APRIL 2020

MENTAL
HEALTH &
WELLBEING

SUPPORTING STAFF 

Prepared by: Helen Ginman

helen@uandiwellbeing.co.uk

www.uandiwellbeing.co.uk
 APRIL 2020

INTRODUCTION

Providing your employees with support has never been more important than
this very moment.

When faced with an unprecedented situation, it is important that businesses

and individuals are equipped to deal with the ever changing circumstances. It
is important that we provide the best support we can.

There has never been a time where people have mattered more.

But PLEASE remember, duty of care MUST start with you.  Recognition that
you too may be struggling and sharing how you are feeling can help, not only
with you but also your team.

Caring for employees mental health is a shared responsibility – employees,

managers and employees themselves all play a part.

If you need support or advice, please feel free to get in contact.

GUIDE
This guide provides practical tools and approaches to support you and your
employees. It has been created in response to the Covid-19 situation and
includes useful guides to promoting positive mental health and wellbeing,
with specific focus on working from home, furloughed staff as well as general
practical advice.
 APRIL 2020

MENTAL HEALTH ILLNESSES

For existing mental illnesses, this situation presents
a very real threat to their mental health. We should
not underestimate how serious this could be.

Existing mental illnesses, particularly Anxiety are likely to be

exaggerated during this situation. People who are particularly
affected are those who suffer from health anxieties. However, we
should be mindful of the impact this can have on the wider
population.

For many with existing illnesses, they are likely to have a set of
interventions that they use to help control their levels of anxiety.
They will do a variety of things to cope with "every day" life. What
we are facing here is an international crisis of unprecented
proportions and despite putting into practice their tried and tested
approaches, many will find that they are not able to control their
anxiety levels.

Advising people to keep washing hands, limit contact and follow the
physical guidelines is incredibly important. We can follow all the
physical advice but still have sleepless nights, be worried or scared.

An anxious mind can overestimate the threat

and underestimate the ability to cope.
 APRIL 2020

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS

THESE MAY BE THE TYPES OF SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS SOMEONE IS
EXHIBITING, FEELING OR THINKING:
PRACTICAL ADVICE & SUPPORT
For people who have existing mental health
illnesses.

1) Those with existing conditions / illness should continue with their

treatment with the doctor and / or other profession
Alternative approaches may well be offered. For example; Video /
telephone counselling
The individual should continue with their health
professional/doctor on individual treatment and approaches
Be aware that changes to peoples treatment can in itself create
feelings of unease
Individuals should continue with medication under the direction
of their doctor. 
Rumours of medications not being available is not founded and
people should continue with medication under the guidance of
their health professional.

2) Utilise your employee assistance programmes and health support

programmes.
Lean on your EAP and Health support services and determine what
additional support can be provided over the next 3 months. This
should include:
Open help line to be accessible to all staff
Supporting guides for both physical health & mental health
Access to advice and support
Note - you will need them just as much for when things return
back to "normal"

3) Arrange a meeting with anyone who you are aware falls into this
category and keep in regular contact
Explore and discuss how they are feeling
Discuss what adjustments to work need to be made and make
them
Meet with them daily - twice if needed

4) Ensure people know that you are there to talk to

Provide access to video conference, telephone conferencing,
messaging services
Greater accessibility to contact, the greater the chance people will
use it
PRACTICAL ADVICE & SUPPORT
For people who have existing mental health
illnesses.

5) Ongoing support

Continue to provide access to existing health support structures,

IE. EAP 
Continue to signpost staff to existing material and external
support such as Mind and Samaritans accordingly.
Be inclusive with your ongoing wider business approaches.
 APRIL 2020

STRATEGY
KEEP IT SIMPLE

With three simple steps, your strategy for the next few weeks at least,
is clear. Act to reassure your employees, guide them with factual,
practical and useful information and support them through the
rollercoaster of emotions and situations that will no doubt be
experienced.

Reassure

Guide

Support

These 3 key areas should guide your plans and approaches for your
employees. In the proceeding sections, I share practical approaches
that are underpinned by these three clear steps.
 APRIL 2020

COMMUNICATION
One of the most important areas

Businesses must demonstrate an element of control during this time.

Whilst we can't control what happens, we can control how we
respond to it.

Centralise all official communication

Agree a timeline of when you will provide updates

Recommended to be twice daily, once post the official

government update and then a morning update.

Even if there is no new information in the morning update, a

number of hours have passed over night allowing for thoughts

and anxieties to fuel.

Provide an update on the government approach.

Provide an update on the business approach.

