Working from home surged during the pandemic. Since then, many businesses have opted to retain a flexible or hybrid workforce structure, enabling colleagues to carry out all or some of their working hours from their homes.
The challenge is that while productivity and workforce satisfaction may have increased, physical activity has declined. Rather than walking to work, travelling up and down flights of stairs, or even getting fresh air on a lunch break or the coffee run, millions of people live almost entirely at home – with serious impacts on their health and well-being.
Let’s look at some of the best ways to address the negative side effects of remote work and ensure the convenience and reduced commuting costs of working from home remain worthwhile.
Sticking to a Daily Step Count or Exercise Target
The conventional workday automatically makes us move more, whether nipping to the kitchen, walking to a colleague’s desk to deliver a report, or attending meetings in conference rooms. Sitting at a desk is never conducive to health, and less so if that desk is in the spare bedroom or a laptop at the kitchen table.
Here are some easy, accessible ways to incorporate movement into your working hours:
- Position your workspace away from the kitchen, laundry area or any other space that could be distracting or mean you need to travel just two or three paces to collect a drink.
- Set yourself a challenge, such as performing ten squats each time you take a break or walking a couple of laps of your home or living space every hour, on the hour.
- Create a schedule with an alarm to prompt you to get up and move around regularly without any risk of being so focused on your tasks that you won’t leave your chair.
An upbeat playlist playing quietly in the background can also be beneficial, as can having a large water bottle of two litres or more so you stay hydrated, no matter how much you need to concentrate!
Committing to Healthier Snacks and Workday Meals
One of the issues with working from home is that the lines begin to blur, with many staff working far more hours or finding it difficult to adopt the focus and discipline necessary to work within strict time parameters. The outcome is a tendency to snack sporadically or rely on junk food deliveries to compensate for lost time.
Setting aside a dedicated hour for lunch, meal prepping in advance, or buying easy-to-prepare and eat foods can reduce the temptation to dial for a burger and fries while improving the all-important work-life balance that can slowly but surely become adrift.
Employers can also do their bit to promote healthy habits – proven to improve cognitive abilities and focus, particularly for staff that spend most of their day working on a device. Initiatives like the Fruitful Office ‘work-from-home’ plan provides regular fresh fruit and healthy snack deliveries snacks directly to an employee’s door. Other employers have opted for solutions such as providing lunch vouchers or discounts for healthy meal prep kits.
Addressing the Social Isolation of WFH
The latest statistics from Finder show that 38% of people, or 20 million UK adults, work from home at least partially, while 13% work permanently and only from their homes. An often overlooked impact is that this work environment can be lonely and isolating, especially for those who live alone and work full-time.
Businesses can tackle this by introducing live team meetings, checking in regularly with their staff, or scheduling monthly or quarterly in-office get-togethers – an important way for colleagues to feel part of a team and to maintain contact with their fellow workers.
Other solutions, such as social events one evening per month, can also be a great way to ensure every team member is included and appreciated without feeling like they work within a bubble.
