As the notion of working from home for a potential six-month stretch, coupled with a UK lockdown can lead to employees feeling like they are going “crazy”, a CEO gives advice on how workers can stave off this feeling.
David Price, workplace wellbeing expert and CEO of Health Assured gives his tips on how employees can lead a varied life in isolation. They are:
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Stay active
“Maybe easier said than done, depending on space, but moving about helps. Make sure you’re not sitting at the same place for hours and hours on end. Especially if, like many right now, you’re working from home. Set reminders and timers to tell you to get up occasionally (and wash your hands. That’s important.)
“If you’ve never tried running before, now is the perfect time to start. Don’t slam straight into a marathon. You can use this time to get a bit fitter while keeping your mind healthy too.”
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Learn something new
“Want to learn to code? To cook? To understand complex modal logic? Use this downtime. There are countless online resources like Udemy, Code Academy, even the arXiv preprint server. And right now, lots of these resources that charge are offering heavily discounted or even free courses (for instance, the game engine Unity is offering free use of their premium learning service until the middle of June.)”
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Expand your sphere
“It might seem a little counterintuitive to use isolation to make friends, but you can do it. Social networks are exploding right now—use them to find a local group offering support and conversation online during this lockdown.
“Games are a brilliant way to stay social, too. You don’t have to take out a World of Warcraft subscription—there are plenty of groups of people playing board games via webcam. Search your social networks for people nearby and get playing.”
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Volunteer
“If you have the time, volunteering for the NHS is a fantastic thing to do. Their Check-in and Chat service need people, and all you need is a telephone. You’ll be calling vulnerable people at risk of loneliness in their homes, chatting to them, making sure they’re ok and that they have someone to talk to.
“For the chatty extroverts, this is a godsend—and you’ll be making a real difference to people who need it.”
Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.
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