88% say working from home during the pandemic hasn’t negatively influenced their mental health
A quarter of UK office workers believe a return to the physical workplace could negatively influence their mental health, according to research by Ezra, a leading provider of digital coaching.
As lockdown restrictions begin to ease, it is still uncertain as to what extent remote working will still be a part of everyday life.
Remote working does appear as though it’s here to stay, as Google became the latest major company to reveal their plans to create a hybrid workplace.
For the majority of people, 88%, Ezra suggests that working from home during the pandemic hasn’t negatively influenced their mental health. 29% have even said that remote working has been good for their mental health.
When asked about the impact of a return to work on mental health, 24% said that they believed it would impact their mental health negatively, while 21% thought it would have a positive impact.
A quarter of those surveyed said less family time would be the biggest factor that would impact their mental health. While for 22% the prospect of commuting into work was their biggest concern.
Founder of Ezra, Nick Goldberg, commented:
“Despite lockdown forcing a drastically different way of life upon us, the silver lining for many has been more time spent at home with loved ones and a far better work-life balance.”
“For some, this means that working from home has actually been beneficial for our mental health and it comes as no surprise that replacing this family time with commuting and the pressures of the workplace are the biggest concerns about returning to the physical workplace.”
“However, we’re all dealing with the current landscape differently and it’s clear that remote working doesn’t work for everyone. While it certainly feels like we’ve been under some form of lockdown restrictions forever, there’s also no real indication as to how remote working could impact us on an ongoing, long-term basis.”
“As we move forward, it’s important that businesses consider how they adapt to meet the needs of all their employees and this will no doubt take the form of a hybrid workplace, allowing for some flexibility on working from home, but also maintaining the physical workplace on a full-time basis for those that need it.”
