I’ve been doing some research on working well at home during the Covid-19 quarantine period. Below is a collection of useful links I found for those of us working from home at this time, to read or share with your colleagues.
Three key points on ‘Working Well at Home’ have really stood out to me in this research:
- We are not ‘working from home’ in the usual sense – and simply acknowledging that is key. There’s a saying going round online, and it’s worth bearing in mind: ‘You are not working from home; you are at home, during a crisis, trying to work.’
- We are going to have the opportunity – and the need – actually to take on some of those healthy working practices we have heard of, and possibly discounted, for years. Taking breaks, having a good lunch, getting out for a walk during the day, unplugging at the end of the working day, switching off the phone… Now is the time to take on new self-care habits, and then stick with them!
- Looking out for each other is more important than ever. I think we’re picking up that understanding that starting an email with the standards words ‘I hope this finds you well’ should be a question and the beginning of a conversation, not a mere pleasantry. We’re now aware that the person on the other end of the email may have kids at home, unwell relatives, a bereavement. May this awareness of the colleague as a ‘whole person’ continue after the pandemic.
Working Well at Home – 11 resource links:
Coronavirus and your wellbeing (Mind)
Coronavirus: How to protect your mental health (BBC)
If you’re worried about your mental health during the coronavirus outbreak (Samaritans)
Supporting colleagues to stay mentally healthy in unusual working conditions (Mental Health at Work)
Self-Compassion and COVID-19
10 tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus (NHS)
Mental wellbeing while staying at home (NHS)
Zero Motivation To Work From Home? Here’s How To Get Your Mojo Back | HuffPost Life
Uncertainty Is A Hard Feeling To Sit With. Here’s How To Lighten The Load (HuffPost)
NHS Wellbeing Apps
Urgent mental health support (NHS)
BONUS LINK:
This is a brilliant resource for working with anxiety or depression, newly launched to support people through the coronavirus period: http://learn.4mentalhealth.com/