What have we learned from the Coronavirus pandemic so far?

Eugene Farrell, Chair, EAPA UK and Mental health lead, AXA PPP Healthcare

Coronavirus and the pandemic changed our world suddenly. Forced isolation and the collapse of normality brought uncertainty, fear and panic. But it’s also meant we’ve learned a great deal about ourselves in a short space of time.

Most of all, our lives have slowed down. Feeling comfortable with this new found space – where every minute is no longer filled with activity – is alien to many of us. We’ve had to learn how to make use of time as a newly abundant commodity. Doing nothing doesn’t come easy to many people, there’s always the temptation to fill the void, there’s frustration. Often without realising what’s happening, we’ve learnt to go with the new pace of life and make choices about what to do rather than activity ruling our time.

That’s meant some unexpected gifts: time with family; the chance to learn the value of togetherness. Yes we might sometimes feel we need space, but this time is strengthening our connections and tolerance and. A stronger sense of community has been created around us, locally and within each household, checking on neighbours, reaching out rather than standing back and letting others do things. We’ve seen how a sense of responsibility for each other and willingness to help without seeking return can be been rewarded with feelings of self purpose and meaning, and how that’s reward enough. Volunteering on a scale not seen for decades has created a new pride in doing good. Healthcare workers have a new status. We have an awareness of how many of those workers normally invisible to us, in the lowest paid roles, are doing jobs essential to keeping things moving.

Priorities have been transformed. Social isolation has fostered re-connections with family and friends as we realise the sheer importance of all the people in our lives, that we may have taken them for granted. It has taken the removal of something for us to realise how much it meant. And who would have thought we could teach a nation how to connect digitally in such a short time? Just being able to see the faces of loved ones, to hear them and just talk has taken on new value in our lives. We’re realising that we don’t need so much ‘stuff’ and are getting past the usual cravings and desires for material things. Needing to simplifying our lives has shown what’s essential and what’s not – as well as appreciating those things we no longer have access to.

Our daily routines have become more human and more healthy. What was once a privilege of those with plenty of free time, taking daily exercise has become a ritual part of our days. We’ve also learnt how we don’t have to join a gym or drive to a beauty spot – a simple walk or bike ride together, just being in each other’s company, is enough. There’s been time for introspection and reflection, to think about ourselves, listen to our thoughts, rather than being immersed in the usual noise of demands and distractions from everything external going on in the world. And that’s important for learning to be more comfortable in our own skin, with just being us in the here and now, without all the show we put up for others. Many of us have been spurred on to try many new things, like proudly showing our fresh baked bread or cakes, drawings and paintings. Giving things a go without the fear of failure and realising that we can let go of the fear of judgement has been obvious in social media posts, no longer looking to present a picture of having perfect lives.

Many of us have learned from the home-schooling experience: how much of a skill it is to keep up the motivation in our little (or sometimes quite big) darlings – a skill that teachers have mastered. Maybe we will see a new respect and understanding for all teachers and the fantastic work they do, and kids will have learnt to value the time they have with them.

How many of these powerful lessons will stay with us post-lockdown? That will be up to each one of us. But our greatest failure will have been to let all the potential positives of lockdown slip by, this time, this space. We must not look back and wish we’d done more, made more of it, that we’d seized every day.

EAPs essential to support UK workforce during lockdown

EAPs and wellbeing services have become essential planks of support for the UK workforce during lockdown, according to the insurance industry.

A senior roundtable event this month, capturing the experiences of heads of group risk, confirmed that added-value services like EAPs will be a central feature of their business offerings for many months to come.

EAP providers have coped well with the sudden spike in demand from employees, they agreed. Aviva, for example, has reported a tenfold increase in the volume of calls made to helplines part of its EAP offerings (delivered by EAPA member Care First). “Service standards remain at the level we expect,” said Aviva’s head of group protection Jason Ellis. “Suppliers have been able to maintain levels of business continuity.”