Ensure it is factual and has no ambiguity.

Include key links to factual resources: NHS and Government

website.

Also include links to mental health support. See External

resources section.

Show empathy to the circumstance and situation.

Leaders in particular can provide the voice of reason and be key in

reassuring.

How you communicate is just as important as what

you communicate.
 WORKING FROM HOME

Many businesses are now working from home under the

direction of the Government.

For some businesses this will be something completely

alien, plunging them into a situation that they are not
remotely prepared for and other businesses may have
partial work from home policies already in place and are
just leaning more heavily on these.

The new way of In summary companies should consider:

- How to support individuals and teams

working - What approaches people can use to access help at any
time (reassurance)
- The physical health considerations for working from
home such as posture (support)
- Managing feelings of isolation and disconnected from
people / teams (guide)
- Supporting emotional health & physical health

THE PRACTICALITIES - ADVICE FOR EMPLOYERS

Moving to a home working environment requires a logistical change as well as a psychological one.

Aside of having the laptop, mouse and technical equipment to enable you to complete the actual work
at home, there are some other things to consider. Businesses should try, so far as reasonably possible
to ensure the physical health of individuals whilst working from home.

N.B It is worth looking at your insurance policies around working from home - better to be prepared for
every eventuality.

See the next page for some guidance on supporting employees.

 Encourage employees to identify a suitable space to
work from within their new working environment.

Complete a desk assessment with each employee and

engage your H+S expert to be a part of the
conversation and who can make some reasonable
suggestions if needed.

Relax the rules

This is NOT business as usual...at home! Failing to
acknowledge that this is a significant change to life
as we know is not providing support to staff.
You need to be considerate that things like
adherence, wrap time and measures such as this
may well be affected.
Chastising your team given the circumstances is not
favourable.
The new way of Show flexibility
working Not everyone will want to work from home. Not
everyone likes working from home. 
Many will have children now in close vicinity to
their working space.
Many will be trying to cope in the same way lots of
us are trying to and we must be cognizant of that.

Trust triumphs
If there was ever a time for trust, it is now. Come
from a place of trust first with your employees -
trust them to do the job they need to do, trust them
to do the best job they can in the circumstances
they are in.

Leadership availability
Ensure employees know how they can get hold of you. The virtual open door policy has never been
more important.

Leaders need to be responsive and aim to respond as quickly as possible (as reasonably as possible) -
they are going to be in demand that is a fact. Many across the organisation will be looking to their
Leaders to provide reassurance, guidance and support.

Leadership
Leadership must remain updated on the developments of the company so they can adequately
support their team with questions and queries (See communication section)
 The practicalities - advice for employees

1) Find a suitable place to work from

The space you choose to work in should ideally be

somewhere that you can "step into" and when you've
finished you can physically move away from it.

It should ideally:
Be away from the main living area.
Be quiet where you will not be disturbed easily.
Has a desk/table or suitable work space
Not be a place where you also spend your free time

2) Desk Assessment

The new way of Make sure you do a desk assessment. Things to include
are:

working Laptop and screen height

Chair
Wrist position for typing
Posture

This is a health & safety consideration and will help to

prevent aches, pains and long term physical pain.

Try not to work from the sofa. Whilst it seems like a nice
thing, it actually is very bad for your posture, particularly
your neck.

3) When the children are home to - so far as reasonably possible

Allowing a specific space to carry out your work means that you can agree or at the very least
encourage some boundaries with children.

You need to consider health & safety of your children. For example; ensuring children can't access of
your equipment, trip over cables for example.  Again, check your insurance considerations for this.

It is also worth noting that children are inevitably going to be popping up on screens or being heard
in the background - there needs to be some lenience provided given the circumstances. I am sure
your customers will understand.
 PSYCHOLOGICAL
CONSIDERATONS

1) Having a specific place to work from

Where it is possible, having a space to work from means

that individuals can have the separation between 'work'
and 'home' life.

It is important that separation between the two is

encouraged.

The new way of Allow the individual to find the right time balance
considering their own personal circumstances. Not
everyone is suited to working from home.
working 2) Coping with change

Individuals do not always cope well with change and

moving to a completely alien concept can increase
feelings of stress and anxiety. Following approaches as
outlined in the previous sections can help to reduce those
feelings of stress.

PHYSICAL DISTANCING NOT SOCIAL DISTANCING

One of the key things we need to remember is that it is very easy for people to feel isolated (no pun
intended).  Our job is to create a virtual space where people can continue to come together to stay
connected. Meetings are absolutely important and continuing with a routine and “normality” as best
as possible is crucial.  But it is also important for us to consider how we engage more informally.

