More than a million people over 50 in the UK work for themselves. Some do it for freedom and flexibility; others do it because redundancy, caring responsibilities or health changes make traditional employment harder.

Either way, self-employment can be a smart “second act” if you pick something that fits your strengths, your schedule and your tolerance for risk.

Before jumping into the ideas, keep two principles in mind: Start with what you already know. Your experience is your unfair advantage, and choose a model you can sustain. It is better to run a business you can manage at 70% energy consistently than one that burns you out at 100%.

Quick checklist before you start

Define what you want from self-employment

• Do you want income replacement or top-up income?
• Do you want flexibility (school runs, caregiving, travel) or structure?
• Are you building something to sell later, or just to enjoy working on your terms?

Know your constraints

• Health/mobility limits
• Driving/time on the road
• Seasonal income swings
• Working alone vs client-facing work

Get basics in place early

• Insurance (public liability / professional indemnity as relevant)
• A separate business bank account (optional but sensible)
• Simple bookkeeping method (software, spreadsheet, or bookkeeper)
• A clear pricing approach (hourly, fixed fee, packages)

1) Gardening and garden maintenance

Why it suits over-50s

Gardening is tangible, outdoors, and often in high demand locally—especially for regular maintenance, hedge work, tidy-ups and seasonal resets.

Typical services
• Lawn care, pruning, weeding
• Border planting, mulching, composting
• Hedge trimming, leaf clearing
• Light landscaping (paths, raised beds) if you have the skills

Start-up requirements
• Tools (mower, strimmer, hand tools) and PPE
• Transport (even a small car can work with the right kit)
• Public liability insurance

Pricing approach
• Offer maintenance packages (e.g., 2 hours fortnightly)
• Charge a day rate for larger jobs
• Consider add-ons (green waste removal, planting plans)

Reality check

Gardening is physical and weather-dependent, and winter demand can dip. A winter service list (fencing repairs, pressure washing, greenhouse clear-outs) helps smooth income.

2) Cleaning (domestic, commercial, specialist)

Why it works

Demand is steady and repeatable. Many clients prefer consistent weekly or fortnightly cleaners.

Options
• Domestic housekeeping
• Office cleaning
• End-of-tenancy cleaning
• Specialist (carpet, upholstery, trauma/biohazard—requires training)

Start-up costs

Low: cleaning products, basic equipment, insurance.

How to stand out
• Reliability, punctuality, clear communication
• Specialise: “eco-friendly cleaning”, “elderly support cleaning”, “Airbnb turnover cleaning”
• Create simple service tiers: standard / deep clean / premium

Reality check

It can be physically demanding. If mobility is a concern, focus on light housekeeping or admin-heavy cleaning niches (Airbnb coordination and staff management rather than doing all cleans yourself).

3) Counselling or coaching (with training)

Why it suits over-50s

Life experience can be a genuine asset. Many clients actively prefer working with someone who feels grounded and experienced.

Pathways
• Counselling (regulated best practice; requires recognised training)
• Coaching (less regulated; still benefits from accredited training)

Practical route
• Intro course → certificate → diploma / core training
• Register on therapist directories (if qualified)
• Start with a narrow focus: grief support, menopause transition, career change, confidence rebuilding

Reality check

This is emotionally demanding work. Supervision and boundaries are essential. It also takes time to build referrals and trust.

4) Handyperson / odd jobs / light property maintenance

Why it’s popular

There is consistent demand for “small jobs” that tradespeople often do not want: mounting TVs, fitting curtain rails, small repairs, basic decorating.

Services
• Minor repairs and maintenance
• Painting and decorating
• Basic carpentry, tiling, flat-pack assembly

Requirements
• Tools + transport
• Public liability insurance
• Clear scope: know what you will and won’t do

Pricing

Avoid hourly-only. Use fixed-price bundles (e.g., “half-day handyman” / “two-hour visit”).

Reality check

Clients value reliability. Late arrival or poor communication kills repeat bookings.

5) Mobile hair, barbering or beauty services

Why it suits

It is portable, relationship-driven, and often builds repeat, loyal clients.

Options
• Mobile haircuts, blowdries, colour (if qualified)
• Nails, lashes, brows
• Make-up (weddings/events)
• Men’s grooming, barbering

Essentials
• Qualifications where needed
• Insurance (public and product liability)
• Portable kit and hygiene protocols

Reality check

Even if you are brilliant, you are still running a business: marketing, booking, reminders, cancellations and payment chasing all matter.

6) Bookkeeping and admin services

Why it’s ideal for some over-50s

It is low-impact physically, can be done from home, and small businesses are desperate for reliable admin help.

Services
• Bookkeeping and reconciliation
• Invoicing and credit control
• Payroll support (if trained)
• “Virtual assistant” packages for sole traders

Training

AAT bookkeeping qualifications are a common pathway; basic accounting software literacy helps (Xero, QuickBooks, Sage).

Reality check

The work is consistent but trust-based. Confidentiality and professionalism are non-negotiable.

7) Consulting in your former profession

Why it’s powerful

You can sell expertise rather than time. Many over-50s have networks they can activate.

Examples
• Operations improvement
• HR consulting
• Marketing strategy
• Procurement, compliance, project management

How to start fast
• Build a simple one-page offer: “I help X achieve Y”
• Reach out to past colleagues and suppliers
• Offer a “diagnostic” session with a clear fixed fee

Reality check

Consulting is sales-heavy. If you dislike selling, partner with someone who enjoys business development.

8) Antique dealing and resale

Why it works

If you have an eye for value and enjoy sourcing, you can build a strong side income.

Models
• eBay flipping
• Etsy/vintage platforms
• Car boot sourcing → online resale
• Specialist auctions

How to reduce risk

Start as a side hustle to learn pricing and demand patterns.

Reality check

Cashflow is tied up in stock. You need discipline and good storage.

9) Taxi / private hire driving

Why it suits some

Flexible hours, immediate income potential, and social interaction.

Options
• Private hire apps
• Local taxi work
• Specialist: airport runs, executive driving

Reality check

Long hours in a seat, insurance costs, and vehicle wear and tear matter. Treat it as a business, not just driving.

10) House sitting and pet sitting

Why it’s attractive

Low overhead, flexible, can include travel or local work.

How to start

Use established platforms, build reviews, then shift to direct referrals.

Reality check

You need trust and reliability. Always clarify responsibility for property issues and emergencies.

11) Buying into a franchise

Why it appeals

You get a proven model, training, and brand recognition.

Where it works best

When you want structure and support, and you are willing to follow a system.

Reality check

Do due diligence. Speak to existing franchisees. Understand total costs, not just the headline franchise fee.

12) Photography (weddings, family, events, product)

Why it’s popular

It can start part-time and scale.

Niche options
• Family portraits
• Pet photography
• Corporate headshots
• Product photography for Etsy/Amazon sellers

Reality check

Photography is as much editing, marketing and client management as it is shooting. Build simple packages and tight turnaround expectations.

13) Pet services (dog walking, grooming, sitting)

Why it works

Strong demand, repeat customers, and often immediate referrals.

Consider specialising
• “Puppy drop-ins”
• “Senior dog walking”
• “Weekend sits”

Reality check

Insurance matters. For grooming, training and safety protocols are essential.

14) Personal training or fitness instruction

Why it’s growing

Fitness is increasingly tied to longevity and wellbeing—areas where over-50s often have credibility.

Options
• PT sessions (in-person or online)
• Older adult mobility classes
• Menopause fitness support
• Beginner strength coaching

Reality check

Consistency beats intensity. The best trainers build routines clients stick to.

15) Event planning and small-scale experiences

Why it’s a good “second career”

Organisation, calm under pressure, and people skills often improve with age.

Focus areas
• Small weddings
• Corporate away-days
• Birthday events
• Community events

Reality check

Event work is deadline-heavy and can mean weekends. Price properly for stress and time.

16) Tutoring (online or in-person)

Why it’s strong

Demand remains high and you can often set your own hours.

Options
• GCSE/A-level tutoring
• Adult education and skills
• English language support

Reality check

Parents want reliability and results. Structure your offer with clear goals and progress updates.

17) Childminding

Why it can suit

High demand in many areas and steady weekly income.

Requirements

Ofsted registration, first aid, checks and compliance.

Reality check

It is regulated, physically active work. Make sure it fits your lifestyle and energy levels.

18) Writing and editing

Why it’s flexible

You can work from home, choose projects, and build a portfolio over time.

Options
• Content writing
• Copywriting
• Editing/proofreading
• Ghostwriting
• Newsletter writing for businesses

Reality check

AI has increased competition for basic content. The opportunity is in expertise, insight, voice and credibility.

19) Catering and food businesses

Models
• Home baking
• Meal prep
• Mobile food stall
• Pop-up events

Reality check

Food businesses require compliance and margin discipline. Start small, test demand, and watch costs ruthlessly.

20) Holiday lets and short-term rentals

Why it appeals

If you have space, you can generate income without a “job”.

Reality check

Short-term letting is increasingly regulated, and cleaning/turnover can become a full-time operational burden. Consider whether you want to manage it yourself or outsource.

Choosing the right idea: a simple scoring method

Score each idea out of 10 for:
• Enjoyment
• Profit potential
• Time flexibility
• Physical intensity (reverse score: high strain = low score)
• Ease of starting

Then pick the top three and validate them:
• Talk to five potential customers
• Price it realistically
• Test with a small pilot before committing fully

Practical next steps for over-50s starting out

1. Start lean. Pilot before investing heavily.
2. Use your network. Your first clients are usually people you already know.
3. Package your offer. People buy clarity: what you do, who it’s for, what it costs.
4. Avoid underpricing. Underpricing leads to burnout and resentment.
5. Protect yourself. Insurance, contracts, boundaries, and good record-keeping matter more than most people think.

Read more:
20 popular self-employment ideas for over 50s

A growing number of UK small business owners are struggling with exhaustion, isolation and loneliness, as rising costs and tax pressures push many to the brink and leave “break-even as the new benchmark”.

Entrepreneurship is often portrayed as freedom from the nine-to-five, but for many founders the reality is longer hours, blurred boundaries and constant decision-making with little or no support. Evenings, weekends and solitary working have become the norm, particularly for microbusinesses and sole traders who must juggle finance, HR, sales and operations alone.

Support organisations say the problem has worsened markedly over the past year. Christine Charitonos, founder of London-based culture and events company What Does Not, which supports people with mental health challenges, says isolation among one-person businesses is rising sharply.

“A lot of the people we work with run solo businesses and spend huge amounts of time alone,” she said. “We’ve seen a noticeable increase in loneliness and disconnection over the past year. It’s ironic that London is one of the busiest cities in the world, yet so many people feel cut off from others.”

Charitonos believes the shift towards remote and digital working since the pandemic has created efficiencies, but at the cost of human connection. “It may save time, but it also creates a deficit in real interaction, which will eventually have a wider societal cost,” she added.

Economic pressure is intensifying the problem. Sarah Gatford, a wellbeing coach based in Derby, says higher taxes and rising costs are compounding emotional strain.

“The extra tax burden is piling further stress on business owners,” she said. “Running a small business has always felt like swimming upstream, but now it’s more like rapids. Profit used to be the goal — for many, break-even is now the benchmark.”

She added that government rhetoric around supporting wellbeing does not align with how many founders feel. “It doesn’t feel like small businesses are being looked after. It feels like another false promise.”

Others say loneliness is often most acute in the early stages of building a business. Kate Underwood, founder of Kate Underwood HR and Training, argues that isolation is an unspoken reality of entrepreneurship — but one that can be mitigated.

“Founders need to build a support circle early, not when they’re already on the edge,” she said. “Identify mentors across finance, HR, marketing and sales. Write three names down today, and check in with them now, not later.”

Some business owners are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence not just as a productivity tool, but as emotional support. Colette Mason, author and AI consultant at Clever Clogs AI, says many founders are using AI as a non-judgemental sounding board.

“People aren’t just asking for AI copilots to scale faster,” she said. “They’re asking because they’re exhausted and isolated, and don’t feel safe admitting how hard things are. AI becomes the adviser who doesn’t judge, doesn’t invoice and doesn’t panic when you do.”

That shift, she argues, raises uncomfortable questions about the environment founders are operating in. “Why are business environments so hostile that owners would rather confide in an algorithm than a supportive human?”

Kate Allen, owner of holiday lettings firm Finest Stays, said the loneliness of running a business is most intense at the beginning. “For years I ran every department because the business was too small to hire. The mental load was relentless, often late at night, alongside solo parenting.”

Thirteen years on, the pressures have changed but not disappeared. “Now it’s managing a team, navigating constant regulatory changes and rising costs. What’s made the biggest difference is having a trusted support circle — other founders and advisers who understand the reality.”

For some, mentors have been critical to survival. Colin Crooks MBE, chief executive of Intentionality, said external guidance saved a previous business from collapse. “Friends couldn’t understand, staff needed reassurance I didn’t have, and clients couldn’t know how close we were to failing. A mentor helped me separate real crises from noise.”

Craig Bunting, co-founder of hospitality group BEAR, said responsibility itself can be isolating. “Ultimately the weight sits with you — people’s livelihoods, investors’ trust, long-term decisions. Isolation is where pressure does the most damage.”

He added that government policy could ease some of that strain. “Reducing VAT and fixing business rates would remove a constant source of anxiety, especially in hospitality. That’s what keeps founders awake at night.”

For Rachel Hayward, managing director of Ask the Chameleon, the key lesson is that asking for help is not a weakness. “I’m a business of one, so loneliness can be loud. But I’m not an island. A small, trusted group has been invaluable in keeping perspective.”

As pressures mount in 2026, many founders warn that without stronger community support and a more realistic policy environment, isolation among business owners will only deepen — with consequences not just for individuals, but for the sustainability of the UK’s small business economy.

Read more:
The lonely owner problem: why more UK business founders feel isolated than ever

For years, entrepreneurship in the UK has been framed as a young person’s game, hoodie-wearing founders chasing venture capital, rapid scale and unicorn status. But quietly, and in growing numbers, a different kind of entrepreneur is emerging: the olderpreneur.

These are people in their 50s, 60s and beyond who are starting businesses, switching careers or building new ventures later in life — not despite their age, but because of it. Far from winding down, they are reframing experience as a commercial asset and challenging the idea that innovation belongs to the young.

Reinvention after disruption

For Denise Yeats, the shift was forced rather than planned. When the pandemic shut down the events industry in 2020, her business disappeared overnight. She was 52.

Almost six years later, she has rebuilt her career as an IRONMAN-certified coach, personal trainer and menopause specialist, working with organisations including BT Group, the Met Police and LabCorp.

“Rather than seeing my age as a barrier, I recognised it as my superpower,” she says. “Who better to help women navigate perimenopause and menopause than someone living it?”

Her business now combines one-to-one coaching with corporate programmes on menopause in the workplace, a niche rooted directly in lived experience. “At 30, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to back myself in this way,” she adds. “Decades of professional experience, an established network and self-belief make a huge difference.”

Building businesses on lived experience

That theme runs through many olderpreneur stories. Sarah Gatford launched her coaching practice in her late 50s after three decades as a British Sign Language interpreter. At 58, she completed an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology.

“My age and experience are my edge,” she says. “Clients trust me because I’ve lived through complexity. Three decades of relationships become capital you simply can’t manufacture in your 20s.”

Her work focuses on people navigating transitions — redundancy, identity shifts and life after long careers. “Experience isn’t baggage,” she says. “It’s the product.”

A response to redundancy and age bias

For some, entrepreneurship is also a response to age discrimination. Jon Crocker, founder of Manchester-based ICENI Mastermind Group, says starting new ventures later in life can be as much about freedom as opportunity.

“I’m 59 and launching a new UK-Germany hybrid service,” he says. “Businesses seem to assume people my age aren’t technically competent. That makes you unemployable, but it also makes you entrepreneurial.”

The challenges are real: financial risk, fewer peer networks and scepticism from friends and family. But Crocker argues the advantages outweigh them. “You care less about what people think, you’ve got gravitas, and you know how to survive uncertainty.”

Franchising and the rise of later-life self-employment

Some olderpreneurs are turning to franchising as a lower-risk route into business ownership. Paul Harrison, co-founder of The Travel Franchise, says a significant proportion of its 750-plus home-based consultants are over 50.

“Many were made redundant in their 50s or 60s,” he says. “They’re building pension pots while enjoying a better lifestyle. Working later in life shouldn’t be about counting down pay cheques, it should be about doing something you enjoy.”