Roundtable members pointed to the likely trend for more smaller businesses without specialist HR functions to be looking for EAP, as well as other mental health and wellbeing services, to help staff deal with the longer-term implications of the pandemic. 

“The EAP has sometimes been treated as a service that stays in the background, a fall back for dealing with an occasional crisis. But now the EAP is coming into its own, demonstrating its essential worth and capability,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“EAP professionals of all kinds have stepped up, alongside other frontline key workers in the UK, to deal with the surge in demand, and all the complexities and tragedies that calls to helplines inevitably bring.

“Employers have become increasingly conscious in recent years of the VUCA environment (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) affecting every kind of private or public operation: the potential for radical disruption, the need for resilience and adaptability. Covid-19, though, has brought the theory into focus in ways and at a level that no-one would have predicted.

“Whatever changes the pandemic brings about in terms of increased levels of remote working, more autonomous systems and use of Artificial Intelligence – work will remain all about people and the ability of people to give the best of themselves through times of challenge and complexity. 

“Employers and line managers can’t be expert advisors and counsellors. EAPs can.”

Why it’s time to learn ‘IT distancing’

This week, Professor Monideepa Tarafdar from Lancaster University Management School writes for EAPA UK about the impact of remote working and the need to focus specifically on IT-related wellbeing support for employees.

Remote working was a novelty to many people at the start of the lockdown – but all predictions for post-pandemic life point to WFH becoming far more common as organisations of all shapes and sizes look to improve their resilience (and cut costs).

For employees, a working life based around remote technologies will bring more flexibility, more freedom, time, and the chance to have a better quality of life. It’ll also bring much greater risk of ‘technostress’.

Over the past decade we’ve been researching the phenomenon of the ‘dark side’ of IT. The past 30 years has seen dramatic spikes of change from technology: the replacement of job roles and routines in the 1990s and 2000s, followed by the stress created by the rush of technology: email overload, faster turnaround times, higher expectations, the need for constantly updated skills and knowledge. Employees have come to gain reassurance, stimulation and a sense of purpose from streams of new messages, information, surprises, mixing work with personal interests. These aspects find heightened and urgent existence in the context of the relentless current world pandemic.

Psychologically, we are social beings – perhaps we’re still cave people trying to live in a digital world. So the shift to WFH as a more regular ‘norm’ will come loaded with challenges to employee wellbeing. From our studies we’ve seen how technostress has been an issue for around 40% of the working population – and with far more people expected to use technology remotely (and forced to during lockdown), we’d expect this figure to rise to more like 80%.

WFH technostress, in particular, is caused by feelings of being invaded. That laptop and smartphone are the unavoidable presence of work and all its demands and responsibilities – a constant reminder and source of guilt, that you should be checking what’s happening, doing more. Home is no longer a retreat. There are fewer natural breaks, the periods when you’re walking to and from meetings, having a quick catch-up with colleagues – moments way from screens that add up over the course of a day in the office. Homeworkers have more time, and that time tends to be filled up with more online meetings and other tasks. It also means more multi-tasking, more windows open at any one time, more gadgets switched on and flashing with new notifications.

It’s important that homeworkers are equipped with tactics to counter technostress and its impact on concentration, engagement and mental health in general. That means adopting ‘IT distancing’, making sure that daily routines always include regular breaks away from any kind of IT device, including personal smartphones and tablets, or making sure there are non-IT related tasks to spend time on. Breaks should be both planned and spontaneous. Very importantly, they should involve non-digital distraction. Employees need to know they are in control by initiating their own strict rules for when email is turned off, when checks take place and when they don’t; when a phone can be left behind. Moreover, when employees do experience stress, then just talking to someone with the same frustrations about using IT is a valuable and constructive way to get the negative emotions out of the system.

Human brain chemistry isn’t going to evolve to meet digital demands anytime soon; and IT is only going to become more essential to everyday lives. For HR teams that means recognising that access to remote technologies isn’t just an enabler. IT can mean stress, isolation, insecurity. People will need more than IT support; they will need IT related wellbeing support.