When you come into the office, you might catch up with folks on your way to your desk, you might
grab a coffee with your neighbour, you might pass by your bosses office and have a catch up over
what happened on Corrie the night before. These are the types of interactions we miss.

For those who wouldn't choose working from home under normal circumstances, the physical
seperation will be very hard to bare, so it is time to bring people together!
 APRIL 2020

LETS GET CONNECTED

Lean on technology to provide the foundation of your
communication. There is plenty of free services as well as paid for -
so don't let money put you off.

Host regular calls to check in with staff and bring people together
Recommended daily
It doesn’t need to be formal meetings – it can be informal get
togethers over a cuppa
Have a coffee morning or even lunch together

Continue with ways you would have engaged staff before, but
adapt for virtual. For example:
Quizzes  
Celebration of days
Team building remotely

Physical exercise classes together – Youtube your favourite class

and join in. Alternatively, you could get a fitness guru in your team
to use their skills in taking everyone else through a class.

Consider open access to a call throughout the day, where people

can drop in and out.
Going from the hussle and bussle of an office environment to
potentially silence can be deafening.

Regular communication helps to create a space where people can

be open about struggling.

Have regular times together where you have an open forum and
people are encouraged to talk about how things are going. This
way you can identify specific people who may need greater support
and guidance as well as providing a space for people to come
together in support of one another.
 APRIL 2020

LETS GET CONNECTED

Have 121's with employees where you are able to speak one on one
with them. Group sessions are great, but it is really easy to sit in
the background and not say anything in a video call, claiming you
couldn't unmute your line!
Having time with individuals allows you to really find out how
people are doing and most importantly, intervene and provide
guidance IF people are struggling with their health & wellbeing.

Provide advice on promoting positive wellbeing (see section below

as well as useful links).
 APRIL 2020

PROMOTING POSITIVE
MENTAL HEALTH &
WELLBEING

Limiting social media & news

Constant news and stories can reinforce fears, worries and
fuel our anxiety levels.
We also need a break from the constant news and noise.
It may help to set specific times of the day to look at the
news or engage in social media.

Relaxation
In a time of great uncertainty, fears and worries, thoughts
of relaxation feel a long way off.
It is so important that we try to encourage and create
opportunities for downtime, time for relaxation as well as
continuing as best possible, with the things we love to do.
Encourage people to be adaptive to their circumstance.
One way to do this is to have an open conversation with
staff about how we might be able to overcome some of
those challenges.
Relaxation techniques such as mindfulness and meditation
may be useful. There are plenty of YouTube tutorials as well
as Apps which can be really helpful.

Factual information
There is plenty of fake news around. 
The fake news is purposely designed to spread fears, spread
panic and create mass worry.  It’s designed to drive a
specific behavioural response.
Rely on factual information – the government as well as the
NHS and credible sources to guide your information intake.
 APRIL 2020

PROMOTING POSITIVE
MENTAL HEALTH &
WELLBEING

Routine
Maintaining a routine is incredibly important, it helps to
keep focus, provide structure and give a sense of purpose -
all important for our wellbeing.
Keeping a routine helps to maintain things like sleeping
patterns which is critical.

Sleeping, eating and hydration

Changes to our routine, as well as difficult feelings can
disrupt our usual ways of eating, drinking and sleeping. We
may lean on alcohol a little more, or reach for those
chocolate biscuits more than usual!
It may be useful to write an eating planner so you know
what you are having and when. This can help introduce a
sense of control.
Sleep is ALWAYS important! If people are struggling with
their sleep as a result of this situation, establishing a
routine is a step in the right direction but there are also
some great apps which can help (see useful links).

Gratitude
Acknowledging the positive things that are happening in
our lives as well as showing appreciation for every day
events has been found to positively influence how we feel.
Write 3 things you are grateful for every day. It doesn't
have to be really big and broad things, it can be small and
simple things - things that really mean something to you.
This can help to interrupt rumination.
 APRIL 2020

SUPPORTING FURLOUGHED
STAFF
With thousands of people now without a job.. at least for a
while, the focus turns to how we might engage with staff
who are no longer physically accessible and second, how
we might support people who are in this position.

Financial security, as best as possible, has been secured

but it is also important to consider the impact to
individuals mental health & wellbeing. Having a routine
and structure removed from our lives can have devastating
impacts and could spiral us into feelings of depression.