For Marietta Maidman, redundancy at 59 became a turning point. She now runs a travel consultancy from home and has used the income to build a retirement property in Cyprus.

“Age discrimination can’t affect you when you’re your own boss,” she says. “I use my long-established contacts and run my business on my terms. I’m never going back to employed work.”

A structural shift, not a trend

Suzanne Noble, co-director of Startup School for Seniors, says the data backs up these anecdotes. “One in five people aged over 50 are now freelance, more than any other age group,” she says. Her government-funded programme has supported more than 600 over-50s to turn ideas into businesses since 2020.

Clinical psychologist Dr Marianne Trent believes olderpreneurs are often finally pursuing ambitions postponed earlier in life. “People don’t always get to follow their calling when they’re younger,” she says. “It’s powerful to see the narrative shifting to ‘it’s never too late’.”

The quiet advantage

What unites these stories is not hustle culture or growth-at-all-costs thinking, but clarity. Olderpreneurs are more selective, more values-driven and less interested in external validation. They build businesses around expertise, trust and relationships, assets accumulated over decades.

In an economy obsessed with speed and scale, the olderpreneur offers a different model of success: slower, steadier and often more sustainable. Experience, it turns out, may be one of the most undervalued growth drivers in British business.

Read more:
Meet the olderpreneurs: why experience is becoming the ultimate business advantage

Depression is one of the most debilitating psychiatric disorders. It is a significant mental health concern in the UK, affecting a substantial portion of the population.

As of autumn 2022, approximately 16% of adults aged 16 and over reported experiencing moderate to severe depressive symptoms. This marked an increase from pre-pandemic levels, where around 10% of adults reported such symptoms.

With depression becoming increasingly prevalent amongst the adult population, it’s important to look beyond standard treatments, like antidepressants, and explore alternative treatments. If you’re struggling with depression, you may be wondering what other options are available, and whether they work as well as antidepressants. In this article, we’ll look at different ways to tackle depression symptoms, and offer information about other effective treatment options.

5 Tips for Tackling Depression

1. Healthy Diet

Research has shown a strong potential link between diet and depression. Unhealthy diets, particularly those that are high in processed foods, can potentially exacerbate symptoms of depression. On the other hand, healthy diets, such as those that are rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, can potentially have a protective effect and help reduce depression symptoms. Research has also shown that certain nutrient deficiencies, including B vitamins (like B12 and folate) and omega-3 fatty acids, are often associated with depression. That’s why eating a healthy diet  is so important for your mental health.

Changing your diet can sometimes be difficult. If you’re struggling with low moods, you might not feel up to cooking and preparing healthy meals. If this is the case, you can always start with smaller steps, such as taking a daily multivitamin, having fruit with your breakfast, and eating healthy wholefood snacks. You can also try making other small changes, such as batch cooking homemade dinners or buying more nutritious, high-protein ready made meals. Then with time, you might feel encouraged to make other important changes and incorporate more healthy food into your diet.

2. Regular Exercise

Regular exercise can boost your mood and help you manage your depression symptoms. In fact, research has shown that exercise is an effective and valuable treatment for depression, with some studies showing it can be as effective or more effective than antidepressants. For example, a recent study found that physical activity is 1.5 times more effective at reducing mild-to-moderate symptoms of depression than medication. It also found that shorter, high intensity exercise programs produced the best results. This indicates that there are viable alternatives to antidepressants, and that introducing short bursts of exercise could have a positive impact on your mental health.

Planning a new exercise routine can sometimes feel overwhelming. And if you’re struggling with low moods, you might find it hard to get started. If this is the case, you can always start with gentle exercise routines, such as a gentle stretch or a short walk outside. You can also try working out with other people, by joining a beginners exercise class, or inviting a friend to join you on your walk. Then, with time, you can add in more workouts and build a routine that feels good (and boosts your mood!).

3. Mindfulness

Depression often comes with rumination—repetitive, negative thoughts like “I’m not good enough” or “things will never get better.” Mindfulness teaches you how to notice your thoughts. For example, you might learn to say, “Oh, there’s that thought again,” and let it pass. It also teaches you how to address those thoughts in a kind, non-judgemental way. For example, you might learn to say “I am good enough” or “things will get better”.

Are you struggling with negative thoughts? If so, there are many different ways that you can start learning about mindfulness—whether you prefer apps, books, videos, or in-person options. For example, apps such as HeadSpace and Mind offer guided meditations, breathing exercises, and even courses for depression. Wondering where to get started? You can explore mindfulness exercises such as mindful breathing, mindful walks, or loving-kindness meditations. Don’t worry about “doing it right.” or doing long sessions. Start by trying different approaches, introducing short moments of mindfulness in your routine, and finding what works best for you. And with time, you might start to feel the benefits.

2 Great Alternatives to Antidepressants

Antidepressants are a type of drug that encourage activity of certain neurotransmitters

(the body’s ‘chemical messengers’) within the brain to help regulate your mood. While antidepressants are one of the most common treatment options, they aren’t always the most effective. This is why it’s so important to also consider depression treatment without medication.

1. rTMS Treatment

rTMS (repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) is a non-invasive brain stimulation treatment primarily used for depression. It uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in a part of the brain involved in mood regulation – typically the left prefrontal cortex. It’s a safe, FDA-approved treatment that has been shown to help improve mood, motivation, and cognitive function over time. It’s a great option for people who want to avoid taking medications. It’s also often a great option for people with treatment-resistant depression, who have tried taking medications, but found them ineffective.

2. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is one of the most widely used and evidence-based forms of psychotherapy. It’s also a highly effective treatment option. This is because people who talk through their depression with a mental health professional are often more likely to reduce the duration of depressive episodes, and to address the root cause of the depression, making relapse less common. CBT is a good option for people who want to avoid taking medications. It is also often a good option for people who want to take a holistic approach to treating their depression – by making long-term lifestyle and behavioural changes.

Final Thoughts

Depression is a complex condition, and while antidepressants can be helpful for some, they’re not the only option available. If you’re looking for other ways to manage your mental health, there are plenty of lifestyle changes and alternative treatment options that you can try. Whether it’s improving your diet and introducing gentle movement, or exploring mindfulness and meditation techniques, there are plenty of things you can do at home to help improve your symptoms. And whether you’re looking to combine medication with other approaches, or to avoid antidepressants  completely, rTMS and CBT are both worth considering.  The most important thing is to find what works best for you. Remember, even small changes can be powerful. If you’re struggling with depression, know that support is available, and you’re not alone in your journey toward feeling better.

Read more:
Tips for tackling depression without having to resort to antidepressants

An estimated two million young people in the UK are self-diagnosing mental health issues without consulting a medical professional, according to new research from insurer AXA Health.

The report’s findings highlight a growing reliance on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram for what young Britons perceive as expert guidance on conditions ranging from anxiety and depression to neurodiverse challenges like ADHD and autism.

The study revealed that nearly 30 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds have declared themselves to be suffering from mental health conditions before ever speaking to a clinician. Among that cohort, roughly 11 per cent attribute their symptoms to neurodiverse conditions. The trend underlines a broader concern as a mounting mental health crisis affects educational engagement, workforce participation, and ultimately economic productivity.

Industry observers say the surge in self-diagnosis is partly driven by inadequate access to professional mental health services. With both public and private healthcare channels beset by long waiting lists, many young people feel cut off from timely, tailored support. Instead, they turn to social media, where content creators—often with no medical qualifications—share personal experiences or oversimplified symptom lists that can be misleading.

Dr Will Shield, a psychologist at the University of Exeter, warns that this environment risks normal emotions being classified as pathology. “Social media can be incredibly powerful, but it’s rife with misinformation. Without professional insight, young people may misinterpret ordinary feelings as signs of serious conditions,” he said.

While influencers can raise awareness, their highly individualised stories seldom account for variations in how conditions present. ADHD, for instance, manifests differently in each person. Interpreting such anecdotal experiences without clinical context can lead to unnecessary anxiety, inappropriate self-labelling, and misguided attempts at self-care.

The AXA Health report also shows twice as many people use social media to identify potential mental health issues compared with physical ailments—a troubling indicator that digital platforms exert an outsized influence on psychological well-being. With economic and social ramifications on the line, these findings prompt urgent calls for improved mental health education, better access to professional services, and more stringent regulation of online health content.

Unless addressed, the reliance on self-diagnosis and informal guidance risks exacerbating a mental health landscape already under strain. The challenge lies in empowering young people to differentiate between credible resources and social media myths, while policymakers, healthcare providers, and employers collaborate to deliver reliable, accessible mental health support.

Read more:
Young Britons turn to social media for self-diagnosis amid mounting mental health concerns

The pressures and demands of corporate leadership can take a toll not only on profits and productivity, but also on the health and well-being of those at the helm.

From stress-related disorders to lifestyle diseases, the range of health issues affecting business leaders is significant.

Here, Harley Street GP, Dr Sophia Khalique, discusses how to better understand these challenge and proactive measures entrepreneurs can take to safeguard their health, as well as providing insight on fostering a healthier and sustainable leadership culture.

What are the most common health issues you observe in high-level business leaders?

“Stress-related conditions like anxiety and insomnia are very common, as business leaders are often grappling with the immense pressures of their roles.

“Then there are musculoskeletal problems, like back pain and repetitive strain injuries, which come from long periods spent sitting and maybe not the best posture.

“Lifestyle diseases such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes are also very prevalent, likely due to hectic schedules that make it tough to eat well and exercise regularly. And let’s not forget mental health—issues like depression and burnout are sadly not uncommon, given the constant decision-making and high-stakes responsibilities they face.

“Dealing with all this calls for a balanced approach—helping them tweak their lifestyles, find ways to de-stress, and giving them personalised care that fits their busy lives.”

How does the high-stress environment of business leadership contribute to physical health problems?

“The high-stress environment of business leadership can have a big impact on physical health.

“Chronic stress triggers the release of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which, over time, can lead to elevated blood pressure, increased risk of heart disease, and compromised immune function.

“The constant pressure and long hours can also disrupt sleep patterns and contribute to conditions such as insomnia, exacerbating fatigue and impairing cognitive function.

“Stress often prompts unhealthy coping mechanisms like poor dietary choices and lack of exercise, putting business leaders at greater risk of weight gain, diabetes, and other lifestyle-related ailments.”

Can you explain the impact of long working hours and poor work-life balance on mental health for CEOs?

“Long working hours and poor work-life balance can take a substantial toll on the mental health of CEOs and other business leaders. The relentless demands of their roles can lead to chronic stress, feelings of overwhelm, and a heightened sense of responsibility. This can contribute to anxiety disorders, depression, and burnout syndrome.

“Sleep disturbances are common, affecting mood regulation and cognitive function, and the lack of time for relaxation and meaningful social interactions can heighten feelings of isolation and emotional exhaustion, further compromising mental well-being.”

What strategies or interventions do you recommend for CEOs to manage stress and maintain mental well-being?

“For CEOs looking to manage stress and maintain mental well-being, I recommend prioritising regular physical activity, such as aerobic exercise or yoga, which can help alleviate stress and improve mood.

“Secondly, adopting mindfulness or relaxation techniques, like meditation or deep breathing exercises, can enhance resilience to stressors.

“Establishing clear boundaries between work and personal life is also really important, as well as and delegating responsibilities when possible to promote a healthier work-life balance.

“Seeking support from a therapist or counsellor can also provide valuable tools for coping with stress and addressing underlying mental health concerns.”

What specific cardiovascular risks are increased in high-level business professionals, and why?

“High-level business professionals face increased cardiovascular risks mainly due to chronic stress, sedentary lifestyles, and poor dietary habits. Stress contributes to elevated blood pressure and heart rate, which, over time, can lead to hypertension and an increased risk of heart disease.

“Prolonged sitting and lack of physical activity are associated with weight gain, higher cholesterol levels, and insulin resistance, all of which are risk factors for cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes.

“Additionally, frequent travel and irregular meal times can disrupt metabolic health, further exacerbating these risks.”

How can business leaders identify early signs of burnout and take steps to prevent it?

“Business leaders can identify early signs of burnout by paying attention to physical, emotional, and behavioural cues such as chronic fatigue, irritability, decreased motivation, and difficulty concentrating.

“It’s important to recognise when work-related stress becomes overwhelming and affects personal well-being. To prevent burnout, leaders should prioritise self-care, set realistic goals, and establish boundaries to protect personal time and recharge.

“Regularly enjoying hobbies, spending time with loved ones, and seeking professional support when needed can also lessen the risk of burnout.”

What role does diet and nutrition play in maintaining the health of business leaders, and what dietary habits should they adopt?

“Diet and nutrition play a crucial role in maintaining business leaders’ health. A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains supports optimal energy levels, cognitive function, and immune health.

“Avoiding excessive caffeine, sugar, and processed foods can help stabilise energy levels and reduce the risk of weight gain and metabolic disorders, and regular meals and healthy snacks throughout the day can prevent dips in blood sugar and maintain focus during demanding work hours.

“Hydration is also essential — drinking plenty of water supports overall health and cognitive function.”

Do you have anything else you’d like to raise?

“The most important thing for business leaders is to recognise the impact of stress, long hours, and lifestyle factors on both their physical and mental health. This is essential for sustainable leadership.

“Taking proactive measures like regular health screenings and check-ups plays a pivotal role in early detection and prevention of potential health issues.

“By taking charge of their health through preventive screenings, leaders can ensure they maintain optimal well-being and performance over the long term, benefiting both themselves and their businesses.”

Read more:
The health problems that can afflict high level business leaders and how these can be prevented

We know being active is great for your physical health, but when your body feels good your mind does too.

Yetunde Bankole, Lead Mental Health and Wellbeing Coach at Vitality explains that’s why this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week focussed on movement, and the power it has to strengthen and improve your mental health.

At Vitality, we know that people who were active at least two days a week were 17% less likely to make a severe mental health claim on their health insurance, and we also know that when it comes to the world of work, mental health issues have the biggest negative impact on productivity. Those at risk of depression, fatigue and burnout lose 151%, 141% and 120% more productive days compared to those who do not report these health issues**.

All of which shows just how important it is for our wider health and shouldn’t be treated in isolation. We need to look at mental health more holistically and consider how it impacts our physical health as well as our lives at work and at home.

Yet, finding the time to be more active when you’re balancing a busy work and home life can be difficult, but getting started and building healthy habits doesn’t need to be an arduous journey and there are several steps that will help you easily build more movement into your life.

The connection between movement and mental health

Before looking at the simple ways to increase movement in your life, it’s key to understand just how big an impact it can have on your body and mind.

By incorporating greater activity and movement in your life, you can help to strengthen your muscles, bones, heart, and lungs. Which means that physically, you are making yourself stronger should you get ill.

When we exercise our bodies release dopamine and endorphins which have been proven to help a variety of conditions like depression and anxiety. It can even help improve your quality of sleep meaning you’ll feel more rested and ready to tackle the day. Highlighting why physical activity is a key tool in managing mental wellbeing, giving your mind and body the energy boost it needs to get you through the day with greater vigour and drive.

How to get started

Knowing where to start can feel daunting, and even impossible when you’re balancing a busy work schedule on top of a busy personal life. However, the main thing to remember is the best activity, is the next activity.

A little activity can go a long way, and it’s important to note you don’t need to be running a marathon on the weekend to feel the positive effects.

In fact, data based on Habit Index research conducted by Vitality and the London School of Economics found that taking just 7,500 steps three or more times a week could have profound effects on your overall health, with those aged 65 and over able to reduce their yearly mortality risk by 52%.

As such, find something you like doing and carve out small times throughout the week to do it; whether that’s yoga, swimming, going for a walk at lunch with a colleague, or even dancing to your favourite song.

As long as you’re moving regularly, you’ll start to enjoy the many mental benefits such as reduced stress and mental fatigue, and increased focus and energy.

Overcoming the motivation block

If you want to get moving more but struggle to find the motivation or feel as though your current mental health is leaving you feeling unenergized, then start small and build on it gradually. Take a screen break by going for a 10-minute walk outside or around the house or take the stairs at the office instead of the lift.

Equally, if doing it alone holds you back then try going for a regular walk with a colleague or looking at what health benefits your employer offers. Many employers offer health-based interventions like group yoga classes or employee run clubs. These are all easy and helpful ways to meet like-minded people and build a group that gives you support, encouragement and guidance on your journey.

Read more:
Moving your mental health forward

Interest rates are used by banks, organisations, and companies, in order to benefit from loaning money to another.

When one party borrows money from another, there are interest rates in place which means that the party lending money will receive compensation as an incentive to lend out that money.