In the coming months and years we will all need to combine awareness of technostress as an issue (making use of some practical coping tactics) with cultivating a sense of acceptance of technology, our control of it and our skills to make best use of what it can offer.

Monideepa Tarafdar is a professor of information systems at Lancaster University Management School and a Visiting Scholar at the MIT Sloan School’s Center for Information Systems Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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The impact of WFH on employee mental health

The UK’s working from home regime is a threat to the state of employee mental health says new research.

A survey by Opinium in April 2020 among 1,250 UK employees found that more than a third of home-working employees had already experienced a negative impact on their psychological wellbeing from the new arrangements. 46% felt isolated; 36% were concerned about what the longer-term implications of WFH would be for their mental health. 

Particular problems are being faced by home-workers who live alone (with around half struggling with mental wellbeing); as well as those trying to juggle work with home-schooling children (41% reported an increase in their stress levels). 39% have problems managing different caring responsibilities and 30% struggle with not having a dedicated workspace. 

“Working from home isn’t a ‘bad thing’ in itself – it’s going to affect employees in very different ways depending on circumstances,” says Eugene Farrell, chair of EAPA UK.

“The research also points out how around half of the homeworkers also found the new arrangements made them feel ‘more relaxed’. No commute. More time and flexibility. 

“What’s essential is that all employees, especially those working remotely, feel there’s always someone they can talk to about the inevitable anxieties that come with change – worries exacerbated by disconnection from a familiar workplace, ways of working and face-to-face contact. WFH might seem a blessing one day and a nightmare the next – and HR need to be ready.

“EAPs are a crucial service during lockdown; a way to provide blanket coverage for dealing with all concerns; helping to fill in that sense of distance and dislocation; personal, human and confidential.”

Here’s the link to the full report – https://www.opinium.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/The-surge-in-working-from-home-The-effects-on-mental-wellbeing-1.pdf

Keeping employees connected to EAPs is crucial to maintain a positive outlook during lockdown says Eugene Farrell, chair of EAPA UK.

Good communications will make an EAP the heart of a positive lockdown culture: a place of transparency, empathy and support.

First of all that means being clear and explicit about what’s available. When we’re under stress it’s not so easy to process and pick up on details. EAPs are running a full range of remote services, phone and video conversations, instant messaging and a stock of video and podcast – much of it now tailored to remote working issues. Some services will suit some people more than others, and it’s important employees see they have options.

HR comms need to re-affirm that services are there for everyone, for concerns of all kinds, not just for people who’ve reached the stage of dealing with a crisis. Because the extraordinary pressures and uncertainties mean that all of us are affected and have anxieties to work through.

Employees experiencing stress-related conditions may have turned instinctively to the internet, a GP or healthcare specialist. During lockdown, EAPs need to be appreciated as a first line of support with experts equipped to deal with complex cases.

The breadth of issues that EAP advisors and counsellors can help with also needs to be spelled out. Over the past two months, EAPs have been dealing with contact from employees – many of them key workers – worried about every aspect of COVID-19 and its implications, physical and psychological: fears of having symptoms of the condition itself; dealing with the financial consequences; caring for family members; coping with working from home; juggling responsibilities; coping with social distancing and relationship issues relating to lockdown.

With such personal and sensitive issues coming to the fore, HR need to emphasise the confidentiality involved with EAPs, the protection of privacy involved.

Most of all, every opportunity and channel needs to be used to flag the availability of the EAP – regularly via all IT platforms, email, SMS messaging, WhatsApp groups – as individual circumstances and people’s ability to cope changes day by day.

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EAP’s are playing an important unseen role right now

Eugene Farrell

As chair of EAPA UK, I have been proud by the ways in which providers of EAP services have stepped up, adapting and responding, to play a critical role in supporting employee wellbeing through the Covid-19 crisis.

