Work from home guidance comes into effect in Suffolk from today
As part of the Government's Plan B to deal with the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the recommendation is for those who can to work from home
Employees and workers in Suffolk will be asked to work from home as part of the latest Covid-19 guidance issued by the UK Government. The measure is part of their plan B response to dealing with a recent outbreak of Covid-19 caused by the Omicron variant of the virus.
The order will stay in place until 5th January, when it will be reviewed and changed subject to the number of Covid-19 cases and the pressure on the NHS.
A survey conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health in February found that people who switched to working from home as a result of Covid-19 had experienced health and wellbeing impacts, including feeling isolated from their colleagues, taking less exercise and experiencing worse sleep.
Jon Neal is the Chief Executive at mental health charity Suffolk Mind. He says: "The way that people get their emotional needs met changes when these different instructions come in. That's because they're seeing different people, or they're not seeing colleagues, customers or patients or clients, or they're not seeing them in the same way. So for all of us, it can be a bit of a struggle."
People should also regulate their work schedules to allow ample down time, he adds. "When everything is changing, we can fill that we're slightly out of control, so think about what we can control at the moment. We can still control our boundaries with our work.
"So starting at 9 am and finishing at 5:30 pm or whatever our work practices might be is useful."
He is also encouraging people to rediscover old interests or find new passions, like people did during the first lockdown.
"There was suddenly an outbreak of people baking sourdough bread, for example, and sharing photos of it on Facebook. That was all about the needs for achievement and for status or respect. These are needs that are generally met in the workplace.
"So thinking about what you can do to keep getting those needs met as well, maybe picking up a hobby that you've always done in the past, but you haven't tried for awhile, or if you could maybe try cooking a new meal, that's a bit more challenging."
For people who may now find themselves indoor a lot of the time, as a result of remote working, he has the following advice: " If you can't get out during the day because you're working from home, perhaps, maybe try and get out at least for 10 or 15 minutes and expose some of your skin to the sunlight if you can.
"Privacy is one of your emotional needs and for that one, for example, trying to make sure that you have got time during the day to yourself, even if it's just 10 or 15 minutes, where you might just sit in the garden or stand outside or be in a different part of the house where you can be quiet and and relax on your own, is important.
"Also get a bit of exercise so that you get a good to help you get a better night's sleep."
More information and resources for support can be found on their website.