How to support the mental health and well-being of remote workers

Covid-19 suddenly made commuting a thing of the past, and many home offices became stacks of cushions on kitchen tables and even beds.meanwhile zoom Fashion may have been the pinnacle of comfort for some, but for many, the separation and lack of separation between work and home is painful, exacerbating an already escalating loneliness and mental health crisis. let me

Remote work, enabled by the digital age and accelerated by the pandemic, is far more complex than the Instagram-touted ideal of a “digital nomad” rocking while holding a laptop in a hammock between palm trees. However, it can still bring many benefits to both employers and employees.

For example, companies will be able to access talent pools around the world without being restricted by geography. Allowing remote work increases your attractiveness to potential hires and improves retention. Additionally, employers can save money on office space and utility bills.

Meanwhile, employees will spend less time commuting (which is good for the environment), more time with their families, the freedom to live where they want, and access to more opportunities.

Additionally, the World Health Organization estimates that around 1.3 billion people worldwide suffer from long-term mental or physical disabilities. As such, remote work is also a matter of access to employment and economic inclusion.

TNW is the creator of a document called the “European Charter for Digital Workplace Wellbeing”, Remote Special Operations Vice President Philippa Matos and influential entrepreneur, founder and executive of the #workanywhere campaign. We had an interview with the director, Mr. Ben Marks.

“For many of these people, remote work equates to a basic human right: access to work. We want to provoke a cultural shift and show that remote work is actually about economic justice,” Marks said. “This is not just about relatively well-off people avoiding commuting.”

Beyond buzzwords

But most digital work remotely also comes with its own unique set of challenges.Blurry, lonely, and perhaps overlooked boundaries between work and personal life promotion A lack of face-to-face contact can lead to unhealthy stress and burnout.

So protecting the health of remote workers goes far beyond what is possible. digital nomad visa, provides a stable internet connection. Most organizations tend to push responsibility for health onto individuals, unwittingly and well-meaningly aided by #selfcare attacks on social media (“Have you ever tried yoga?”).

“I think we need to be open to understanding that this reality is not just a buzzword,” Matos said. “People talk about mental health issues like it’s a fad, or like it’s something we should all be concerned about, without putting it into practice.”

European Charter on Digital Workplace Wellbeing

Marks and Matos have put together a European Charter for Digital Workplace Wellbeing under the umbrella of the Future Workforce Alliance (FWA), a multidisciplinary network of policymakers, academics and public and private sector stakeholders. It is a non-binding document that encourages policy makers and businesses to recognize that a portion of this population growth exists and to act better with them.

The charter was approved and co-signed by 31 MEPs earlier this summer. The report, which proposes to set official guidelines and set out best practices for companies with hybrid or fully remote staff, will focus on four key areas: social connection. privacy and trust. and digital wellness.

Following the release of the Charter in June, the FWA is now working with stakeholders to determine best practices that can be codified into EU law.

life beyond work

The ‘Life beyond work’ segment is based on the ‘Right to detach work’ proposal (not yet implemented across the bloc, but in individual Member States such as France and Spain) and Ensures measures such as the right not to engage in related work. Communication outside working hours takes into account the peculiarities of the digital workplace.

It also calls for practices that ensure remote workers are less deprived of career opportunities than their office-based colleagues. In addition, it calls for the use of the term ‘life-work balance’ instead of ‘work-life balance’ in all EU legal and political documents to shift the focus.

social connection

“Social Connections” focuses on access to coworking spaces. Marks highlights Ireland as a policy role model, which operates a national network called The Connected Hub. Launched in May 2021, the government initiative consists of 323 coworking spaces across the country. Ireland has a high proportion of remote workers, with 39.3% of employed workers in East and Central Ireland working from home in 2021 (the highest proportion was only in the Stockholm region at 40.5%).

Meanwhile, businesses also have a role to play in supporting access to coworking spaces for remote staff. For example, Remote pays its employees and gives them access to social benefits and professional inspiration. What coworking spaces can offer.

“It’s enough to meet someone, maybe a colleague from your company, and go to a coworking space for a day or two,” Matos said of the means of combating loneliness. “This makes a huge difference for me, as it allows me to define my needs as an individual.”

privacy and trust

The Privacy and Trust Pillar seeks to ban or limit “digital lead” technology used to monitor workers.

“When we trust people and focus on results and their expertise, we are like saying, ‘I hired you. It means I trust you.” I’m not from a place that doesn’t trust you to begin with, and after that you need to win my trust. [Employers] We need to start hiring with confidence,” Matos said.

digital wellness

Under the overarching term digital wellness, the charter signatories agree to recognize the link between increased technology use and mental health problems, including attention and behavioral problems.

In addition, it seeks to establish an evidence-based legal definition of what constitutes a “healthy relationship with technology in the workplace,” and to develop tools and practices that curb the use of technology to promote improved health and well-being. We aim to provide cross-cutting support.

In Marks’ words, “We created this charter to modernize our approach to worker well-being and pave the way for the protection of the next generation’s workers’ rights to well-being and mental health. ”

Pick up the phone, open the Instagram/X/other distracting drag of choice icon, and you’ll find yourself context-switching instantly 15 minutes have passed and you’re wondering why you’re exhausted Don’t you think? Unfortunately, it’s still your responsibility (and probably billions of dollars spent on behavioral algorithms by Big Tech).

But as someone who worked fully remotely for three years and watched (remotely) friends and colleagues get out of bed and start eating breakfast, lunch, and even dinner in front of their computer screens, “I am online. I walk because I know it’s not, but it’s reassuring to know that someone cares about your day off.