Person A borrows £1,000 GBP from Person B in order to expand their business.

Person B may be reluctant to lend this money, but with interest rates, they will get back £1,100 GBP once Person A can afford to pay the loan back, with interest.

Why Are They Increased & How Do They Affect Businesses?

Typically, interest rates are increased in order to control the economy by decreasing inflation and encouraging people to spend less money.

When interest rates are increased, people are paying more for previous debts, loans become more expensive, and people are generally encouraged to spend less money due to higher costs in business and costs of living.

So, if interest rates are higher, someone will now have to spend more money in order to loan a sum of money. Because interest rates are higher, they will be expected to pay more in order to loan this amount.

This can have a profound impact on business owners who need to spend money and borrow money in order to not only expand their business but to make a living. In fact, it is estimated that over 90% of mid-sized UK businesses are facing challenges accessing funding and financing due to rising interest rates.

This can have a profound financial impact on smaller businesses who rely on borrowing money.

Smaller businesses who often need loans to help upscale and grow their businesses, especially during the earlier stages, will struggle because higher interest rates mean that borrowing money is now more expensive.

The financial impact may then lead to the closure of these smaller businesses who cannot afford to borrow money.

How Financial Issues Impact Mental Health

Money and mental health is tightly interwoven, especially within societies within a country such as the United Kingdom. Since our ability to survive and be comfortable in society is dependent on being financially secure, being financially insecure can lead to severe detriments to one’s mental health.

When these small business owners suddenly find it much harder to pay back these debts, they begin to worry about sustaining their business.

Not only does their debt now seem heavier, but they may worry about closing down their business simply because it is unsustainable, and they cannot afford to accumulate more debt in order to help it.

This financial insecurity can cause a huge strain on mental health, which can not only further affect their business but their life and the life of others around them. High interest rates, among a range of other financial insecurity issues, can have an adverse impact on someone’s mental wellbeing.

Here are the ways in which high interest rates and other financial difficulties can affect the mental health of business owners in our community:

Elevated Stress & Sleep Problems

Stress, whether financially related or not, will impact our lives in any facet, regardless of if you are a student, employee, or business owner.

Suffering from stress due to financial insecurity issues or other can lead to a wide range of mental and physical illnesses ranging from but not limited to;

• Anxiety and depression: Chronic stress can lead to the development of mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression.
• Headaches: Headaches are a common symptom of stress which can be extremely disruptive.
• High blood pressure & Cardiovascular Disease: Stress can lead to high blood pressure, which can then lead to a range of physical problems such as heart attacks, stroke, and more.

Additionally, someone who is suffering from stress will also suffer from decreased sleep quality.

An increased level of stress will affect someone’s sleep pattern, and it may also lead to someone working longer hours and sleeping fewer hours in order to make up for the difficulties caused by higher interest rates.

This can severely impact their work performances and also their overall quality of life.

We require from around 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night in order to feel revitalised and to foster things such as emotional regulation, memorisation, the storing of new information, replenishment of energy levels, and more.

These aspects are particularly fostered when we undergo the REM cycle of our sleep schedule. REM sleep is thought to play an important role when it comes to our basic cognitive functions and development, such as our mood, memories, and learning abilities.

REM sleep occurs throughout our night of sleeping, with people undergoing around 3 to 5 cycles per night. However, the largest chunk of REM sleep occurs in the later stages of our sleep schedule.

The later cycles can last up to an hour or even 90 minutes. Sacrificing sleep not only means missing out on a total hours of our sleeping schedule, but a larger proportion of REM sleep.

So that means that if you are struggling to sleep, or if you are sacrificing sleep in order to solve problems at work, you are not only losing 1 or 2 hours of sleep, but you are losing the largest percentage of REM sleep.

This can significantly impact your overall health on a daily basis.

Anxiety Disorder and “Financial Trauma”

The mental health impact of high interests on small business owners can also come in the form of anxiety.

If a business owner is struggling to pay bills or meet the requirements of debt arrangements, they may begin to experience severe trepidation, and this could even develop into anxiety disorder.

Symptoms of anxiety are wide ranging and are not limited to only mental effects but also physical.

Frequent bouts of anxiety can lead to a range of problems such as panic attacks, irritability, dizziness, feelings of hopelessness, problems breathing, heart palpitations, the development of substance use disorder, and so on.

Studies also suggest that if someone’s mental health suffers so severely and for a prolonged period of time from financial insecurity, they may display symptoms similar to that of PTSD.

“Financial trauma ” is a term used to describe people whose mental health has been so severely affected by their financial struggles and uncertainty.

It can often lead to people restoring to inaction. Similar to a “fight, flight, or freeze” response, the sense of hopelessness which someone may experience during prolonged periods of financial strain can lead to them underperforming or essentially giving up.

This turn in their work ethic severely impacts their business which will then lead to more problems.

Deterioration in Relationships and Social Life

Not only can suffering from stress and anxiety lead to behaviour and illnesses which will inevitably result in poorer occupational performances, it can affect the lives of friends and loved ones of the business owner or worker.

Work problems and relationship problems share a mutually destructive relationship. If one facet is to suffer, then so is the other, and this will continue to a permeate a destructive cycle in one’s life.

Suffering from stress and anxiety can lead to relationship breakdown and social isolation. While some people can create a boundary between their work life and their personal life, others struggle to maintain this barrier, especially when they are a business owner.

Stress is not simply confined to the workplace. Friends, family members and loved ones of someone who is suffering from extreme bouts of stress and anxiety may find it difficult to communicate with their loved one, or to navigate their anger and trepidation due to the financial and economic climate.

This is particularly the case as many people opt to work remotely from home. If a family member is sharing the same space as someone who is suffering from a compromised mental health, then it can affect the home environment and it can profoundly affect others who live there.

Those struggling with their mental health due to work related and financial related issues may find it difficult to articulate their problems with someone who does not work within the same industry.

Not only could they begin to socially isolate, they may even become resentful of friends or family members who may not have the insight to provide answers to these problems.

Additionally, it can cause more relationship breakdown through a decrease in quality or compatibility when it comes to sexual intercourse.

Studies show that stress and anxiety can lead to sexual problems such as a decreased libido (sexual drive) and also erectile dysfunction. Furthermore, studies show that decreased sexual desire or ability for arousal has a profound effect on other areas of life, such as work.

Substance Use Disorder – Alcohol and Drug Addiction

Drug and alcohol addiction is problematic throughout the UK, particularly among people who are already suffering from mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and more. Substance use disorder is particularly prominent among people who are suffering from financial or housing insecurity.

Stress can make someone vulnerable to developing an addiction. This is because in order to relieve themselves from feelings of anxiety, stress, anger, and more, they may indulge in toxic and addictive psychoactive substances such as drugs or alcoholic beverages.

Unemployed people are also more likely to develop a drug or alcohol dependence. This is because while they may not suffer due to stress in the workplace, unemployed people suffer from financial insecurity which then leads to anxiety.

This is called self medicating, which means the act of treating your symptoms through your own methods and not a valid one supervised or prescribed by a health professional.

Studies show a positive correspondence between stress and developing alcohol use disorders, especially within the context of financial uncertainty and work related stress. When someone frequently consumes drugs or alcohol, they will undergo extreme physiological changes in the brain and body.

Drug and Alcohol dependence reaches a point where they have become so dependent on these substances to function normally, that they will experience potentially severe withdrawal symptoms when they go a day or so without their addictive substances.

These withdrawal symptoms can come in the form of anxiety, depression, psychosis, seizures, delirium, and more.

While drugs and alcohol may temporarily relieve people of their symptoms of stress or anxiety, it will enhance them in the long run. Drugs and alcoholic substances are highly toxic in a way which can decrease brain matter and diminish basic cognitive functions such as emotional regulation, memorisation, and more.

In addition to how it severely affects brain chemistry, alcohol and drug use will decrease sleep quality, which can leave people much more compromised when it comes to their energy levels and basic cognitive functions. This will lead to more irritability, worse intrapersonal skills, relationship breakdown, and more stress.

If someone is suffering from a drug or alcohol addiction due to work or financial uncertainty, their addiction will persist regardless of their work situation if they refuse to seek support.

In order to recover from a drug or alcohol addiction, the subject will need to contact a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre, for example, in London, in order to facilitate their recovery and return to a life of sobriety.

Weight Gain & Poor Physical Health

Work or financial related stress can also lead to significant detrimental physical health effects, which can further exacerbate mental health issues. One prominent example of this is weight gain.

Weight gain, or being overweight, is the source of insecurity and mental health issues for many people in the United Kingdom. This is due to social expectations which cause many people to heighten their imperfections and allow them to decrease their mental wellbeing.

There are numerous ways in which work related stress can lead to weight gain. These include:

• Poor eating habits which contribute to fat gain
• Increase in cortisol, a stress hormone, can lead to fat accumulation
• Poor sleeping habits which further increase cortisol levels and poor choices when it comes to eating

People who are suffering from stress or anxiety will tend to make poorer decisions when it comes to eating because it can provide them comfort.

‘Comfort food’ is a term often described to make people feel better – regardless of their mental health – simply because of how good and pleasurable it feels to consume a particular food.

When we consume food, particularly foods which are high in salt and sugar, we experience a release of dopamine in the brain. The more that we engage in these activities, the more prominent these ‘rewards’ feel, strengthening pathways in our brain which can lead to overeating which will then develop into an eating disorder.

People who are suffering from poor mental health may experience weight gain or develop an unhealthy relationship with their food because they view it as a source of happiness or a form of self medicating when they are suffering from poor mental wellbeing.

Furthermore, stress leads to the release of a hormone called ‘cortisol’ in our body.

While some cortisol production is natural in bouts of exercise and other activities, frequent and excessive cortisol due to stressful experiences can lead to the accumulation of fat, particularly in the midsection (abdominal). This is why the term belly fat around the abdominal area is often associated with high stress levels.

Read more:
The Mental Health Impact of High Interest Rates on Small Business Owners

With all the doom and gloom we see in the markets and news coverage, is it not time to uncover some positivity?

In this article, we look at why the UK Fitness Industry is not being benched, referencing findings from both Salience Search Index and Future Fit data for this article, along with market research from ONS & Statista.

Following the industry’s steady growth from 2013 to 2020, we saw the largest drop in gyms and fitness centres in the UK in 2021. At this point the drop was by 614 establishments, taking Gym levels back three years. This was a -17% drop in trading businesses.

It’s not all bad. The Statistia results show that the rebound saw the most significant growth since 2011. This left the industry positive 46 businesses compared to the high of 2020—an increase of 660 companies and a growth percentage of + 22%. The single most significant growth experienced in the industry on record going back to 2011.

What this Means to the UK Fitness Industry

It means that the market has recovered (in principle) within 12 months. The results confirm that the return en masse to Fitness Centres and Gyms, even during the economic downturn, has been notable and that they are bucking the trend with strong growth.

A spokesman at Mirafit said the boom of 2020/2021 in the Home Fitness market was unprecedented. Comparatively, the market has returned to previous levels. However, it still shows more significant numbers than before, both in terms of sales and searches, suggesting that more people are interested in fitness in the years after 2021. It confirms how the commercial market has been able to bounce back this quickly and how the home gym market continues to grow. In addition, the numbers prove that the nation has embraced fitness to a greater level than before and is supplementing this with memberships or equipment purchases. This is a positive situation for all involved within the Fitness Industry.

Strength Wins

It is clear that the industry will not be sidelined or slope off and stagnate, so strength wins. If you are involved with the fitness industry in the UK, then the chances are you are experiencing growth and the confidence to invest in your business, whether it’s an independent Gym or Gym chain. It is an exciting time to be opening a business or being involved with a fitness centre.

How important is the UK Fitness Market?

According to the ONS, there are 191,000 people employed in the sports & fitness sector. This equates to around 69,000 personal trainers and growing. Although this is 0.28 of the population of the UK, it reaches beyond those employed directly. It is fair to conclude it is very important.

How big is the Fitness Industry in the UK?

The UK fitness industry is extensive, and according to Future Fit, it has grown to £3.92 billion.

“Coupled with the rising number of mobile trainers and boot camps/outdoor fitness companies, it’s easy to see how the overall health and fitness industry has grown to £3.92 billion this year. With so many options now available as a fitness professional, there’s never been a better time to forge a career in such a rewarding sector” – futurefit.co.uk

Here we see the visibility results for the top 25 fitness equipment retailers gathered by salience.co.uk as part of their annual review. This takes into account the number of searches and the general visibility scores for each company, most showing a positive change from 2021 to 2022.

Why a growing fitness industry is important

Benefits to the user include;

• A more extensive choice of gyms and fitness centres.
• More professionals
• More classes
• More specialist gyms
• More machine and equipment development
• More reinvestment in the market

The positive uptick impacts the nation’s health.

As a nation, we are coming out of the other side of the 2021 regression stronger and with a desire to reflect on our health and well-being. This could also lead to fewer health issues from chronic conditions, but perhaps a few more trips to the Physiotherapist!

How else can this help the UK?

A healthy fitness industry has wider implications. It supports businesses such as; online retailers and high street shops with sales in sports apparel and accessories. In addition, it typically increases sales in healthy foods and supplements markets. Often feeling good, partners with looking good, and gym goers regularly use other local services such as hair salons, beauticians and coffee shops in these areas. Equipment sales increase for rackets, clubs and trainers, for example. When you consider all of the touch points in the network of businesses, service industries like taxi, cleaning, and maintenance companies are all set to benefit.

Summary

It remains a pragmatic time to be in the fitness industry, and there are a plethora of benefits to more fitness centres opening. It means more choice, competition and higher standards, which can only benefit gym goers.

Conclusion

The Fitness industry witnessed a catastrophic reverberation in 2021 for gyms and fitness centres, we lost some good businesses at the tail end of the pandemic. However, the positive outcome is that both the suppliers and the industry show a significant recovery level. Furthermore, it indicates that there are new opportunities for business in 2023, suggesting that the industry is effectively the strongest it’s been to date and will not be benched by previously forced closures and delays in opening or by the economic downturns experienced. We hope this article has helped answer essential questions for you.

Read more:
Why the UK fitness industry is not being benched

Impostor syndrome has become increasingly prevalent in recent years, as pressures to perform well at work have caused higher levels of doubt in one’s ability to do their job.

Recent data from research conducted by financial comparison site NerdWallet has identified the impact this self-doubt can have on work performance, relationships, and more.

The survey found that over three-quarters (78%) had experienced impostor syndrome, with 47% reporting that they were currently experiencing impostor syndrome symptoms at work. Only 22% said that they hadn’t experienced it at all, highlighting how common it is.

Thankfully, those that were experiencing impostor syndrome were most likely to confide in friends and family. Just over half of the business leaders surveyed said they felt comfortable discussing this with their co-workers or employees.

Unfortunately, however, it seems that there is still a stigma surrounding the discussion of impostor syndrome within some sectors, with just 21% of respondents reporting that they had discussed these feelings with their peers or other business leaders.

In terms of the factors that were responsible for triggering feelings of self-doubt, starting out in a new role was the most reported – followed closely by receiving praise in front of colleagues. Some other common triggers were:

• Carrying out meetings with team members (49%)

• Carrying out performance reviews (47%)

• Giving presentations in front of team members (44%)

• Being asked questions in front of the wider team (31%)

Whilst impostor syndrome may appear to be a personal issue, it can have severe consequences on work performance and even various aspects of workers’ personal lives.

The survey found that over half (59%) of respondents had either thought about leaving or had left their job due to impostor syndrome, with an additional 31% considering doing so but not yet following through.

The areas that were most affected by impostor syndrome included:

• Professional relationships (64%)

• Physical health (53%)

• Personal finances (51%)

• Personal relationships (46%)

Speaking on the results of the survey, NerdWallet’s business finance expert, Connor Campbell, commented “Imposter syndrome has proved to be prominent amongst business leaders and it shows that the pressures of a job can come with both professional and personal consequences.

“The results show that although business leaders are confiding in others about how they feel, there is an opportunity for companies to support their employees with feelings of doubt to ensure they are happy in their roles going forward.

“Dealing with imposter syndrome early may help businesses retain their talent – and keep employees in a job – as the UK economy faces economic uncertainty in 2023 and people think more about their personal circumstances.”

Read more:
Survey reveals over three-quarters of UK business leaders have suffered from impostor syndrome

A power nap is a short sleep that terminates before the occurrence of deep sleep and is intended to quickly revitalise you.

It may not always make you popular with your boss but a power nap in the middle of the day may well boost your brain power and if this were to happen, I don’t think there would be any complaints – particularly if your newly refreshed mind enabled you to work faster and more creatively!

