Health and Wellness Tips For Your Workforce

The last few months have been challenging for many of us. It’s more important than ever to take care of your body and mind at this time. Here are some health and wellness tips for you and your workforce.

Self isolating, social distancing and working from home may have left you bored, frustrated or lonely. You may have experienced periods of feeling low, worried or concerned about your finances, health or people you know – these are completely normal to feel under these circumstances.

It’s important to accept that everyone reacts in their own way to the current situation, and, for most of us , these feelings will pass. Here are some health and wellness tips from us at Okappy for you and your workforce.

Support your workforce

Many people are worried about work and money as many businesses face a great deal of uncertainty. It’s important to take extra care of the people in your organisation during this time.

The UK Government website has published it’s coronavirus guidance for employees, including information on the details of Statutory Sick Pay and other things employers may be able to do to help. Acas (the Advisory, Conciliatory and Arbitration Service) also has information about coronavirus for employers and employees, including guidance on sick pay and taking time off to look after a child or other dependent.

If you are an employer or involved in running a business, you may find this coronavirus guidance helpful – UK Government coronavirus guidance for businesses and employers, in English.

There is also information about what support is available for businesses – UK Government information on what support is available for businesses, in English.

Stick to a routine

It’s highly likely that the normal routines of people in your workforce have been disrupted and it’s probably not going to look how it did for some time. It’s important to think about how you can adapt, create positive new routines and set yourself goals. Writing things down can be a good place to start planning for your day or week.

It’s also crucial to maintain boundaries between work and personal space. If you’re working from home – keep the same hours you would normally work and stick to the same sleeping schedule. Make sure you’re taking time off as well. It’s easy to continue to work and never switch off when working and resting are in the same place. You could implement a marker to end the day, such as going for a walk or changing your outfit.

Do things you enjoy

Sometimes when we feel worried or low, we might stop doing the things we enjoy. Although some of those things are not possible to do anymore, think about how you could adapt them, or try something new!

A whole host of restaurants have released recipes for their famous dishes for people to try at home – why not organise a meal “out” at home and invite friends to join in via a video call. If cooking isn’t your thing, there are a bunch of free tutorials and courses online for other options. How about hosting a pub quiz or music concert?

Look after your body

Building physical activity into your daily routine is also vital to keep both your mind and your body healthy. The majority of us don’t own exercise equipment like treadmills or heavy duty weights, but there are still a whole range of ways you can stay active.

Many personal trainers and fitness bloggers are offering free classes online such as Joe Wick’s PE classes and Yoga with Adriene. You can also get the exercise in whilst cleaning your home, and going up and down stairs. It’s likely that many of us are finding ourselves sitting down for long – you can reduce this by setting alarms to get up and stretch, or even do a set of star jumps. These gentle seated exercises from the NHS will also help to improve your mobility and posture.

People working in the Trades have a reputation for living off pies-on-the-go and energy drinks, but these options are probably doing you more harm than good. Fuel your body with nutrient-rich food and drink lots of water, so you can keep healthy and perform your best.

Take care with news and information

Stick to the facts and get your information from credible sources you can trust like the GOV.uk, NHS and WHO – and fact-check any information you get from social media or Whatsapp group chats. Be mindful of what you share as inaccurate information can be harmful to others too.

Consider limiting the time you spend consuming news stories and think about turning off alerts for breaking news on your phone to avoid getting overwhelmed. It might be helpful to set yourself a specific time to read updates or limit yourself to a couple checks a day.

Reduce stress with breathing and relaxation techniques

One way to relieve stress, anxiety and depression is through breathing exercises. This is a calming activity that takes just a few minutes and can be done anywhere.

Have a read of this NHS article on breathing technique for stress, anxiety and panic. Also worth checking out, is this helpful article from Mind on relaxation tips and exercises to help you.

Stay connected

When we’re experiencing times of high stress, we cope better in company and with a support network. Try your best to keep in touch with your support network via phone calls, emails, social media and video calls. Lots of people are also finding the current situation difficult, so staying in touch could help them out too.

Get help if you need it

There are also lots of helplines you can call if you are in distress and need immediate help. You can call NHS urgent mental health helplines any time of day. Search ‘NHS mental health crisis’ to find local helplines and speak to a mental health professional. ⁣⁣
There are also many charities offering helplines, support and advice including:

The Samaritans Helpline: Offer emotional support 24 hours a day – in full confidence. Call 116 123 – it’s FREE!
⁣⁣The Mind Infoline: To answer questions about types of mental health problems, where to get help, drug and alternative treatments, and advocacy. Call the Mind infoline on 0300 123 3393 (UK landline calls are charged at local rates, and charges from mobile phones will vary considerably). Or email info@mind.org.uk.
Shout Crisis Text Line: For support in a crisis, you can text Shout to 85258 if you’re experiencing a personal crisis, are unable to cope and need support.

How Okappy can help

Okappy Field Service Management Software is designed to streamline your communications and workforce management processes, and is one solution that could help you reduce work-related stress and stay connected to the people in your business. With Okappy you can communicate with your network, send and receive jobs, manage your workforce remotely, run reports, and raise invoices – all on one platform. You can receive updates to job details as they happen and view all important documents needed for the work in one secure place. To learn more, request a call here.