The government has unveiled its COVID-19 Plan B to protect the NHS from unsustainable pressure during the upcoming winter. This will involve vaccine passports, mandatory face coverings and a recommended work from home order.
The recommended work from home order will be welcome news to some and unfortunate news for others. Our latest research, published here, shows that while some of us flourished working from our kitchens and living rooms, others ‘languished’ – a mental state of feeling underwhelmed and experiencing wellbeing-nothingness.
Plan B could also be a precursor to a winter lockdown. While many of us will be more prepared for any upcoming change, the responsibility of supporting our people’s mental wellbeing over the next 4-8 weeks falls again on organisations like yours.
As always, Feel Good is on hand to provide support & solutions for organisations and their people around the world. Book a call with our solutions team to create your gold standard wellbeing programme today.
In this article we will explore:
The recommended work from home order will reignite uneasy emotions around the return to the workplace debate. Many organisations have called for their people to return to the office, at least for 3 days a week, arguing that remote working stifles innovation, creativity and collaboration.
This creates at least 4 different emotional responses to consider:
Lessons from lockdown
As we approach Christmas, heartbreaking memories of the lockdown over Christmas will be adding to our collective anxiety – people not being able to spend any time with loved ones over the festive period in 2020 was a hard pill for all of us to swallow – and fears of another lockdown Christmas won’t be far from anyone’s minds.
Our collective experience however has aligned many of our needs. As our latest report states:
We are actually well placed to support our people now. Here are a few ideas from our Solutions Experts:
Organisations have until Monday to let their people know what the deal is. Having already experienced remote working for over a year, many organisations have already re-evaluated their working policies to be ready for announcements like this.
Communicating change, however, creates friction. Our latest research shows that “one in three employees experiencing organisational change is not clear on why the change is happening.”
It is more important to communicate in a consistent and regular manner and be transparent with the vision for the future than it is to have all the answers right now. If your organisation consistently communicates its desire to support its people through this time with wellbeing initiatives, mental health support, and clear leadership, your people are much more likely to respond positively.
What happens when people don’t agree with the message?
Not everybody will agree with whatever decision you make, and that’s okay. Here are three different strategies that are sure to help with those difficult conversations:
Many people now understand that things will change and we don’t have control over them. What we do have control over however is our individual response to change.
Loneliness and the need for connection
If your organisation does follow the government’s guidelines, then a focus on preventing loneliness and forging new ways to connect with colleagues will be essential.
As our report states: “Looking forward to hybrid working as the new norm, both employers and employees have concerns about a loss of community and culture due to limited interaction amongst colleagues.”
“According to a McKinsey survey, 44% of employees fear a loss of community and connection to colleagues, and 43% expect less collaboration between individuals and teams if remote working practices are used.”
Our solutions experts recommend these three exercises:
“Create a clear list of permission slips and commitments from your team to ensure you are all aligned in how you can maintain the team’s cohesion while back from home. To do so, use the following questions:
Feel Good have supported global organisations throughout the many different phases of this pandemic, like Law practice Baker McKenzie.
Our tailored live sprints create an opportunity for colleagues to come together in a safe, expert-led environment and bond over individual and collective learning. Learn more about our WFH live sprint by booking a call with our partnerships team below.