Whilst many people will ridicule the idea of taking a snooze at lunchtime, many influential people have taken cat naps.  British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s afternoon nap was a non-negotiable part of his daily routine, and this was credited to giving him the stamina to work through the night until 4 a.m. during the Second World War.  US President John F Kennedy kept strictly to his routine of a 1–2 hour nap after lunch, and Margaret Thatcher famously maintained that she only needed ‘four hours to run the country’.

There is considerable research which shows that a power nap is beneficial in clearing the brain’s short-term memory to make room for new information – similar to defragging your hard-drive.  On a neuro-cognitive level, a short sleep can move you beyond where you were before you took a nap and many sleep researchers argue that being awake from early morning until late at night is actually detrimental to performance.

Sleeping on the job

Many companies are beginning to see the merit of power naps and are beginning to embrace this practice by actually encouraging their employees to add a midday snooze to their to-do lists.

It is recommended that a 20 minute nap in the afternoon after lunch is ideal for many executives.  A deep sleep is not recommended because you still want to remain alert for the rest of the day whilst a short nap will allow you to be more productive afterwards than you were before.  You may be able to find a room where you can be undisturbed by either email or phone.  Or if you are driving to a meeting, think about getting there early and allowing yourself a 15 minute nap in the car before setting your cellphone alarm to wake you up.

Common practice at work

Forward-thinking companies may actually provide sleeping pods where people can go and sleep.  These would be specially designed cubicles that offer comfort, privacy and quiet away from the frenetic pace of the business world.  Some airports have already introduced such accommodation units offering full side beds that offer a place to rest that is both convenient and comfortable.

Nap blockers

If you are going to take a nap, then be careful of stimulants.  A coffee at breakfast is fine but if you are planning a power nap after lunch then extra coffee mid-morning is probably not a good idea!

If you sleep lightly for 20 minutes, that will refresh the mind and you shouldn’t have a problem in feeling groggy when you wake up.  However, sleeping longer can take you into deeper stages of sleep from which it is more difficult to awaken.  That is the purpose of your much deeper sleep at night (with your Teddy Bear!).

Furthermore, if you are feeling anxious or irritable, then a cat nap can replenish serotonin levels in your brain and by reversing those feelings, create a more positive, mental outlook.  Higher levels of serotonin are also linked to lower stress levels, fewer mood swings and increased feelings of satisfaction and well-being while lower levels are liked to anxiety, depression and other negative emotions.

So try to tailor your power-naps to your own specific needs on any particular day because demands on your time and energies are always variable dependent upon your specific workload. The aim is to be able to work at optimum performance level for as long as possible during your working day. If you can achieve that for maybe 90% of the time, you’re doing really well!

I hope that companies will increasingly accept this idea and find ways of providing the right environment for napping to become acceptable in the workplace.  Power naps can be good for your health as well as keeping you performing optimally, so don’t feel guilty about taking one!

Key Points

• A short nap of 15-20 min can re-energize you
• Keep a watch on the amount of coffee or tea
• Peak performance is good both for you and your employer

Read more:
Power napping leads to peak performance

Anybody who emerged from the Covid-19 lockdowns with a frozen shoulder or a neck crick after spending hours hunched over their laptop at the kitchen table would be painfully aware of the dangers of working from home.

Now the nation’s number crunchers have provided evidence that remote working may be partly to blame for the UK’s chronic labour shortage, with tens of thousands of extra people reporting as long-term sick due to lockdown related injuries.

In a sign that poor ergonomics can have an impact on economics, the Office for National Statistics found a big rise in the number of people being unfit for work because of neck and back injuries. Overall, the ONS said the number of people identified as economically inactive because of long-term sickness had increased from 2 million to 2.5 million in the three years from 2019, with more than 70% of the rise – 363,000 – occurring after the arrival of Covid in early 2020.

But a breakdown of the total showed that the number leaving the labour force because of neck and back problems rose by 62,000 – the second-largest reason cited.

Gavin Burt, a registered osteopath and clinic director of Backs & Beyond in London, said he was unsurprised by the ONS figures because he saw a significant increase in patients coming to him with back and neck problems, particularly people in their twenties.

“In an office you have a really well-designed ergonomic set-up, which helps to reduce repetitive strain injury (RSI) and back pain. But we never really think about ergonomics at home.”

Burt, a member of the General Osteopathic Council, added: “People were working with one leg on the bed, one leg off the bed, in a slightly contorted position on their laptop or at uncomfortable dining chairs or sofas. Basically it is overuse injuries, in poor posture for longer than they would have done if they were working in an office.”

The ONS said older people continued to make up the majority of those inactive because of long-term sickness, but the sharpest relative increases in recent years had been among those aged 25 to 34. Long-term sickness in that age category rose by 42%, compared with a 16% jump for people aged between 50 and 64.

Hugh Stickland, an ONS senior statistician, said: “The largest increase came from people with ‘other health problems or disabilities’. While this category includes people affected by long Covid, we think that’s only one of several contributing factors. The next highest rise was among people with back or neck problems; it’s possible that increased home working has given rise to these kinds of conditions.”

Burt said he had already noticed an improvement in some of his clients, which he attributes to the part-time return to office working, and the associated commute, particularly for those who travel on public transport.

“People often think of the commute as a chore, but it got people up and walking,” Burt said. “I’ve already seen people’s conditions improve by moving to hybrid working, getting back on to the commute and once they are up and about and going somewhere else, it gives them the emotional space to think about exercise.”

The rising number of economically inactive people has been a key factor behind the labour shortages that have alarmed the Bank of England and contributed to higher interest rates this year.

Lockdowns during the pandemic led to an increase in the number of economically inactive people reporting depression, “bad nerves” and anxiety as their main health condition in 2020 and 2021, but the ONS said numbers had now returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Alison Carter, a researcher in HR leadership and wellbeing at the Institute of Employment Studies, said employers should focus on making sure their staff have workplace assessments for their office and home set-ups,

“From an employee wellbeing point of view, we need to encourage people back to work who are dropping off the radar and if musculoskeletal problems are the reason, there are physical workplace adjustments that can be made,” she said.

Read more:
Rise in back pain and long-term sickness linked to home working

The cost-of-living crisis could be having an impact on the mental health of small business decision makers and their employees, according to new research.

Whilst the financial impact of the cost-of-living crisis is well known, the survey of small business decision makers revealed the impact it could be having on their mental health.

Indeed, almost four in ten stated that financial pressures are contributing to a decline in their mental health, whilst over a fifth say mental health exhaustion could be their biggest challenge this year.

For some, this only builds on the financial pressures they faced during the pandemic, with over two thirds stating that the pandemic had only ‘intensified’ the risks and pressures of running a small business.

A quarter also admitted to worrying that their mental health will only decline over the rest of 2022; which may be unsurprising with the majority of respondents stating that the cost-of-living crisis is their biggest challenge this year.

Positively, small business decision makers are acutely aware of the importance of mental health, with almost half acknowledging that mental health support is just as valuable to their business as financial and technological aid. This extends to their operational effectiveness too, with 43% stating that further support is needed in order for their business to run more effectively.

The survey was commissioned by Three Business, to understand the unique challenges facing small business owners in the current climate and the impact it is having on their mental health.

In light of these challenges, Three Business has partnered with Samaritans to offer small business owners places on the charity’s Building Resilience and Wellbeing digital course.

The course is part of a portfolio of wellbeing and suicide prevention courses delivered by Samaritans to support organisations with training to help their people and teams look after themselves as well as those around them. The ‘Building Wellbeing and Resilience’ course equips small business owners and their employees with practical strategies to strengthen their personal resilience, and enhance their wellbeing to respond effectively to challenges in their role and environment.

Three will also be hosting a webinar in partnership with Samaritans where business owners will hear from a SME business owner who will share their experience of overcoming tough times and from Samaritans about the support available. Any business owner can sign up here, regardless of whether they are a Three customer or not.

Alongside that, as part of the welcome journey for Three Business customers, they will be provided with guidance and signposting information from Samaritans when they join Three.

This package builds on the mental health support that Three provides to its own employees, which includes free access to Lifeworks, the Headspace app and training for Time to Talk Reps (Mental Health First Aiders) in the workplace.
Jason Jaspal, Assistant Director of Business Development at Samaritans, said:

“We are living in uncertain times and the world has become, for many, a very worrying place. The impact of the global pandemic, as well as concerns around the cost-of-living crisis, is affecting many people, including small business owners and their employees.

It’s vital that small business owners have access to the tools that support wellbeing. Delivered by experienced Samaritans trainers, our Building Resilience and Wellbeing courses aim to equip more people and teams with the skills and confidence to look after themselves as well as those around them.

We are delighted that Three Business is funding free spaces for Three Business small business owners and their employees, on our Building Resilience and Wellbeing courses, which is part of a range of courses that we offer to support organisations with mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention training.”

Snehal Bhudia, Director of Business Propositions & Go-To-Market for Three UK, said: “From speaking to small businesses every day, we know the huge pressures they are facing not only financially but on their mental health and wellbeing too. That’s why we wanted to build on Three’s existing partnership with Samaritans, and extend it to all small businesses in the UK. We hope that many small business owners take advantage of this free support and guidance during a pretty difficult period for everyone.”

Three Business UK’s collaboration with the Samaritans follows the Three Business Adapt proposition launch in May, designed to take pressure off SMEs by offering flexible plans, for a fixed monthly price, giving much needed cost certainty.

The partnership with Samaritans builds on Three’s pre-existing role as corporate partner of the charity. Together, they have pledged to connect 1 million people to emotional support.”

Petra Velzeboer, CEO of PVL, Psychotherapist and Mental Health Consultant comments: “This research illustrates the immense challenges we are facing globally regarding mental health and the new world of work. Increasing cost of living, high staff turnover, and simple survival throughout challenges such as ‘quiet quitting’ and ‘the great resignation’ impact SMEs much more significantly than bigger businesses.

“However, there are tools that everyone can equip themselves with to help and it’s amazing to see the training offer for SMEs from Samaritans. Beyond this, my hope for the future is that each of us can think about mental health in a more preventative way, normalising conversations about good mental health long before needing crisis services, so we can all build a mentally healthy future. This initiative speaks to the heart of what we do at PVL, and I look forward to what can be achieved.”

Read more:
New research shows SMEs facing mental health crisis as cost of living bites

Research shows that employee burnout has steadily risen by 17% since 2020.

People no longer want the archaic working model, and they’re actively looking for roles where workplace wellbeing is prioritised and more flexibility exists because they’re putting their mental health first.

Research from Deloitte has revealed the cost of poor mental health to UK employers has increased to a staggering £56 billion. A significant part of the business cost is due to reduced productivity caused by employees who are unwell but still come to work, known as presenteeism.

Burnout goes way beyond a buzzword. It is impacting businesses on an unprecedented level. Especially financially, absence due to poor mental health costs employers twice as much as that relating to physical health. A recent report from Westfield Health found that 59% of respondents said their mental health was driving them to find a new role. Striking the balance between a healthy, happy workplace and lifestyle for employees has never been more important for businesses.

What is burnout and how can you recognise the signs and symptoms?

People who are finding their work and the workplace difficult to manage may be at a higher risk of burnout. Burnout can leave them feeling empty, worn out and unable to handle the weight of life’s obligations. While burnout is not deemed a psychological disorder, it should still be taken seriously.

Here are three ways to recognise employee burnout:

Cynical disposition

No one loves their job 100% of the time, and some cynicism is natural. However, if someone is displaying an increased negative outlook both in terms of the work itself and towards their colleagues, this could be a sign of burnout, especially if their normal disposition is usually upbeat. It could be that they’re displaying signs of more irritability than usual or are unable to accept feedback.

Performance and productivity

Employees suffering from burnout may have been less engaged with their work than normal. They may feel as though they can’t get anything right and show signs of frustration. Many people feel unable to manage their frustration and stress levels at work, leading to decreased productivity and, in turn, a poorer quality of work.

Detachment

When an employee is experiencing burnout, it can be very difficult for them to feel as though they are part of a team, especially if their workload is unmanageable. Isolation may set in, and they may feel as though they cannot participate in company activities because that will impact their work, leaving them experiencing more stress and anxiety. The longer this is the case, the more detached from the business they will feel.

Knowing which work-related pressures trigger burnout and what to avoid as a manager can be most helpful.

Here are some of the key causes of burnout:

• Lack of support from their manager and team
• Uncertain or excessive expectations
• A toxic environment
• Feeling unvalued
• Pressure to be online/available constantly
• Being micromanaged

What can you do to help?

The first thing you should do is be aware and acknowledge that your employee is struggling. Start the conversation – they may well feel too stressed or anxious to ask for help, so it’s up to you to look out for the signs and to offer help and support. Be empathetic, as feeling understood at work is crucial in their recovery. Don’t vilify them for not being able to cope; instead, listen to what they need and recognise the areas where you can help immediately alleviate some of the pressure.

Here are some of the practical ways to offer support:

1. Check in with them, but not in a ‘monitoring’ sense, as that will only add to their stress. Drop them a line to see how they are and if they can manage their workload daily.
2. If your company has mental health support services, ensure they know how to access them and that they are available to help as well.
3. Encourage them to take some time off to relax and reset. Be flexible with their working hours to allow for their current needs.
4. Delegate their workload across the team to take some of the pressure off. Avoid overwhelming them with projects you know will be highly stressful.
5. Be human. Yes, it’s work but remember we can all experience burnout at any level. They need to feel like a person, not a number.

Preventing burnout

Naturally, avoiding the causes and circumstances that could lead to burnout is the greatest way to safeguard employees’ mental health. Although doing so might necessitate a total change in your business’ culture, it is vital to foster a nurturing and supportive workplace for your team.

Investing in your people is paramount to your company’s success and profitability. Research shows that on average, every £1 you invest in employee well-being, sees a £5.30 return. A team who feels valued and supported with a work-life and wellbeing balance is a happier team and, in return, will be far less likely to leave. So, if you’ve noticed burnout amongst your colleagues, maybe it’s time for a culture shift.

Read more:
Burnout Britain: How UK employers can recognise the signs & symptoms of burnout

One in six UK employees feel worried that raising mental health concerns with their company could put them at risk of losing their job, a new report into employee mental health and remote working has found.

Throughout the UK, 86% believe that their workplace is not a safe space for employees to be open about mental health.

Over the last 12 months, two in three employees have experienced worse mental health at work, compared to the previous year. As remote and hybrid working environments continue to be adopted by more UK businesses, evidence suggests that companies have struggled to adapt their mental health support processes. One in three employees feel less able to raise mental health concerns during remote meetings, often causing any issues to go unnoticed.

The Employee Mental Health and Remote Working report – conducted by virtual events and in-person team building company Wildgoose – asked employees from 129 different UK companies whether their mental health at work had improved or worsened over the past year. It also asked whether these employees felt comfortable raising any mental health concerns with their employers and what they believed would happen if they did.

Just over one in eight companies in the UK don’t have a process in place for remote workers to report mental health concerns. This is most prevalent in SMEs, where this figure nearly doubled to one in five not having a process in place.

What do employees want from their companies?

With worsening employee mental health a growing concern, the change most desired by employees is for companies to offer more regular in-person meetings and for managers to receive better training on identifying signs of poor mental health (36%).

Just under a third of respondents state they would like to see a process policy of reporting mental health concerns, which is not currently offered, followed by assurances of job security after reporting.

Commenting on the findings, Wildgoose managing director Jonny Edser said: “As remote and hybrid working practices become more widespread, companies need to start doing more to ensure that employees are still receiving the same levels of mental health support. With less regular in-person meetings and casual catch-ups in the office, it can be much harder to spot the signs of poor mental health.

“For this reason, it’s essential that employers communicate with their staff, finding out how they would like to be supported. Perhaps they’d appreciate more regular workload reviews, weekly face-to-face meetings, or even the creation of better mental health policies. The most important aspect is that employees feel comfortable and safe to discuss any concerns.

“At Wildgoose, we continue to offer both in-person and virtual team building experiences, helping companies to encourage colleague relationships and improve employee wellbeing .”

Kristen Keen, founder and owner of Cluer HR, comments on the findings: “Whilst working from home comes with many advantages, there is no doubt that for some people this isn’t the case. Working remotely has meant that we haven’t been able to see our colleagues in the flesh on a daily basis, making it much harder to read those subtle signs shown when someone isn’t coping.

