The study, ‘Work after lockdown: no going back’ funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), has examined how hybrid working has now become the new workforce expectation with a mindset shift around how work can be organised. It has also considered the longer-term implications of working from home including employee wellbeing and whether new working practices were likely to remain encouraged.
The report has identified various benefits experienced by workers from hybrid working through the various lockdown cycles in 2020 and 2021. These included: increased managerial trust in remote working; new management skills around remote working; new digital skills; better-quality meetings; improved access to work for people with disabilities/health conditions; reduced commuting and travel costs; going paperless; business model innovation (including greater use of technology); and improved team relationships.
But there were also downsides, including social deficit, more complicated communications within teams; poor-quality line management; work intensification; lost opportunities for on-the-job learning; employee fatigue, and concerns over wellbeing.
The report identifies seven key areas that organisations should focus on when adopting or continuing a hybrid working model. One of which is to ensure that employee wellbeing is made a top priority within the organisation. Here at Genesis, we can help support you with the continuation or migration towards a hybrid working model with the following services:
- Counselling Services, including mental health support for various issues relating to personal life or the workplace that employees may be experiencing or have done in the past.
- Toolbox Talks, including General Health and Wellbeing
- Classroom-based training on-site or delivered at our offices in Dumfries, either bespoke or open courses.
- Live online webinars, delivered by highly trained occupational and health and safety professionals who will reach and engage with you and your team. Popular webinars include Mental Health & Wellbeing Awareness, Mental Health Self Care and Health and Safety Awareness. Each webinar consists of live Q&A sessions, poll participation, and the opportunity to obtain a certificate of training upon successful assessment.
- Occupational health assessments to identify any support or adjustments that would assist with hybrid working.
- Hybrid workplace DSE assessments to help protect the health and wellbeing of employees and reduce common injuries and issues, including blurred vision, musculoskeletal problems, and headaches.
For further information on any of the above services, please call us on 01387 01387 248811. The complete ‘Work after lockdown: no going back’ report can be accessed online at www.workafterlockdown.uk
Definitions: A hybrid working pattern refers to a blend of home-based and office-based working, which may be fixed or fluid in the proportion of time spent in either location in a typical week.
Erin Wilson (BA Hons, Assoc. CIPD)
Genesis Business Development Manager
Parry J, Young Z et al. Work after lockdown: no going back. University of Southampton, 2022. www.workafterlockdown.uk
Occupational Health at Work April/May 2022 (vol. 18/6) pp42
At Work Partnership Journal issue 18 6 Work After Lockdown