The UK EAP market continues to play an important largely unseen and crucial role behind the scenes in supporting key staff in their vital work for the health and protection of our nation. Without fuss or attention, services continue to be available 24/7 and employees can be safe in the knowledge that when they need emotional support their EAP will be there for them. It’s been incredibly heartening to see how providers of EAP have really stepped up quickly using their expertise to provide information and materials on adapting to home working, managing remotely and indeed the damaging emotional effects stemming from lockdown, job strain, grief and loss. Many have been very quick to develop and launch webinars and training to help employers and employers adapt to the changing situation.

EAP’s provide support to many types of employer across the country, and whilst key workers require important support to help them deal with the pressure and strain caused by this crisis, we also support employees who too are feeling stress and pressure from working in an unfamiliar way, surviving lockdown and in managing strained relationships. Added to this the uncertainty in future employment when there is so much bad news about our economy and the almost daily loss of big name employers and it is clear that paying attention to the mental wellbeing of employees both now and over the longer term is going to be critical.

EAPs have suffered in the past in being a low-cost underused service, where the true value is just not clearly seen. But in the face of this crisis, I have been impressed at how quickly, and quietly, EAP’s have adapted to ensure employees can get timely access to services when they need it. Many EAP’s are working flat-out, but it’s what we do and we are adapting our services to make sure we can support employees in the best possible way.

The future of EAP services may never be the same again, we have to wait and see, but what we can be sure of is that employers of all types have seen the value that EAP can bring at a time when they have needed it most. I really hope they remember that, and that the expertise of EAP as a profession will be recognised and more so that the essential need for emotional support and ongoing mental health of our nation will see a valuable place for EAP.

I also play tribute to the many counsellors and psychologists within the networks who have been providing support as part of the EAP service delivery.

In the face of this crisis, EAP’s can be justly proud of what they are doing in supporting our workers and employers in the most difficult of times.

Understanding and responding to the Covid-19

Caroline Riberio-Nelson

EAPA member, Caroline Ribeiro-Nelson writes for EAPA UK on understanding and responding to the Covid-19 crisis and what you can do to support your employees.

We’re not just WFH. The idea of working from home suggests some kind of security, a place of safety from which employees are carrying on business as usual (and fortunate to still have paid employment). Except nothing is normal, and the prospect of normal is faint and obscure.

The Covid-19 lockdown has been a traumatic event – and worse, has come with a barrage of uncertainties affecting everyone, with none of the usual consolations around when and how events will reach their conclusion. The stress, fear, anxiety and shock experienced as very typical reactions are extremely unsettling and can potentially overwhelm our ability to cope. This can harm us physically, emotionally or psychologically, impacting our mental health, as well leading to difficulties in every day functioning at work.

Our ability to manage and overcome the impact of the Covid-19 period will

depend on how well we understand its impact, along with our ability to respond adequately and constructively.

Symptoms like problems with concentration and sleeping, loss of appetite and mood swings are all a natural response to an unusual occurrence. In order to recover, people require time to process the experience, to work through, manage and make sense of what has happened, allowing them to feel better and return to their previous state. At the end of the crisis most people will usually see a decrease in these symptoms over a space of two to four weeks. However, the on-going impact and severe far reaching effects of this crisis can lead to extended difficulties (indicating post-traumatic stress disorder), which are likely to require a longer recovery time, clinical intervention or professional support.

As a first port of call for employees looking for some sense of reassurance, employers and managers need to recognise and understand the human impacts of Covid-19 lockdown. They need to be alert to levels of anger and irritability, communication failures, reduced work performance due to difficulties with concentration etc, in order to provide appropriate support.

• Show empathy and understanding for those affected: listen without judgement and avoid making assumptions, ask open questions.

• Differentiate between what needs immediate attention and what is important. Initiate a plan and clear steps to address urgent issues.

•  Wherever possible maintain as normal a routine and structure as possible, making reasonable allowances for those impacted by the incident.

• Seek advice and support from other teams and departments in your organisation, such as occupational health, human resources or your EAP provider, as well as from government and health organisations.