“Unfortunately, there is still a stigma that surrounds mental health issues and a lack of education on the subject. To help improve employee wellbeing at work, both managers and the entire workforce should receive training, so that everyone can recognise and understand mental health issues. Plus, having 1:1 meetings with employees is a great way to encourage people to safely discuss any problems they are having.”

Read more:
UK workers are worried that revealing their mental health concerns could result in job loss

Six years ago, British-Asian author Lena Shah, 41, left a high-powered career in account management, having worked for international travel and payment tech companies, to retrain as a French and Spanish teacher as well as a Mindfulness coach and Yin yoga instructor.

Whilst she gained a lot from her work and made numerous life-long friends, she became increasingly unhappy with her lifestyle, feeling unfulfilled with the ‘soulless’ and faceless corporate nature of her roles and yearning, instead, to share her true self more authentically by working in a more humanitarian sector.

However, she felt trapped, not knowing how to make an effective change while continuing to take comfort in the security and success corporate life provided, ignoring the serious impact it was having on her health and wellbeing. And with many of her peers within the wider Indian community frowning upon those working in fields viewed as less prestigious, she felt pressured to keep up a pretence. This constant unhappiness and pressure almost led to a breakdown. Finally, however, she found a new way forward.

Now, the languages teacher, mindfulness coach, and Yin yoga instructor has published Impetus  – No cover up, a transformative book of healing poems and prose that relay her experiences to help other professionals who feel trapped in their jobs or personal life circumstances.

You had a high-powered career yet felt unfulfilled. You, however, chose to ignore this because of wider social expectations. Do you think this is a common scenario for professionals, and what are the main general factors at play in their choice to stay in an unhappy situation?

I can best answer this by breaking it down, as follows.

Circumstances: I know it is common for many of us to make a compromise due to our situations and circumstances. Having dependents and other financial commitments can mean any short-term changes involving changes in income or lifestyle are very challenging.

Limiting beliefs: As psychologist Dr Rick Hanson says, “We have a brain wired to take in the bad and ignore the good making us worried, irritated and stressed instead of confident, secure, and happy.” Our ancestral and limiting beliefs constantly re-play old stories and attach on many occasions a false meaning to experiences that are not actually the reality of today. Our automatic knee-jerk reactions, thought patterns and consequent behaviours (life choices) to situations throughout the day are often based on traumas from the past. We are in a constant state of auto-pilot—“We are human beings, not human doings”, as the Mindfulness UK organisation puts it.

Addictions: When we think a desired situation or goal is not achievable, we have a (often subconscious) tendency to take refuge in addictive behaviour. Addictions take many forms; drugs and alcohol are well known. However there are many other addictions which are even more common but easier to hide and deny: addicted to thinking and strategizing, fear, control, pleasure seeking through mindless activities, whiling away time on the phone or the internet, gossiping and comparisons.

What I see happening, and what was beginning to happen with myself, it that we compensate for the unfulfillment we experience at work with activities that are not wholesome or fulfilling. We cover ourselves up with other things that will always lead to a break up of sorts in the long run, whether it be mental health, physical health or a breakdown of a situation or relationships.

Lack of time: This is one of the biggest myths we create for ourselves. Being open to having a coach, therapist or mentor who can help you challenge these beliefs can help you get out of a negative mould, and provide the space and time to dedicate your thoughts, time and life choices to things more aligned with your true inner desires, leading to a greater sense of joy and fulfilment.

In your case, you say that there were additional social expectations being a British-Asian woman. Can you briefly explain this, and how common do you think this scenario is among British-Asian female professionals?

The only way I can describe it (and how I realised my own blocks) is that we put our own happiness in the hands of people/society/role models who are often not involved with our lives in a direct way. The Asian community is strong and powerful, both for the good and bad. At times, it can mean someone becomes surrounded by people who cast judgements without wanting to know a person or situation in any meaningful way. We create a false, supposed moral society to live up to and then chastise ourselves for not conforming to superficial ideals.

If a professional feels unfulfilled in their current career, what can the consequences be if they remain?

There are many things but from my personal experience, unhappiness and a false way of living were the main issues. In time, this can become harmful to an individual’s wellbeing, necessitating an urgent change of scenery.

Since listening to my inner voice with respect to work, my network of friends and pass-times have evolved as a consequence.  I downloaded a new perspective and found another kind of richness. I decluttered!

What key advice would you give to any professional in an unhappy career?

You need to ask yourself a series of questions:

Do you love yourself enough to accompany yourself to make the change both practically and emotionally?

What are you prepared to give up to do it?

From a financial perspective, what expenses are controllable?

Where can you gain time?

Saying no to certain social things that are not fulfilling might be tough but is it worth it to you?

If you ask yourself these questions and decide that you cannot (or don’t want to) give any of these things up, then there is no longer any reason to be unhappy because you have made a conscious choice. You are less likely to feel like a victim.

Or, perhaps, the questioning makes you realise you are actually unhappy in another area of your life, or that in fact you DO want to make a change, making you feel less resentful of the things you are giving up.

What key advice would you give expressly to British-Asian female professionals?

The same as I would to anyone else, with the addition that you need to be prepared that moral and emotional support might be harder to gain. Be prepared to go it alone.

You retrained as a mindfulness coach. How did this meet your needs as opposed to your former career?

My former career served me at a certain point in my life and I have gained a lot from it both materially and in terms of some wonderful friends but I am in another place in my life now.

Being of service to clients 1:2:1 is a privilege—it is one of the most responsible, precious and fulfilling ways to live and work and I see it as a true blessing to be in a position to help others in this way.

I have a vocation now, not just a job.

As a mindfulness coach, what would you say are the main benefits to professionals of receiving mindfulness training?

Mindfulness can help achieve a greater sense of workplace and general wellbeing, leading to an improvement in productivity. Benefits to professionals and employers include:

• Reduced absenteeism
• Improved productivity
• Reduced employee burnout
• Improved communications
• Increased creativity
• Enhanced solution-based thinking
• Improved team work
• Improved workplace wellbeing

How do you think mindfulness can be incorporated into the wider corporate structure, and why would this be of benefit to companies?

A common reality in a busy and stressful workplace is having too many things to do in too little time.

This isn’t always true but there is a strong argument to say that unless top management are interested in promoting mindfulness to its employees, such programmes won’t work.

Another potential pitfall is that group mindfulness sessions in the workplace may not be conducive to a sense of stress reduction and wellbeing if you are not having an easy time with your colleagues in any case.

It is also important that the inertia to take on mindfulness comes from within each person and is not viewed as an authoritarian tick-box exercise. It should be seen as an effective way of exploring practical, voluntary and realistic ways for staff to find their own impetus to regain centredness and help reduce short-term stress and overwhelm versus having enforced mindfulness sessions after work or during lunchtimes.

It is important employees feel equipped with mindfulness tools that they can implement on their own during the work day. There might be different tools that work best in different workplace scenarios.—i.e.  whilst running between meetings, feeling overwhelmed during a meeting, during lunchtime or before or after work.

Enforced meetings on wellbeing run the risk of making people resentful when they already may feel that work has taken over their time and mind. They can of course, in some company environments, be very welcome so it really depends on the particular organisation and its atmosphere.

You are also a Yin yoga instructor. Why would you advocate that yoga becomes part of every busy professional’s regular routine?

It helps centre and set one up for the day, both physically and emotionally. At the end of the day it serves as a letting go. Even one minute of breathing is beneficial if that is all one can manage, but make it count.

I have a five-minute yoga routine (which can be done in bed!) at the start and end of the day. It brings me back to a state of calm if I have had a troubled sleep or busy day. The sequence is available on my website.

Your new book, Impetus – No cover up, shares your own journey of liberation and connecting with an authentic self through poetry and short prose. How do you think it will help other professionals?

I hope my book helps other professionals feel a sense of liberation, as I did. We often get so bogged down and become two-dimensional. I hope my book will enable professionals to stop and take an expansive, calming breath into their imagination and perhaps find a more creative outlook.

Here is an extract from one of my poems within the book, ‘Picking me up’, that is pertinent to our experiences as professionals and the need to find a path to authentic living:

Picking up my pieces

with sensitivity and compassion.

Binding them with gold

fostering myself

with care

AWARE.

Impetus  – No cover up by  Lena Shah is out now on Amazon , or via Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd. For more information on Lena Shah’s mindfulness coaching, visit www.metaworkscoaching.com. For more information about Impetus  – No cover up, visit the author’s website here

Read more:
Finding the impetus: Mindfulness coach & author Lena Shah

Over 10 percent of employees are willing to take prescription drugs to cope with strain from work, according to new research from the University of Cologne.

Three percent reported that they already did so in the past.

The researchers, Professors Myriam Baum, Sebastian Sattler and Mareike Reimann, investigated employee willingness to use prescription drugs to enhance their cognitive function as a response to strain.

They found that job demands, such as agreed working time, overtime, shift work, emotional demands, job insecurity and leadership responsibility, as well as scarcity of resources such as lacking social support, increased strain – making it more likely for employees to rely on drugs for cognitive enhancement.

The researchers used data from a representative survey of employees in Germany, which analysed various job demands and resources, levels of perceived stress and willingness to use drugs for non-medical purposes.

“Our study suggests that respondents who perceive more stress hope that taking prescription drugs is sufficient to help them cope with pressure, and therefore increase or maintain their brain function,” says Dr. Sattler.

The study also found that being a woman, higher in age, and a higher level of education also increases the willingness to take drugs to cope with strain.

“Although employees might experience such drug use as beneficial, they also risk side effects and longterm health consequences, while at the same time their colleagues might perceive such behavior as getting an unfair edge”, says Dr. Sattler.The researchers hope that these results delivered new insights into mechanisms behind nonmedical prescription drug use that can be used to prevent such behaviour and potential negative health consequences.

Sattler says that “employers’, physicians’, and at-risk individuals’ awareness should be raised that resources such as active strain management, resilience training, or job crafting can help to handle stress and increase work performance”.

Read more:
More than 1 in 10 employees willing to use drugs to cope with job demands

It’s a seemingly silent killer of mood and health. As Stress Awareness Month begins on the 1st April, often regulated to business owners, even PAYE employees have had to live with uncertainty of whether they will be paid at the end of each month.

Over the course of a full year dealing with Covid-19, the sheer amount of cortisol, the hormone released when you are stressed, likely reached dangerous levels within most of the UK’s population. This can have adverse affects on memory function, sleep and overall health – both mental and physical.

Stress at work has been difficult to separate from stress at home. Social isolation and anxiety have also taken a huge toll: enquiries to private healthcare services about depression were 42% higher in January 2021 than in January 2020, with a 21% increase in enquiries about anxiety disorders over the same period.

Dr Ian Nnatu, a consultant psychiatrist at Priory’s Wellbeing Centre in Harley Street, says rising stress levels have been an emerging consequence of the pandemic: ‘I have seen a significant increase in patients with anxiety and stress over the last year, and I sense the pandemic, lockdown, and uncertainty about the future have all played a part.’

So how can people best handle stress, especially amid fears of a third wave of the pandemic? Here, Dr Nnatu answers six common questions people have about stress:

What is the difference between stress and anxiety?

‘Stress occurs when life’s external demands placed on us exceed our ability to cope. Stress is very common, leading to cognitive, emotional, behavioural, and physical symptoms. Cognitive symptoms include feeling overwhelmed, inadequate and unable to cope. People can have poor concentration and memory. Emotional symptoms can include feelings of anxiety, worry, apprehension, low mood, irritability, feeling overwhelmed. Some behavioural responses to stress include becoming more withdrawn from others, avoidance of tasks and people, procrastination. Stress can leave people feeling physically unwell, prone to colds and infections, having aches and pains, headaches, feeling physically exhausted.’

‘Anxiety is a person’s specific reaction to stress; its origin is deeply internal. It’s characterised by a persistent feeling of apprehension in many situations that are not typically threatening. Unlike stress, anxiety persists even after a concern has passed. In more severe cases, anxiety can escalate into an anxiety disorder.

‘It’s important to know how to identify and differentiate signs of stress and anxiety. Stress is a common trigger for anxiety and it’s important to catch anxiety symptoms early to prevent development of an anxiety disorder.’

Fight negative thoughts with the ‘catch it, check it and change it’ method

What’s the best way to handle financial stress, or stress around job loss?

‘Adopt a pragmatic stance and ask yourself if you can meet the expense. If you are unable to, could you consider a payment plan? The key thing is to do something about this. Get a strategy to pay this off and stick to it. Avoid the temptation to bury your head in the sand and put this off, as this often compounds the problem. Track your progress on a regular basis and make adjustments, as necessary. I would suggest forward planning to guard against this happening in future.

‘With a job loss, this can be rude shock to the system especially when you have not seen this coming. Be compassionate to yourself and avoid self-blame. Reflecting on what happened is a sensible thing to do, but avoid dwelling on this. Take what you can from this exercise and move on. Focus on the future and avoid dwelling on things that are not within your control. Look after your mental health and self-care. Regular exercise helps to build resilience and boost our immunity. Develop other interests and try not to be defined by your job. Stay connected with positive people.’

During the pandemic, uncertainty about the future is a common source of stress. What’s the best way to deal with this?

‘Try to stay in the present moment. Mindfulness and breathing exercises can help with this. Keep a routine and structure. Exercise, to boost mood, can be a useful source of distraction. Restrict your news consumption and try not to ‘Google’ your symptoms. Seek professional help instead. Notice your ‘faulty’ thinking styles; cognitive behavioural therapy can help to identify and change faulty thinking styles.”

If you have a higher intolerance for uncertainty, making you prone to negative feelings, and anxiety, what strategies can you put in place?

‘The first step is ‘noticing’ and being aware of this problem and then you can take steps to try and address this. Learn to accept the things you cannot change. If you cannot change your circumstances, then change your attitudes towards these. There are several things that you can do on your own to help with low mood and anxiety. Exercise can often be a quick and effective way of boosting mood and reducing anxiety. Thirty minutes of brisk walking every day is sufficient especially if you can do this when the sun is out.

‘Make sure you have a healthy diet with wholesome foods; the link between nutrition and our mental health is very powerful. Ensure good sleep and stay connected with close friends and family. Drink alcohol only in moderation and avoid smoking. Seek professional help if your symptoms do not improve.’

No one can avoid the unexpected, but are there simple steps that can help you face life’s uncertainties?

‘Try to stay in the present moment and avoid the temptation to dwell excessively on past events, or to try and predict the future. Breathing exercises, mindfulness and meditation can help with this. Focus on things that are within your immediate control. Keeping a routine and structure can help to boost your wellbeing. Accept that the future is uncertain and allow yourself to feel confident that you can cope with whatever comes up or know how to get help. Notice when you are becoming preoccupied with negative thinking and on a downward spiral. Use simple techniques to reframe your thinking by recognising these negative thoughts, challenging them and then replacing them with more adaptive thoughts. Some refer to this as ‘catch it, check it and change it’. Avoid social media feeds that can cause you to feel destabilised. Stay connected to friends and family. Try and find something pleasurable to do; giving, volunteering, and helping others is a great way of boosting your mood and sense of wellbeing.

How do you stop ruminating on negative events or making stress your ‘default’ emotional state?

‘Distraction can be useful to help break the cycle of ruminative thinking. Calling a friend or going for a walk helps. Reading a book or listening to music can also be effective. Try to identify what you are worrying about, and ask yourself if you can do anything to solve this. If you can, then use a problem-solving approach instead to try and address the problem. Use brain storming techniques to help come up with a strategy and work on problem solving. Use mindfulness to help you stay in the present moment. Find a comfortable spot in a quiet space and focus on your breathing. Identify your negative thinking styles and try and reframe these.’

Read more:
Employers: avoid mental health issues at work by lowering stress for yourself and your team

Organisations understand they must consider the health and safety of their employees and as we continue to come to the end of 2020 – with pandemic restrictions still in place- employers are aware they need to take greater responsibility for the health and wellbeing of their staff.

Brendan Street, Professional Head of Emotional Wellbeing, Nuffield Health looks at how the nation has collectively experienced the challenges to mental wellbeing brought about by the current pandemic. Here he says that if we act now, and act together, we can use this shared experience of distress to bring about change.

At Nuffield Health, our latest research is aimed at helping businesses to encourage empowering conversations around mental health, so more people access the support they need, earlier. Now presents an opportunity to change the nature and content of our language around mental health and mental fitness.

We believe most organisations, where possible, will look to bring employees back on a phased return to offices in 2021. However, a recent poll revealed when lockdowns were eased, many Brits felt “uncomfortable” going back to their normal lives but worryingly, a recent survey revealed only 15 per cent of employers surveyed staff this year to get an understanding of their needs during this difficult time.

