through the tasks and roles you complete. It will naturally build your Resilience, Accountability, Responsibility, Self-reliance, Reliability, Humility, Resourcefulness, Independence, Timeliness and more. It will show your employers how brilliantly calm and honest you are in difficult situations. So, remember it is not all negative.
Employers can help by building confidence with employees to help with making decisions independently, employers should be checking on employee’s resilience and mental wellbeing as a lone worker, ensuring personal safety and making sure staff have the correct training e.g., conflict resolution and managing challenging situations alone, when needed.
There are also ways we can support each other, make sure you are keeping in touch with colleagues, management and even people you would not normally communicate with, make sure you are making the most of resources available to you e.g., your EAP. Ensure regular communication between lone working colleagues via phone calls, text messages and social media, (virtual) Coffee mornings, Group training, Team meetings, Social media, Online chats/forums, Team development days or lunches, sharing learning with each other. Keep safe by following your organisation’s lone worker policies and training, if you have this within your organisation.
And finally remember it is important to understand your feelings and always look after your mental health and wellbeing.
If you are feeling lonely due to remote or lone working remember human beings are naturally social, so being lonely is not good for us. It can contribute to feelings of anxiety, stress and depression, and have a negative impact on our mental health. Feeling lonely and isolated affects our self-esteem, and we can think that people will not want to talk to us or be friends. Often these feelings can spill over into our work or home lives. Remember you will not feel like this forever – it is just the loneliness talking.
How can I stop feeling lonely?
Think about what you would like more of. Time with friends or family?
- Skype with friends and family to still stay connected
- Enjoy regular exercise or walks, please be aware of the government guidance around COVID-19.
- Drink plenty of water and eat well, a health body will support your immune system and ensure you mind is healthy
- Spend time reading and enjoying
- Chat and community forums
If lone or remote working is getting you down, talking to someone can really help. You may want to consider counselling support to explore how you are feeling. You can access EAP services provided by Care first 24/7 via the Freephone number.
Some of the information sourced for this article was originally published by skillsforcare.org. If you would like to access this and further information in more detail please follow the link below –
For more information and discussion on this topic please join us for a live webinar on Wednesday 16th December at 12pm https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3433844494150689549