Positive steps that individuals can take include:

1.  Build Resilience by ensuring daily routines include a mixture of relaxation and distraction (from games and hobbies) as well as physical exercise. Spend quality time with family members. Check in regularly on loved ones, neighbours and those close to you to foster a strong sense of community.
2. Connect and communicate via establishing regular communication between team members with remote chats and meetings, sharing ideas and team building. Get support when needed by talking and connecting with people and professionals who can support you to deal positively with your mental health and concerns.
3. Cultivate being constructive by considering all the ways you can learn from the lockdown experiences. Recognise that crises pass.
4. Limit exposure to media and avoid continually consuming news or talking about the crisis.
5. Stick to a plan and maintain a regular daily structure and routine. Set clear boundaries and realistic expectations, which help keep you focused and limit disappointment.

More information and advice is available in the EAPA UK factsheet on Understanding and responding to the trauma of the Covid-19 crisis.

Caroline Ribeiro-Nelson, Executive board member of EAPA UK, Head of Free Choices: Mental Health & Well-being Consultant, Psychotherapist, Coach & Trainer, www.eapa.org.uk

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Employers must support the emotional wellbeing of their staff now to prevent serious issues down the line

This week, EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell looks at the interim findings from a new Homeworkers wellbeing survey being carried out by the Institute of Employment Studies (IES).

The instant WFH revolution has shown how adaptable the UK workforce can be when it’s under pressure. Legions of people who’ve rarely, if ever, needed to work from home have quickly adjusted to new surroundings, routines and online catch-ups. We’re IT-ready – and we’re fighters. 

That’s on a practical level at least. People are seemingly able to cope with the sudden merging of home and work lives, shutting out all the distractions. But, as a new survey among homeworkers this March has highlighted, WFH isn’t necessarily as simple and convenient as it appears.

Homeworking poses a range of questions about effects on wellbeing. Being at home, for example can encourage people to fall into a sedentary routine where there’s less structure and sense of time. Taking breaks are an essential part of physical and mental health. 60% of the 500 homeworkers contacted by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES), however, admitted to not being active.

While being in the workplace can sometimes be a source of stress, it’s also the best distraction from worries, providing focus and direction, company and conversation. At home the worries can pile up. 

41% were anxious about family member health during the pandemic; 23% said they were worried about family finances; 21% about their job security. As a result, sleep is affected: 40% said they weren’t waking up feeling fresh and rested, 64% that they were losing sleep. 

Eventually, with ongoing periods of uncertainty and stress (and what also may be experienced as a form of trauma) there is an emotional toll. 40% of the homeworkers said they were not calm and relaxed; and 60% fatigue were suffering from fatigue. Over time these are the kinds of symptoms that can build into more damaging psychological strain.

One reassuring aspect from the study is that employers are staying in touch. 83% of homeworkers are reporting contact with their boss up to five times a week. 64% said there was an EAP available to them to provide advice and support. The question is around the quality of the contact from line managers – is it just a tick-box email or call?

Given the potential for feelings of isolation, uncertainty and mounting stresses, there needs to be increased effort from managers to reach beneath the surface and really understand how people are coping and to offer help and support, to look at workloads and the potential for overworking while WFH. Now, more than ever, the role of the line manager is about looking after people first and the work afterwards.

The benefits of providing good levels of support and contact will work both ways. Employees that feel safe, secure and valued will do good work – and in the post-Covid-19 period the organisations that have looked after their people will reap the rewards in terms of engagement and commitment to the future agenda.

These were just interim findings from the IES study and it’ll be fascinating to see what the wellbeing picture looks like over the course of the lockdown and which groups of employees cope best.

The IES Homeworker wellbeing survey is still open and if you haven’t already, please share with your teams and clients and participate in the IES research: https://wh1.snapsurveys.com/s.asp?k=158514663787.