We think this will be a greater priority in 2021 and there will be a bigger focus on the extension of support businesses offer their employees on a remote basis. Previous workplace benefits will, post-COVID-19, be a minimum expectation.

2020’s pandemic may have recalibrated, rather than reset employee expectations regarding perks they can expect from an employer. Many benefits focused on the physical office space may no longer be as relevant to staff post-COVID-19. In fact, most employees will now probably want continued access to remote working opportunities instead.

We will start to see a blend of physical and remote services offered to employees to ensure they continue to receive the same support they did in the physical office. This might include desktop assessments, to enable suitable ergonomic set up while at home, as well as access to remote services such as virtual GP or online emotional wellbeing services.

With the introduction of the UK furlough scheme, employees will expect their roles to be protected, should further peaks occur and there will be an increased focus on financial education. Money worries can have an enormous effect on mental wellbeing, and be both the cause and effect of mental health problems.

Considering this, employee expectations for mental health support from businesses will be, overall, much higher, as many reported experiencing distressing emotions, poor concentration, lack of motivation and stress, while working from home during lockdown.

Immediate and ongoing mental health resources, which can be offered to staff remotely, will become more accessible, including increased counselling options, and support through services like EAPs. Other types of virtual therapy we see growing in popularity might include interpersonal therapy, and access to psychiatric assessments.

Read more:
2021 workplace wellbeing predictions and priorities

If you’re healthy you’ve got a sporting chance at business and at life. Entrepreneur of the Year winner 2008, Barbara Cox merges the worlds of business and nutrition and takes ten minutes to dispense some vital knowledge to Business Matters readers.

No stranger to the business world, the chances are high that you’ve already enjoyed some of her products without even knowing it. She designed and launched the first flapjack protein bar which was snapped up by Selfridges before launching her nutritional meal delivery service nationwide. Both of these set the trend for the following fifteen years of easy protein fixes and subscription based businesses.

Today she works as a nutrition consultant and wellness coach as well as sitting on many lifestyle advisory boards across the UK and Europe. After discussing how important the need is for business owners everywhere to boost their immune system to maintain control of their health and business, she shared the following insights, all designed for Business Matters reader’s to be easily implemented and help to guard against winter colds and covid.

After studying the research, Barbara has compiled her top 5 tips that you can action right now, to boost your immune system. Since 2004, Barbara’s ethos has been to ‘protect & correct’ so make sure you have a Covid19 strategy ready for protecting against the virus and the right things on hand in case you catch it …

Drink plenty of water, the right kind of water

You’ve probably heard it before: we’re composed of 70 to 80% water – it’s true! As well as being the main component of blood and other body fluids, water plays a vital role in maintaining correct body temperature and flushing toxins out of the body. You should aim to drink at least two litres a day.

She advises that you be choosy with your quality of water and be careful of water filters that can cause more issues than prevent them. For example, the Brita water filter pitcher uses an activated carbon filter that removes chlorine, zinc, copper, cadmium and mercury, however, it doesn’t remove all nitrates, dissolved minerals or bacteria or viruses in water. These pass freely through the filter.

After researching it thoroughly she recommends the best, safest and most cost-effective water filtration bottle called Puritii that the Armed Forces are currently using.

Eat plenty of fruit and veg

Fruit and vegetables are simply the best kinds of food for us. They provide a variety of essential minerals and vitamins and fruit and vegetables contain pigments such as carotenes and flavonoids, which are powerful antioxidants that provide significant protection that can support the respiratory system which is attacked by the virus and naturally boost our immune system and helping the recovery process after illness too.

Aim to incorporate these 10 super immune boosting foods in your diet weekly:

Shiitake Mushrooms

Blueberries

Mango

Curcuma Root (fresh turmeric)

Goji Berries

Blackberries

Kelp

Pomegranate

Green Tea

Pear

She recommends meal planning to make sure you’re getting a huge variety of food in your weekly meals.

Consume fish and fish oils

As well as providing us with nucleic acids needed for cells to thrive, fish naturally provides oils which neutralise harmful free radicals in the body. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that rip parts off healthy molecules – such as DNA – often leading to reduced immune system and leading to disease.)

Great choices of oily fish are wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring and trout. Vegetarian sources are walnuts, flaxseeds and chia seeds.

Try aromatherapy

There is growing concern that topical use of chemicals in our personal care products can make their way into our blood stream and cause allergies and reactions leading to an impaired immune system. I personal try to use non-toxic alternatives where possible.

I adore aromatherapy to naturally enhance my immune system, freshen and disinfect my home and build a natural defence barrier as a natural hand-wipe and to inhale when travelling on public transport, planes, visiting hospitals or crowded shopping areas.

Get your sunshine vitamin

In normal circumstances, sunshine, not food, is where most of your vitamin D comes from. So even a healthy, well-balanced diet, that provides all the other vitamins and nutrients you need, is unlikely to provide enough vitamin D if you aren’t able to get enough sun. People with vitamin D deficiency may need supplements. A review of 25 studies found vitamin D supplements can help protect against acute respiratory infections, particularly among people who are deficient. Take a walk in the sunshine daily for at least 10 minutes to keep that vitamin D topped up, if this is not possible, then take a look at supplementation.

A note on supplements. It’s important to consult your doctor if you’re already taking other medications before trying new additions to your regime. If you get the ‘all clear’ from them, you need to ensure that you source bona fide supplements. Barbara knows the exact ones to purchase for those who need an extra boost and might not have the time to research all the best products, manufacturing certificates of those products and EU compliance. Please contact her through www.barbaracox.me In the meantime, keep building that resilience.

Read more:
Five essential tips from leading nutritionist Barbara Cox to boost your immune system from covid

For people running businesses from home offices what is the reality of UV-C light as a Covid deterrent? Could it be a solution for the millions of UK SME’s?

With Covid lockdowns and precautions set to last at least another six months, UK businesses are having to get used to operating in a restricted and curtailed fashion. The challenge of keeping premises safe and clean is one that is testing organisations of every size. The use of UV light to disinfect against Covid has been talked about in the media – but only in relation to large-scale sites such as hospitals or airports. Little has been said about UV usage on a smaller scale. We investigate …

Official cleaning guidelines

The latest Government guidelines for businesses include advice on implementing social distancing, the usage of face coverings, the tracing of customers and other safety measures. There is also specific guidance re ‘cleaning the workplace’.  Advice regarding how to clean, depends on the type of business in question – the direction for restaurants and bars differs slightly to that for close contact services such as hairdressers and beauticians, for example. However, broadly speaking, guidance points to increased handwashing, provision of hand sanitiser, and making enough space to allow for ‘frequent cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation of work areas, tools and equipment between uses, using your usual cleaning products’.

This last point about using your usual cleaning products is interesting. The guidance here assumes firstly that these cleaning products will be readily available, which certainly was not the case during the height of the pandemic, and secondly that businesses have the capacity in terms of staff and time to conduct a deep-clean.

Like any manual process, the effectiveness of the deep clean will depend on how thorough and experienced the person doing the cleaning is. This is not to cast doubt on the good intentions of staff, rather, to acknowledge that thoroughly disinfecting any area is no easy task – particularly when it needs to be repeated daily, or even more frequently.

So what is UV-C light all about?

It’s important to note that it is UV-C light energy that has been shown to be beneficial, this is not the same as the UVA used in tanning beds or UVB which, as well as occurring naturally from sunlight exposure, is also used for curing within the dental industry. The size and cost of UV-C light solutions has previously been prohibitive to most organisations. Now, more portable lamp solutions are being developed, making this a solution that can work in any situation.

Businesses must be sure to research solutions thoroughly. A number of smaller, hand-held devices are currently flooding the market claiming to offer UV disinfection. However, these products are typically ineffective and, in fact, potentially do more harm than good if business owners believe their premises have been safely cleaned.

How does it work?

Generally speaking, UV light will kill microorganisms by damaging their DNA or RNA depending on the type of virus. The UV light breaks the microorganisms down on a molecular level, destroying existing bonds within the microorganisms and causing new ones to form. Once the microorganism’s DNA or RNA is severely damaged, it will no longer be able to function or survive. Portable UV-C light lamps can be plugged in, switched on and, within fifteen minutes, all viruses, bacteria and fungi within a defined area will be eliminated.

These UV-C light lamps are powerful, requiring users to leave the room while the lamp does its job. Remote control operation makes this an easy process. Additionally, air disinfection units are available which can remove harmful microbes from the air while rooms are still occupied.

Take-up amongst smaller businesses is quickly rising. Hertfordshire-based vet Lauren Hammond, who recently invested in UV solutions for her veterinary practice, comments: “We’re not replacing personal protective equipment with UV light, we’re adding extra layers of protection. UV is a very clever, safe and sensible idea that is saving our business time and, more importantly, helping our people and our visitors to feel less vulnerable.”

This sentiment is shared by Jennifer Green, a therapist based in Liverpool, who states: “We plug the lamp on and leave it in the room. Depending on the size of the room, the lamp will completely disinfect all surfaces in 15-30 minutes, meaning we can safely occupy that room and switch the lamp to another space. This investment was a response to the challenges of now. But it also enables us to future-proof against any future outbreaks or disruptions of a similar nature. That’s really reassuring.”

Could this help SME’s to get back to ‘normal’ and stay clean more easily?

Coronavirus is here to stay and businesses are looking to find solutions that enable a return to some semblance of normality. Manually cleaning premises is difficult, placing a strain on staff and resources. UV light – previously only a solution realistically affordable to larger-scale operations – is now portable, powerful and cost-effective for smaller businesses. Forward-thinking businesses are already benefitting.

Adapting his own business through covid to bring out portable devices for small areas and easier use, Keith Wyatt, director of UV Clean Light has pioneered the process in schools and hospitals to great success said: ‘We know it works, it physically destroys the covid virus on surfaces. We’re seen it work on a larger scale and have now opened up our products to be portable. It feels very good to have contributed something that has such a positive effect in these trying times.’

Have you had an experience with UV-C light in your business? Tell us about it. Contact cmartin@cbmeg.co.uk

Read more:
Can UV light protect your home office and business from covid?

Learn to recognise when your negative thoughts are holding you in a mental rut and instead move forwards with success

Vicky Stanton worked in both the private and public sectors in HR finishing her corporate career in the police service after many years. Knowing full well that HR were mostly called in to deal with the negative issues when they arise she wanted instead to empower people within their roles as business leaders and unblock the issues that she’d been privy to over the years. By asking the right questions she helps business owners become unstuck from the problems that bind them and instead move forwards confidently. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed recently read on, one of these golden nuggets of advice might just be your meal ticket to getting going again …

Why do we get stuck or in a mental rut with our businesses?

One of the biggest reasons is fear: it’s the fear of change, the fear of failure or even the fear of success that can build up negative thoughts in our minds.

But people started up their businesses wanting to be successful – why does that fear hold them back?

Often when I start talking to clients it seems to be the fear of change more than the success; who will I be, will my friends treat me differently, do I need to change personally to accompany the success? Can I maintain the success? Will I be judged if I can’t?

Fear of failure is a big one, yet of course you can’t succeed if you don’t try, so by not taking any action you’re failing by default …

Yes absolutely. Fear of failure is paralysing and the amount of pressure we put on ourselves to succeed doesn’t help in the slightest. This notion of ‘one shot at success’ can prevent someone from leaping yet in actual fact you can keep re-trying. Often it can be linked to a confidence issue that may stem from a much earlier life incident. Someone repeatedly calling you ‘stupid’ when you were younger may harbour your initiative now. This kind of negative self talk can be so detrimental to your success. It’s vitally important to recognise it and talk to yourself like you are your best friend.

So how do we begin to see the warning signs that we might be stuck in a business confidence rut?

I think there’s eight quick fire signs of being stuck – let’s see if any of these sound familiar:

• Putting off a task? You don’t physically know how to do the task at hand – training or delegation is called for but it’s an effort that you want to delay for time or cost reasons, so you let it slide …
  
• Procrastination – suddenly it’s vital that the laundry is done or the kitchen cleaned or you’ll just get started after you’ve made a cuppa.
• Control – perhaps you’re in a situation where you’re trying to control something or someone that is uncontrollable and it’s making you feel frustrated and anxious.
• Instinct – perhaps you’re blocking a task or moving forwards because it just ‘doesn’t feel right’. This might be the right course of action but you don’t know what to do next.
• You’re confused without a clear, defined plan.
• Every business owner struggles with overwhelm at some point. Client stress, work demands, to-do lists, health and exercise, family obligations – having to often be more than one person on a team … the list is seemingly endless and the priorities all seem to bear down on us. making us feel completely and utterly powerless and stuck. This also leads onto the next aspect that can make us feel stuck …
• Perfectionism. Insanely debilitating, the feeling of ‘it’s never quite good enough’ harbours so many tasks from ever feeling 100% completed.
• Oddly the final aspect of being stuck is seemingly the opposite of all of the above – laziness. We’re wired to chill. Great, but success comes from taking action, so its really important to  find the time to really relax as well as the time to work.

So what can our readers action immediately to start ‘unsticking’ themselves and moving forwards with an element of calm and decisive action again?

I’d encourage everyone to revamp and refresh their plans. It’s been proven that our brains sees the benefits and value of actions for longer term benefits so the more you can plot, plan and visualise the future six months, year, five years the better and more focused you’ll feel.

• We need a plan of action when it comes to business. You’d never start driving in your car without knowing where you were going to or at least having a SatNav on hand and it’s the same in business. Taking time to plan and route your way to market can give you certainty and a level of focus that keep you on track even when things seem out of control.

• Have and use lists. Know what your one key action for the day is and list the other two or three afterwards. Even if you only manage one thing a day make sure it’s the most important one that will push you forwards. Setting task lists and goals will help to overcome the notion of perfectionism by keeping your time management for the completion of tasks dialled. Collaborating with someone who can honestly critique your work and tell you when it’s fantastic, will help build your confidence to know when to stop and be proud.

• When you hear yourself saying ‘I haven’t got the time’ or ‘I can’t do this’, ask yourself: ‘is it true’? Challenge your own thoughts and you’ll reprioritise your day.

• Trust your instincts – often in business we feel as though we have to do it because it’s our business and we should. However if it’s really not feeling right for you then just … don’t! Delegate the task or trust your gut instincts and think of another way round the problem.

• Complete control is unrealistic. Accept this. It’s essential that you learn to park any controlling kind of thoughts – Covid 19 has been the perfect example of this – so much has been out of our hands and we have literally only been able to focus and control on what we’re able to within our realm. Yet people have adapted and made some extraordinary things happen. Instead of worrying about control ask yourself what does this change make possible for me and what can I action to ensure it has a positive result.

• Start journaling.Writing regulates our emotions so get any worry, stress or concerns or possible plans and dreams out onto paper. From that moment on they’re not weighing you down any more so you can be free to rid yourself of them or action them if you need to. It’s a totally safe space to access your own wisdom.

• My final tip is to always plan tomorrow before today is finished. Before you close down for the day, write your list of your key actions for the next day. This way you know exactly what your first action is as you ‘arrive’ at work. No more faffing – just action.

Read more:
In a mental rut with your business? Let’s sort that out right now …

In today’s busy workplace it has almost become a badge of honour for some professionals to try and function while in a constant state of stress. The results, however, are poorer performance and illness.

Those wanting to get ahead should learn, instead, to manage stress and access their flow state, which can be achieved through self-hypnosis, as Harley Street clincial hypnotherapist Gail Marra explains…

“I am the greatest, I said that even before I was.” – Muhammad Ali

What does it take to be successful? You might fire off a string of words like, “intelligence, determination, motivation, drive, enthusiasm, confidence, self-belief.” And you would be right.

When you succeed at something, your brain releases the neurotransmitter dopamine, one of your ‘feel good’ chemicals which along with serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins, trigger the pleasure and reward centre of your brain. You feel happy and excited; life is good. a good surge of dopamine affects your movement, memory, and focus and helps you to stay at the top of your game.

Until life delivers an unexpected blow. Maybe a knockback, a disappointment, a criticism, a deal that falls out of bed, or an idea that you backed that didn’t back you. Taking a hit like this can have a detrimental effect on your self-confidence and self-esteem. That buzz you had when things were going well has been replaced with stress and anxiety; the adrenaline that was once your friend is now your arch nemesis. And so rather than falling apart, how can you keep it together?

First and foremost, breathe. For those of you who are rolling your eyes right now, bear with me. When you are under pressure, stressed or anxious, you shallow breathe. You breathe into the upper part of your chest, taking in less oxygen and increasing your levels of carbon dioxide.