Everything about our schedules will change and loosing

the daily structure and your work relationships can be
stressful and harmful to peoples health. The information
contained in this document can be used to support staff
who are in this situation.

(Please note: communication with furloughed staff is just

as important as those who are working - see
communication section for more information)
 APRIL 2020

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT -

FURLOUGHED STAFF
I hear time and time again "we don't have the time to send people to
courses" or "we are so busy that we could do without that training!"

Well, the good news is, that furloughed staff can participate in training so
there is no better time to run some training and development
opportunities remotely.

There are plenty of free courses now being offered online and delivered
remotely, but actually it could be time to really invest in some leadership
development. You will definitely be dependent on it when you return to
work!

Other training ideas:

- Marketing online through social media
- Promoting positive mental health & well-being
- CIPD HR & Law modules
- Lean Six Sigma for business process improvement - a great qualification
- Communication & Leadership
- Developing resiliency or emotional intelligence

Bitesize the training into chunks - do a mixture of live and pre-recorded

sessions (dependent upon your technology capabilities).

Alternatively, order some business focused books for your team - they will
have time on their hands and reading is great for wellbeing.

Learning and developing is great for motivation providing a sense of

purpose, demonstrating that the business cares and it can have a
really positive affect on wellbeing.
 APRIL 2020

A FEW OTHER TIPS FOR FULLOUGHED

STAFF
1) Maintain existing routine / establish a new one
Routines are really important as they give people structure, focus and
direction. With our working routine out the window, a new routine will
be required.
Encourage those to create one - even down to the hour. 
Use the new available time to do hobbies, things that you love, physical
exercise (in the house), get creative. 

Routine helps to provide a sense of control, creating an in the

present moment feeling which can help to prevent people
worrying about what if's. It will also help to reduce anxiety
levels.

Don't forget to schedule in downtime, breaks and time for relaxation.

2) Stay in contact
Stay in contact with all furloughed staff, if nothing more than to check on
how they are feeling. The impact on not working can be significant - even
if it is only temporary.

3) Provide reassurance, guidance and support

In the same way we saw about staff working from home, furlouged staff
still need reassurance, guidance and support. Continue to provide advice
and guidance as outlined in this document, whilst enabling access to EAP
programmes and support.
 APRIL 2020

USEFUL LINKS

General information with additional support out to official

government links:

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/looking-after-your-

mental-health-during-coronavirus-outbreak

NHS advice and support during Covid-19

https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-

staying-at-home-tips/

Practical advice and support from Mind:

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus-and-your

wellbeing/#TakeCareOfYourMentalHealthAndWellbeing

Mindfulness exercises to try:

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-

treatments/mindfulness/mindfulness-exercises-tips/

NHS endorsed and assessed against core standards apps for mental

health

https://www.nhs.uk/apps-library/category/mental-health/

NHS Support and apps for physical exercise

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/free-fitness-ideas/
 JUNE 2020

DEVELOPING RESILIENCY WORKSHOP

We are offering a 2 hour workshop for businesses with employees that provides a
practical and interactive approach delivered remotely focusing on:

Working from home and looking after your wellbeing

Managing our anxiety with practical tools
How to reduce stress and cope with uncertainty.

Please note: we are happy to tailor all our workshops specifically for your environment.

USUALLY £450 FOR 16 - NOW JUST £350

FOR UP TO 100 VIRTUALLY
Outline of workshop

Improved understanding of mental ill health, whilst developing awareness on

resiliency and its importance in helping to deal with challenging demands.
Recognise the signs and symptoms of mental health challenges with particular focus
on, anxiety, depression and stress.
Create and develop own personalised toolkit to embed into the new way of working
for both work and home life to self-help and self-manage wellbeing.
Identify practical steps to build resiliency with how we think, how we analyse and
evaluate events/situations and things, and how we react to those events.
Develop an approach to challenging negative thinking patterns to promote
flexibility with thinking.
Understand key steps to building mental resiliency focusing on the three
dimensions of resiliency: physical, psychological and social.
Practical guidance on working from home and creating the right environment to
promote wellbeing.
Understand what resources are available for those who may be struggling.
 APRIL 2020

U+I WELLBEING
WWW.UANDIWELLBEING.CO.UK
CONTACT: HELEN@UANDIWELLBEING.CO,UK

We take a holistic approach to ensure that mental health

and wellbeing is embedded across every layer of the
organisation.  We focus on providing reactive, proactive
and culture wide support that is unique, personalised and
tailored to suit the organisation we work with and which
promotes diversity, variety, accessibility and inclusivity.