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In this Coronavirus pandemic, it’s vital for employees with access to Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) to reach out and use these services, says UK EAPA chair Eugene Farrell

Coronavirus has broken out over us all in a fast and unnerving way. Things are changing rapidly as the situation evolves. For everyone, there is huge uncertainty about the future. Understandably, this is creating angst among the population, affecting every aspect of our lives. For some, this is leading to greater feelings of anxiety, to which, of course, some people are already prone. For them, the coronavirus scare is exacerbating those feelings and emotions.

Losing a sense of safety

It’s natural that when our world becomes severely disrupted, it undermines our sense of safety. We lose control over things that we normally try to control. How we see ourselves in the context of our own world becomes less clear. Change happening too fast does not allow an individual time to change and adapt. This, too, can leave them feeling out of control, anxious and nervous. They may feel a sense of loss for the past, a feeling which, if left unresolved, can deepen and cause more complex mental health issues later.

Add to this already anxious mix the worry and concern for our own health and that of our family, particularly those at higher risk, and there is almost a perfect storm brewing that can be disastrous for our mental health, for our relationships, our work and our family.

Anxiety leading to problems at work

While we are having these concerns, it distracts us from our work, resulting in presenteeism, with more errors, less creativity and the potential for sickness absence.

If this pressure continues for a long time, it may undermine our normal resilience and allow doubt, negativity and maladaptive coping strategies to enter. The gradual chipping away of our resilience can be almost hidden and invisible until we go beyond a tipping point that is hard to come back from.

We also know that for some people, when they survey the fast-changing world, they see their own issues as being less important. In this scenario, they may also focus less on their issues while looking outwardly at the potential disaster before them. But this is only short-term: these issues will remain and can be unresolved. This can lead to a bounce back when things are worse and more complex to resolve.

Where the EAP can help

Talking over our worries and concerns can help to put them into some perspective and manage the feelings and emotions, to create strategies and approaches that will help us to regain a sense of control and thus remove the uncertainty.

EAPs can help employees by providing a place to talk over issues, fears, emotions and concerns. Fast access to specialist counsellors is available 24/7 and further support can be arranged in the form of counselling sessions. In the current climate of coronavirus, remote counselling will become the norm as social distancing means traditional face-to-face meetings will reduce. The format of telephone or digital counselling works just as well in

helping to tackle emotional issues.

EAPs can also provide legal and financial information from specialists and partners. They can help with debt, legislation changes and new benefit rules, providing information that may alleviate some of the fear and stress that this pandemic is bringing.

Some large American firms now offering help with at-home care as part of their Employee Assistance Programmes

Juggling being a care giver and trying to hold down a job creates stress for employee and employer alike – but it’s increasingly becoming the norm for many of us, as we look after our elderly and young.

Care home fees can go through the roof, so many of us want to put off going down that route for as long as possible. Plus, there’s the emotional side of wanting to do our best when it comes to elderly family members who, after all, are the ones who brought us up.

So where can an EAP step in? Over in the United States, some large companies – including ones listed on Fortune 500 – are now reported to be offering care giving services as part of their EAP, as stated by Home Health Care News in this interesting article.

Home Health Care reports how one provider, FirstLight, which offers in-home care, has now linked up with some large companies to help employees who are trying to arrange these practical services for their loved ones.

The issue is a big one: according to a 2018 Harvard Business School study around a third of surveyed employees said they had left their job due to personal care giving responsibilities with 80 per cent saying their care giving duties affected their productivity at work.

Services provided through an EAP offer the employee the chance to arrange care, often when an existing care plan has fallen through.

UK EAPA chair Eugene Farrell says: “Many people across the UK are providing regular care to their loved ones. While they do this out of love and support, there is no doubt that it brings an extra layer of responsibility which can affect a person in the workplace. News from the USA that now some employees can actually access practical, in-house care support through their EAP is great to hear. It shows that an EAP can provide a very broad offer to staff, as well as the confidential, 24/7 support that is the backbone of the service. I welcome these developments from overseas and would be very interested to hear anything similar happening in the UK.”