Now, we are pre-programed to shallow breathe when the sympathetic nervous system is stimulated; in other words, our ‘fight or flight’ response. Fight or flight is needed for short, temporary bursts of energy. For example, early man comes face to face with a sabre-toothed tiger; fight or flight response is activated. Man either takes the tiger on or flees from it. After the situation has been avoided or averted, calm is restored and early mangoes back to feeling calm. The problem with many professional people today is that they remain in this heightened state of alertness for so long that it becomes a habit. The human body is not designed to be in a constant state of stress and as has been proven, chronic stress is the cause of many diseases that can bring even the mightiest tumbling down.

Deep diaphragmatic breathing—or abdominal breathing—on the other hand, is our natural breath. A fine example of this is if you were to observe the steady rhythmic breath of a newborn baby. Babies naturally breathe by using their diaphragm, a muscle under the lungs that pulls oxygen into the body. Their stomach expands as they breathe in through their nose and as they exhale, their stomach contracts.

Deep diaphragmatic breathing lowers your blood pressure, reduces your heart rate, relaxes your muscles, decreases stress hormones, releases your ‘feel good’ chemicals, and increases energy levels. What’s not to like?

I know that in business, time is of the essence. I hear people all the time saying, “I don’t have time for that. I’m too busy. I have a deadline.” Well, the great news is that in order to feel the effect and experience the calming benefits of deep breathing you only need to find 60 seconds. That’s right. All it takes is five cycles of deep diaphragmatic breathing over the space of one minute to stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system—the opposite to fight or flight—and, just like early man, calm is restored.

Try taking this a little further into the realms of self-hypnosis.

Self-hypnosis is a way in which to reprogram your subconscious mind—thoughts, feelings and behaviours—and has been a secret weapon for successful people around the world for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. CEOs, entrepreneurs, celebrities and elite athletes use it all the time, and often without even realising it. When you are in a state of focused attention—often described as ‘the zone’ or ‘the flow’—or are so engrossed in what you’re doing that everything else seems to fade into the background, then you are in a hypnotic trance. It is in this space, or more accurately, this brainwave frequency, that you can get to work rewiring your subconscious mind. But how?

Visualise

The language of the subconscious mind is imagery and emotion. Words and affirmations are simply not enough to evoke the power of your subconscious mind. Repeating words like, “I am successful” when the emotion or feeling behind the words are, “Things always go wrong for me” or “I’m no good at this”, will be a fruitless exercise. Instead, try aligning your emotions with your vision of success, as though it has already happened. This is known as mental rehearsal and it’s key to success. I’m sure you’ll agree, there are not many people out there who have visualised failure and gone on to succeed.

In my book ‘Health, Wealth & Hypnosis – The way to a beautiful life’, I write in more depth on the subject and the art of self-hypnosis.

At my clinic in London’s Harley Street, I work with aspiring and already successful individuals who, by taking control of their subconscious mind, have gone on to create and enjoy the life of their dreams. With this same knowledge, and with practice, there’s no reason why you can’t achieve the same.

Health, Wealth & Hypnosis by Gail Marra is released on July 31^st, 2020, published by That Guy’s House. It is available for pre-order now on Amazon, priced £9.99 in paperback, £12.99 in hardcover and £7.99 as an eBook. For more information, visit www.gailmarrahypnotherapy.com

Read more:
De-stress to success through self-hypnosis

It would be easy to read off a list and say, “do these five things and all will be alright”. Sadly, mental health isn’t like that.

Everyone has their own journey to undertake and their own paths to follow. Even the people trying to act as guides or help others along their path need to follow their own at times.

Remember that this isn’t just about employees; this includes employers, management, leadership and everyone in between. Mental health and our wellbeing is important to us all! Also, don’t expect complicated psychology or neuroscience. There’s none of that here. Well, at least not from me, I’m an accountant!

I share what I’ve learned from my lived experience; a lived experience that I almost stopped living by my own decision. These are simply ideals I feel we should all try to live by in our lives, whether at work or at home. Live by them. Preferably don’t die by them! But remember them as you go about your life, regardless of whether you’re an employer or employee, regardless of whether we’re in lockdown or back to ‘normal’.

It all starts with Communication.

Everything always does. What is important about communication is that it’s open and two way. You need to be willing and able to share, just as well as you need to be willing and able to listen. You need to be receptive towards all topics of conversation and happy to discuss as much as you can. People struggling with their mental health may not always follow logical lines; tangents happen often. Everything they talk about will be important to them in some way, so please listen and be considerate.

Next follows the Respect that each person deserves.

There’s a line from a song that always gets me; “The frightened fall as often, yet far closer than the brave”. We believe, in general, that being brave is a strength and that being frightened is a weakness, but that simply isn’t the case.

Opening up and talking about your real self, your real feelings, admitting you are frightened, scared, struggling and having a hard time, and sharing that with a somewhat-stranger is actually being incredibly strong. Admitting that need for help and support is frightening, but in that fear, you find true bravery! Respect that those sharing their struggles with you, also struggled to find the courage to share!

These are the conversations we want to be happening, but the only way we can encourage them is by showing Vulnerability.

Stepping out of the employer-employee relationship for a bit and just into being people; who are you most likely to open up to and speak honestly with; the armour-clad, emotionless, near-perfect demi-god? Or, the ‘other guy’ who has the same fears, frailties and insecurities as the ones inside of you?

For decades we have raised the former to the tops of organisations, but only now are we discovering that real leadership, true leadership, comes from the latter. Being vulnerable, sharing and talking about how you, yourself, are struggling, will help encourage others to talk themselves and empower you to better help them on their journey.

Acceptance is one of the hardest lessons in life and it is no different here.

I find it hard to explain properly without referring to the words that kept me going; “It’s not what I wanted. It’s not what I planned. It’s not where I thought I’d be. It’s just where I am.” Life happens. It just does. You cannot control everything. And even when you can control everything, you can still lose. That isn’t failure. It is just life!

When people are struggling with their mental health, often they can find themselves looking into the past, or staring into the future and merely ‘surviving’ the present. Helping someone through these times is about helping them let go of ‘what was’ and ‘what can be’ and helping them see ‘what is’. This is particularly important now, during lockdown, when there is just so much uncertainty in the world.

Finally, and this is the most important, do all the above Every Day.

Do them all regardless of whether someone is struggling. Having good communication, showing people respect, being vulnerable and helping people accept life, all cost absolutely nothing but are invaluable!

We all crave these things in our life, whether struggling or not, so forget about being an employer or an employee and just focus on being a person helping another person. We are all just people after all.

Andy Salkeld is just another guy. He is also a finance director, mental health advocate and author of Life is a Four-Letter Word: A Mental Health Survival Guide for Professionals – available from 14 May 2020 on amazon.co.uk.

Read more:
Five ways to help employees struggling with mental health

Introversion is a personality type that typically characterises an individual who prefers a more solitary and subdued experience.

This isn’t however, to be confused with shyness or loneliness, which can be often characterised incorrectly as. Those who identify and reflect with this personality type are likely to take joy from their own company and inner world as opposed to busy social events which may over stimulate their nervous system.

Typically, they will often prefer environments which are calmer and more reflective, which allows them to thrive. However, it is worth noting that we are, by nature, a social species to some extent. This doesn’t mean that introverts don’t enjoy or need the company of others but are likely to experience this in ways which are often 1 on 1, or more individualised.

The terms ‘introversion’ and ‘extroversion’ were popularised by the Carl Jung who defined them as more of an attitude type, extroversion being characterised as interested in the external object and the introvert interested in the subjective, internal world.

How has remote working impacted introvert personalities?

Kirsty Lilley, mental health specialist at CABA, the wellbeing charity explains that getting used to working remotely and the reduction in physical and social contact, will take time, for some more than others. It is likely that introverts will prefer this style of working, potentially blossoming as they work at their own pace without interruptions or over-stimulation but, the additional demands to take part in video meetings and calls may prove quite stressful for an introvert or they may not engage beyond dialling in.

There can be a sense of pressure to ‘perform’ and engage in large group video meetings, and it isn’t always possible to have a direct and meaningful conversation with every participant. This may prove overwhelming and for some, over stimulating, particularly those with introverted characteristics. Speaking up and sharing comments within online spaces can be stressful and tiring for many people – especially introverts, and research has suggested that we pay attention to stimuli in a slightly different way within online communication. This can result in people becoming hypervigilant to social cues as we are missing the ‘in the room’ visceral sense of another person. The brain’s job is to respond to the environment and scan for cues of relational safety, which is of course harder to do when we may not be able to see other participants faces during online interaction. Add to that the social pressure to be ‘positive’ and ‘motivated’ during lockdown and the online world may be a challenge for many to be their authentic best self.

There is some research to suggest that introverts are more reflective by nature, consider data more thoughtfully and this can be of great benefit to business and organisation. Motivation which is fuelled on inner reliance and preparation is a great asset within the workplace and the ability to take in different perspectives also a much-needed skill. Introverts can also make good listeners and tend to exude a calm and steady presence. With things moving at such speed in the present ‘always on’ culture the ability to stay focused and attentive is a great asset, especially in an age of constant distraction and over stimulation. It’s certainly essential for workplaces to have a wide variety of personality types which offer diversity of thought and opinion.

How can employers and managers support introverts in our new remote working environment?

It’s well known that the key influence on a persons’ wellbeing and performance within the workplace is the quality of the relationship with the line manager. Enabling introverts to play to their key strengths and work in a style and at a pace that suits them as much as possible are key ways of ensuring we continue to get the best from our people. Having open, honest and meaningful dialogue is essential and building meaningful and respectful relationships is cructial, especially at a time when we are socially apart in many ways.

Honest communication is vital to help a person prepare for how they may deal with any alterations and changes to working practices. Perhaps try and limit the number of online meetings for the entire team and look at how each member will be able to get involved. Ask about methods and frequency of workplace communication and checking in with people in a way that they feel comfortable with and supported. It’s important for a manager or leader to avoid assuming they know how well their employees are getting on.

Employers also need to provide clear expectations of what is to be reasonably expected of their employees during this time. Laying ground rules for online group interactions with the whole team and avoiding putting people on the spot without preparation will go a long way in ensuring the comfort of all involved. Having the courage to ask individuals what they are finding most difficult at this time, what support they might need and how you might work together to ensure that things run smoothly is vital in building up meaningful and responsive workplace relationships.

Keeping an eye on your employees

The key to noticing whether an employee needs any additional support during this time is to pay attention to any changes in the individuals’ typical behaviour patterns and workplace performance. Is the individual withdrawing more than usual? Is it more difficult to maintain contact via the usual helpful channels? Do you notice that they are uncomfortable with an increased number of online meetings? Or just not engaging?

Rather than looking for ‘signs’ it’s important that we strive to create an environment where individuals feel able to share their concerns, worries and individual working preferences. Whilst it’s important to focus on the individual, it’s also vital that we acknowledge the environment in which they are operating and offer support and understanding about those issues too.

Read more:
How can we support introverted employees during lockdown?

Many employees are now being forced to work from home and physically isolate themselves from friends and colleagues, this has resulted in loneliness for many.

However according to new research from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) there are ways to stop us from feeling so lonely.

According to PhD candidate Hodar Lam, Professor Steffen Giessner and Dr Meir Shemla, working from home can make us more efficient. But it’s the face-to-face interactions and opportunities to give, support and help our colleagues or clients that make our work meaningful.

They have provided four tips that can help to prevent loneliness while working from home:

Engage in self-disclosure. Sharing your feelings and information is a powerful way to maintaining relationships at work. The more you share with your colleagues and your supervisors – for example talking about your worries about the current situation – the more likely you will feel connected and authentic. But be careful; sharing information that disrupts the way others have usually seen you may backfire. Appropriate, ethical disclosure is key.

Create meaning in virtual work. Are you starting to feel bored by working on tasks in front of the computer? By focusing on the needs and feelings of others, you can add meaning to your work relationships and pay less attention to thoughts and emotions that trigger loneliness. You can reach out to your colleagues, give some support or advice, and say thank you to those who have been nice and helpful to you at work. Ask yourself and your colleagues why they do the work they do. This way you can create meaning. Realise and appreciate that you are doing important work – whether it’s from home or the office.

Reminisce about the good old times. Studies have found that recollecting the positive incidents helps reduce loneliness. The next time you feel lonely working from home, try recalling a happy outing with your colleagues or eat something you might eat in the office canteen – our brains automatically associate comfort food with meaningful relationships. You may also share these “old” stories and pictures with your colleagues on socializing platforms – for the sake of
nostalgia.

Know what your tasks are. At home, we are easily distracted. And if you are uncertain about your role in your team, you may feel helpless when isolated in remote working conditions. In other words, you need to know what your tasks are and how they contribute to your team work. If you are feeling uncertain about your tasks, duties, and responsibilities right now, ask your supervisor to clarify your role in the current working conditions.

“When we work remotely for a long period of time, we lose the vast majority of our spontaneous interactions with others. Non-verbal information from virtual work interactions is limited. For example, we can’t see a friendly smile or a worrying frown through email exchanges and instant messaging. These signals, provide strong socio-emotional values to keep us feel connected. In addition, the COVID-19 crisis requires us to keep any social face-to-face contact to the minimum. So, not surprisingly, feeling lonely at home is now more likely. No one is an island. It is normal to feel lonely while working from home, as loneliness is a signal reminding us to stay connected. And we can stay connected, be it at the office or online,” says Professor Steffen Giessner

Read more:
How to combat loneliness caused by the COVID-19 crisis

Amid all the lockdown uncertainty, the one constant throughout this challenging period for businesses has been the need to quickly adapt to significantly disruptive change.

And in order to successfully promote the mental and physical wellbeing of employees, it is more important than ever that employers adapt to this change far quicker than they expect their workers to.

In fact, a recent report from the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) has revealed the UK workforce unsurprisingly has many issues weighing heavy on its mind, and that there is still a measurable proportion of workers that are struggling with the transition almost two months into lockdown.

More than half of the survey respondents reported new aches and pains related to home working, with 64% reporting a loss of sleep due to worry and 48% reporting working patterns that include long and irregular hours.

The report also showed that a third of employees are eating a less healthy diet, and as much as 60% acknowledged that they are exercising less. But perhaps most worrying of all, half of all respondents reported being unhappy with their current work/life balance; with a third feeling isolated, and 21% worried about job security.

Top takeaways for employers to consider

Based on these findings, the report has suggested the following actions for employers:
• Ensure that the home office set-up is safe and ergonomic and that employees are mobile and undertake regular exercise
• Provide mental health support via informal messaging groups, virtual coffee mornings, access to assistance programmes and via regular contact with bosses and colleagues
• Focus on ‘high risk’ groups – financial concerns, eldercare, those struggling to adjust, those prone to feelings of isolation, those at risk of domestic abuse
• Rethink performance targets and monitoring, involve employees in decisions about reorganising work and reallocating tasks and priorities

The growing importance of forward planning to pre-empt major change

The first step to adapting to change is forward-planning, and to have an agile and flexible business model that is able to seamlessly implement major changes with minimal disruption. Modern businesses at the head of the pack would have already ensured that all staff have access to the data and systems that they require to do their jobs proficiently from their home office setup.

This includes cloud-based software that creates a virtual office environment for remote working. Another key aspect for any IT department is to ensure that all other operational tools and procedures are all set up in such a way that they can be accessed and worked upon remotely, i.e. desk phones should be routed through mobile apps, and a VPN should be ready to access.

It is also essential to regularly test disaster recovery systems in order to ensure that any fundamental flaws are identified and addressed to enable an entire workforce to work remotely at the drop of a hat. But it goes beyond that. When it comes to remote working, employers should enable their staff to replicate the office environment, by encouraging them to take as much office equipment as they need to make their home offices more comfortable.

Of course, this is just the first step in a marathon to regularly gauge and monitor employee wellbeing and happiness.

Remote support

Once the systems and processes are in place and work well in theory it is essential to remember that it may be difficult for staff to adapt to the new set-up, from an emotional and physical perspective. For this reason, any employer’s focus on staff wellbeing should be stronger than ever and in this period of remote and virtual living, companies should take extra steps to make sure that remote and virtual emotional support platforms are accessible to all of their staff members.

