Covid

Our study looks at the physical and mental wellbeing of the country focusing on our changing experiences, attitudes and expectations of work.

With winter fast approaching and the UK re-entering lockdown, how can HR leaders reduce employee stress?

To not just survive but thrive, businesses need clarity and stability. They need to be able to think creatively and strategically in order to create a new way of working that can flex with the times.

Parenthood during the pandemic has been a polarising experience. Juggling work alongside household pressures has seen a decline in mental health, with parents now the most likely to prioritise work-life balance in future roles.

Between reduced demand and businesses closing their doors for months on end, the coronavirus pandemic has hit the UK and global economy in a way not seen since the 1930s.

Whilst working from home has caused increased pressures, we’ve also seen positive outcomes as a result of our new found flexibility.

Between gyms being closed, fitness classes stopped and outdoor exercise limited for large parts of lockdown, we looked at how coronavirus and lockdown has affected our physical wellbeing in our latest piece of research.

What started as a short-term response to a global emergency looks set to change how we work and what we expect from our employers in the long term.

From a word that few people had heard of to an everyday part of conversation, furlough has been one of the major topics and sources of debate throughout the coronavirus outbreak.

The majority of the UK’s workforce has now spent nearly three months in lockdown. Businesses have had to adopt new ways of working, with people managing families, the fear of job security and a change in working environment.

Whilst many of us have had our normal work routines turned upside down over the past few months, there’s been a handful of workers who’ve carried on going in.

Even before the outbreak, there was a growing mental health crisis in the UK with one in four adults experiencing mental illness each year at a total cost to the economy of over £105 billion annually according to the Department of Health.

Though many businesses are taking steps towards returning to work, remote working is set to remain a key part of how we do business, with 45% of employees saying they’ll work remotely more often in the future according to our latest piece of research.

From shops reopening to EU countries lifting border controls, we’re increasingly starting to think about going “back to normal” following the coronavirus outbreak. But what will this “new normal” look like when it comes to the workplace?

As restrictions surrounding the coronavirus lockdown begin to be lifted, many businesses are starting the transition to a new form of normality. However, the world of work is not where we left it.

Whether you’re a key worker still at your workplace or trying to stay productive whilst working from the kitchen table, the boundaries between work and home are more blurred than ever at the moment, making it hard to switch off.

Whether you’re a key worker who’s under extra pressure at work or trying to juggle children and work at home, it’s an incredibly stressful time at the moment.

Between working and watching a few extra series on Netflix, it can add up to a lot of time sitting down, taking its toll on our back and overall health.

There is lots of support out there to help you through this difficult time. We’ve listed some information sources, but if you’re struggling with anxiety or depression, reach out to your GP for further support.

Controlling worry is just as important now that the risks are elevated. If you spend hours a day reading all the breaking news stories and worrying about getting ill, it’ll make isolation much more stressful.

With the stress of routine change, juggling responsibilities and worrying about our health and the health of those around us, many of us will find ourselves worrying more than usual at the moment.

Worrying is when we keep going over something in our mind feeling uneasy or concerned about it and not really coming to any solution.

When we talk about giving our immune system a boost, we tend to think of it as one thing that needs a jump start.

What makes a diet healthy and how easy is it for us to achieve whilst we’re in lockdown?

We’ve all heard the guidelines about getting 8 hours of sleep a night, but a significant percentage of UK adults don’t manage that.

When we think about rest and recovery, we nearly always think about sleep, but managing your energy levels throughout the day is also important for being productive and feeling our best.

At times of change and stress, it’s easy to let your wellbeing take a backseat. But the first step in being able to cope with change-related stress is by listening to and meeting your own needs.

Faced with this new normal, it’s a good time to think about productivity techniques that can help you boost your concentration and get things ticked off your to-do list.

Whether it’s a new job or a new way of working, something difficult or something positive, change can be tough and may take its toll on our mental health.

Leading a 100-year-old business comes with a heavy sense of responsibility. As its current custodian, it’s my responsibility to create the conditions for success for the next 100 years and beyond.