Looking after your Wellbeing in changing times

It’s important as individuals that we look after our wellbeing at work, especially in changing times. The three areas focused on in this short insight are your physical, emotional, and social wellbeing, each of which can be influenced when experiencing change at work. Due to the current situation around COVID-19 many people are now working from home or may be placed in furlough. These changes to work life can have a big impact on an individual’s mental health and wellbeing so it is important we manage this change.

Physical wellbeing

To look after your physical wellbeing, it’s vital to ensure you get enough sleep, eat the right food and keep active (as much as possible). Change at work can mean different working hours, or less time to do other thing. Here for example, you can make a quick plan of when you will take breaks for exercise or to eat, to ensure that the change at work doesn’t negatively impact your physical wellbeing.

Emotional wellbeing

Changes at work, especially those that increase your workload or limit your ability to get work done, can inevitably cause additional stress. According to a recent study in 2020 analysing British adults in employment – a staggering 79% commonly experience work-related stress which is an increase of 20% from 2018 findings. Furthermore just 1% of UK employed adults say they ‘never’ experience workplace stress, which demonstrates how often workplace stress occurs. If you notice a fall in your emotional wellbeing, it’s important to recognise your feelings of stress or anxiety and look into ways of minimising the impact of the change on your stress levels. For example, if a change at work means you unsure of your accountabilities – ask for a meeting with your manager and agree on your main priorities and accountabilities so that you can perform your best work whilst managing your stress levels.

Social wellbeing

Working from home due to COVID-19 has taken away the social aspect of work for many people, as they now work from home. It’s important to keep the social side of work even with those staff members working remotely, which can be done through regular team meetings, weekly game breaks or just phone calls to check up on each other. Whilst a manager or team leader may be the decider of team meetings, there is nothing to stop you keeping regularly contact with your colleagues, which will help protect your social wellbeing.