An effective approach could be to offer confidential online access to Q&As with a certified therapist, emotional coaching sessions, and online therapy sessions if the need arises. To keep employees happy and productive, another useful tool to strike the right balance is continuous performance management software that enables remote workers to rate how they are feeling to provide line managers with more context and a better overview of the performance of an employee that they do not engage with regularly on a face-to-face basis.
This approach will enable senior management to analyse data and to spot trends that could assist them in painting a clearer picture of who may fall into a high-risk group, and to take the appropriate action to assist them in a discreet and professional manner. What’s more, it also helps managers to determine whether performance targets are fit for purpose or whether they need to be relooked and adapted to reflect the current conditions employees are working under.

A work / life balance is difficult to maintain when at home on an almost 24/7 basis. As a result, regular breaks away from the screen to spend quality time with loved ones should also be encouraged. And to get fitness levels up while encouraging some good-natured competition, employees should be motivated to join social fitness networks too.

The future of work

Very few would debate the fact that almost every single worker in the UK has had to dramatically adapt their lifestyle and routine to accommodate a new work / life balance amid the Coronavirus lockdown. From my own personal experience, I have learnt that if you do it properly, home working really does work just as effectively as onsite working and when we finally come out of lockdown, Tempcover will certainly consider the remote working option, while always placing the health and wellbeing of our employees at the top of every decision that we make.

About the author
In 2006, Alan Inskip had a lightbulb moment – an insurance provider that can offer truly flexible cover for the time drivers actually need. No long-term commitment, no auto-renewals, just the cover they want for the time they need. The UK’s first InsurTech company, Tempcover, was born the next day. Alan sets himself apart from other InsurTech business leaders, as he is an experienced insurance broker whose parents spent more than 40 years in the industry too. As a result, Alan has since grown the business into a market-leader and is today responsible for overseeing company strategy, policy and performance.

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Taking a proactive approach to mental and physical wellbeing of employees in a time of isolation

It’s important to know how to manage the morale of your team and the ups and downs that will come your way during the current pandemic.

Nothing like this has been seen before which means we’re in unchartered territory. How do we recover? How do we plan for the future? How can we support our employees when we don’t have the facts ourselves?

During economic low points, businesses are likely to downsize and rationalise their operations in order to make it through. Some of these changes will surely be up to you to make – if not, to deliver and explain to the rest of your team.

What Can You Do?

Managing people during difficult times can be a tricky task, however following tried-and-tested strategies, you can help to keep your team and your business on track and moving forwards.

 Communication is Critical

If you’re a manager trying to navigate through rough waters, the one thing you want to avoid is fighting against the rumour mill. Uncertainty can cause stress for many people as well as anxiety, worry and fear. It is said that people would rather face risk than ambiguity. We’re creatures of habit and when that habit is disrupted, we look for something to fill the void – even if the information is false or grasped out of thin air. If this is not dealt with swiftly, rumours can spread dangerously through the organisation.

The best thing to do is to keep your staff in the know and listen attentively to them.  Not every manager is a good listener but the good news is that this is a skillset that can be taught.  Even no news can be worth reporting. Be open about the state of the business and the plans for the future (even if there aren’t any yet). Attempts at playing things down or sugar-coating can build distrust among your team.

Never put off relaying negative news. Withholding information or avoiding addressing things directly makes it look as if you have more to hide. Try addressing your whole team as one and allow them to ask questions. They will appreciate being kept informed and will leave with a greater sense of understanding of the situation and respect for you as their manager.

Although it is likely that your team may experience disappointment during this time, allowing negativity to persist is unproductive and will greatly impact the morale and mood of the team. Try to steer the conversation into something more positive, or at least something that is within their power – and yours – to change. This will help your employees to feel a sense of control that they’re likely lacking right now.

Morale is a Must

Morale is one of those things we talk about and might not really appreciate how vital it is to the functioning of a team and a business. Morale is the confidence and enthusiasm of your team, and it greatly impacts employee relations, productivity and trust.

You want to focus on keeping spirits high without avoiding the difficult conversations that may need to be had. Morale is often impacted by stress. It is when employees are stressed that they worry about their job security, they might doubt the managers capabilities and their work suffers as their time and energy is devoted to over-analysing the situation.

You should know – and also make sure that your team know the warning signs to look out for if an employee is suffering from stress. Here are some of the most common signs:

• Not concentrating and making mistakes
• Increased incidence of mistakes and work errors
• Poor decision making
• Frequency and content of communication deteriorates
• Productivity falls
• Increased incidence of mental health issues

If your company is one that is remaining social through virtual group activities, you might identify a team member isolating themselves from these.

If you notice these signs in any of your employees – or maybe even recognise them in yourself- then it is time to involve Human Resources to make sure the stress they’re experiencing is managed and resolved. But for your team as a whole, how can you truly boost morale in the midst of a crisis like the one we’re facing now?

Here are some suggestions…

• Many surveys show that employees are willing to take pay cuts in exchange for more time off. If you’ll need to trim budgets, consider asking your staff if they would be willing to take this course of action. Of course, days off right now aren’t exactly going to go towards holidays abroad, but as working from home can be challenging for many, this could be an attractive option. If you’re colleagues are struggling to work from home, my guide to remote working shares my best tips for staying productive and focused.

• Although many of us around the country are working from our homes, we tend to stick to our 9-5pm day as closely as possible. Consider being more flexible with the times that your employees can work. As long as they’re present for online meetings and video calls, allowing them to work best to their schedule at home can increase efficiency and productivity, bearing in mind that some employees may be caring for children or have other commitments and priorities to uphold. Increasing the length of lunch breaks can also prove effective as it gives people enough time to get some exercise, fresh air and relax before returning to work with a clear and focused mind.

• Now more than ever, people need to feel valued. They want to know that they have a purpose and that their efforts are worthwhile. Remember to show people that they matter. Give praise and rewards and do so in front of the rest of the team to give them the recognition they deserve. Remember the power in a simple thank you – it can make someone’s day and lift their spirits. Give your employees greater opportunities to make a difference to the company and have an impact by inviting them to share their opinions and ideas with the group.

Focus is First Concern

Your team will be facing many distractions right now. Physical distractions whilst working from home, and emotional ones such as the worry for their jobs and the future amidst such uncertain and unprecedented times.

So, how will you ensure that your employees stay concentrated on their tasks?

• Lead by example. A team looks to their manager for guidance. Stay focused yourself and uphold the standard of behaviour that you wish to see in them. Give them a model to replicate and a level to aspire to. Focusing on your work and showing that you’re in control of your tasks might also give hope to your team and calm their fears.

• Goal-setting. Right now is a time when people need to be kept busy. If they’re not, minds will wander, and people might find themselves over-analysing and worrying about the crisis we’re facing. Make sure you set specific tasks to achieve with strict deadlines. People crave order and routine – especially when they feel they lack control over their own lives. Give them something real to devote their attention to.

• Help them to remember that although we’re facing challenging times, things will not be this way forever. Busts are often followed by booms. The cycle goes on and one. Without dismissing anyone’s feelings or undermining the situation, talk about the fact that this will eventually be over. Be hopeful and keep perspective.

Where do you go from here?

Being a manager is not always easy and being a manger during Covid-19 can be even more challenging.  You not only need to look after yourself, but you also need to look after the needs of your team.

You will need the knowledge to identify the early warning signs of stress and the ability to attentively listen to your employees.

Hard – no!  Easy to implement – yes! Do you have the skills to do this?  Don’t worry – get in touch with me for a free consultation.

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Managing during a crisis

Making sure we can get to work each day is one of the fundamentals demanded by an employer.

If we are reliable, our managers can plan the day’s and week’s work with confidence.

To demonstrate this reliability, you also need to show resilience.  Life will send health issues our way, whether it is a headache, back pain, IBS or mental health issues. Our employer has some responsibility to help keep us healthy.  However, we should take seriously the preventative and curative methods we can use to manage these health issues.

Here we offer a guide to the common health problems you could face and some of the preventative measures you can take to keep yourself well.

The impact on our gut

Our stomach, colon and bowel are highly susceptible to conditions caused by our day to day life.  Poor diet, limited exercise and high levels of stress can result in a host of ailments.  At a basic level, we may feel sick each time we get emotional in the workplace.  When the pressure gets too much, this feeling of nausea can become chronic.  People with consistently high stress over a long period might also struggle with indigestion.  While for most this can be mild, for others indigestion can develop into breathing problems, a sore throat and even balance issues.

IBS is also thought to be a result of our modern lifestyle choices.  The constant pressure can cause an imbalance in our gut.  IBS can result in cramping, abdominal pain, constipation, gas and diarrhoea.  The impacts can be quite debilitating.

The prevention of each of these conditions is similar to one another.  First, there may be trigger foods, particularly high fat, highly processed products.  It would be much better to eat a lot of leafy green vegetables and fibre to help your gut process material efficiently.  There are also lifestyle factors.  We spend a lot of time scrunched up in a poor posture which does not support our gut.  We would be much better to exercise regularly.  A better diet and more exercise would also help combat the high levels of stress that are also seen as a contributory factor in IBS.

The impact on our mind

In many ways, our gut is playing out the challenges we face with our mental health.  Increases in anxiety and depression might be a cause for concern – and a direct result of the heightened pace of life and pressure we feel.  However, it could also be a consequence of our confidence to talk about these issues, and the rise in numbers should be seen as a positive.  We are turning to each other for support when before we would have suffered alone.

However, there is no doubt that the amount of workplace burnout does seem a problem.  To counter the impacts on our mental health, we have to demonstrate a lot of self-care.  We should undertake to balance our work and our life.  We should employ sleep hygiene, so we can recuperate overnight – and find time for relaxation and to engage with nature.  The need to wind down and chill out is not an indulgence but an essential ingredient in our commitment to being reliable and resilient in the workplace.

The impact on our joints and muscles

Sitting down at a computer screen for hours on end is detrimental to our physical wellbeing.  We were not designed to sit down for so long.  First, we may feel eye strain from looking at the computer screen.  We may feel tightness and soreness in the neck and shoulders from a poor posture at the computer screen.  Then, we may find that our lower back begins to complain.  We might slouch at our desk and not move for hours.

The combined impact on our body from poor ergonomic practices can lead to creaks, groans and genuine pain.  Carpel Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), for instance, can lead to numbness, tingling and pain in our hands.  Therefore, we must employ appropriate health and safety measures to combat this. A proper chair, a wrist rest, a filter on our computer screen, as well as regular breaks, can all help manage the condition.

The one other way to prevent pulled muscle or muscle damage is using muscle percussion therapy. It can be used to boost muscle function, increase range of motion & blood circulation, relieving pain and speed recovery. You can use Exogun – best percussive therapy device, which will encourage your blood circulation and increase oxygen flow to targeted areas, which will help you to recover faster and enhance your performance.

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Common health issues employees face

You don’t become a high-level employee or CEO without working hard. There really is no secret to success in terms of output.

It could be for this reason that many professionals find it hard to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle.

And this problem only gets worse for those that travel regularly for business…

It’s easy to get into the routine of having expensive meals (that aren’t the healthiest) in restaurants while you’re in different cities or countries.

Now, we’re not saying that you shouldn’t enjoy the perks of business travel. But there are certainly small changes you can make to ensure you stay healthy while on the road.

Here are 5 ways to stay healthy while traveling for business:

Whole-Food Multivitamins

We mentioned that we don’t want to stop you from enjoying the luxuries of business travel.

Well, if you really insist on eating out at (not the healthiest) restaurants you can find, then one thing you can do is take a whole-food multivitamin with you.

Multivitamins can be great ‘nutritional insurance’ to ensure that you fill nutritional gaps in your diet. So even if you choose to eat the best steak and chips in town, you’ll still be providing your body with essential vitamins and minerals to stay healthy.

But when choosing a multivitamin, avoid the cheapest ones you find from the supermarket; these may be the most cost effective, but your body will simply excrete it (ever wondered why your pee went bright yellow?) – making cheap multivitamins a waste of cash.

Instead, go for the ‘whole-food’ multivitamins. The vitamins and minerals found in these products are much more likely to be recognized as ‘food’ by your body and being absorbed to support your health.

They say that ‘your health if your wealth’. So it makes sense to invest in products that can support your health.

Make Healthy Food Choices

Being ‘healthy’ isn’t just a few decisions. To succeed, you’ll have to incorporate good health into your lifestyle.

Small things such as choosing a banana or apple to further support immune system over chocolate bars when you need quick snacks on-the-move will yield impressive changes to your health in the long-term. Even going for a sugar-free syrup over sugar in your daily coffee will make a positive difference without too much compromise.

If you can, though, making big choices will benefit you the most; if you sacrifice your steak and chips for healthier options such as grilled chicken breast and rice during a business trip, then you’ll cut down on fat and calorie intake – important for maintaining optimal health.

You should value your health status as much as your career. After all, there’s no point in working hard to earn more if you’re not planning on sticking around as long as you can.

Get Enough Sleep

It can be difficult to get enough sleep while on the road for work.

There are many of us who simply struggle to sleep on long-haul flights. And everyone knows you don’t sleep as well in hotels as you do in the comfort of your own bed.

However, poor sleep has been linked to a variety of health issues; including weight gain, cardiovascular disease and depression.

As a result, even the most successful CEOs such as Jeff Bezos in the world make sure they get their eight hours of sleep.

The important of sleep has been backed by countless sleep physiologists such as Dr Guy Meadows who states: “‘Sleep is the most powerful performance enhancer known to man”.

The good news is that you can promote better quality sleep by taking one of a natural sleep aid. Look for one that contains a natural source of melatonin, instead of taking melatonin directly (to avoid feeling drowsy in morning after you wake up).

Not only will getting enough sleep make sure you stay in optimal health while traveling for business. It’ll also boost your daytime brainpower too, to make sure you can perform in important business meetings and events.

Conclusion

It was only in 2020 that government researchers found about 40% of U.S adults are obese. Regardless of excuses, that’s a pretty bad stat.

If you consider circumstances, then CEOs and high-level professionals that travel for work do have it hard – in terms of ‘staying healthy’. You don’t always find yourself with a hob and pans to cook healthy meals in hotels on a business trip.

The good news is that you can give yourself the best chance of maintaining optimal health while on the road.

Such things as adding a whole-food multivitamin to your suitcase and lifestyle will ensure that you’re feeding your body the optimal amounts of vitamins & minerals – without having to spend too much time planning your eating schedule. If you really don’t want to sacrifice those meals out in expensive restaurants (which aren’t always the heathiest) then this is your best option.

However, if you also choose ‘healthier options’ while eating out, then you’ll certainly be promoting health benefits – which you’ll reap the benefits from in the long-term.

Finally, don’t disregard sleep.

Everyone can be guilty of working too much, which isn’t something you can control at all times. However, one thing you can do is ensure you get enough sleep.

As mentioned in this article, even Jeff Bezos ensures that he gets the optimal eight hours of sleep each day.

Don’t forget that good quality sleep can have the most impact on your work productivity too. As Dr Guy Meadows has stated that ‘sleep is the most powerful performance enhancer known to man’.

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3 tips to stay healthy while traveling for business

New research has revealed that a third of people in the UK have felt ill or suffered from a lack of sleep as a result of travelling for work.

Whilst some people do enjoy travel, these journeys can be draining, especially when it’s a common part of their working week. Whether they’re heading off to an early meeting and hitting rush hour traffic or arriving home too late to spend time with their family, travelling for work can affect life outside of their jobs.

Unfortunately, these impacts appear to be significant.

33% of business travellers admit traveling to meetings has affected their sleep and 24% said that early starts/late finishes caused by travel has resulted in an argument with their partner.

The survey also revealed that almost half of business travellers get takeaways on the way home when travelling for work and just over a quarter said they had arrived at a meeting to find out it wasn’t necessary for them to attend.

The findings also identified that 41% of those surveyed said that they end up working beyond their core hours when travelling for work.

Of course, some degree of business travel will always be necessary, but with Smarter working principles in mind employees can be educated on how to avoid unnecessary travel, shift to better behaviours and make these journeys fit into their lives better to reduce the impact on their overall health.

The survey was carried out by Capita Travel and Events and the companies behavioural psychologist Jonti Dalal-Small has commented on the side effects which come with business travel and how these can be mitigated:

 “For many, business travel used to be thrilling – but for most people it’s now a real chore. Rather than be an adventure, it causes dread, uncertainty and all sorts of problems.

“Whether you enjoy travel is linked to whether you have a sense of purpose about your job. Our survey highlights how many people travel to meetings without understanding why the meeting has been called or why they are needed.

“To support organisations overcome these challenges, we are the first travel management company to shift our business focus and introduce roles dedicated to understanding behaviour and improving travelling wellbeing. By making employee welfare a priority, implementing the principles of smarter working and reducing unnecessary travel, you can increase employee engagement and will see a reduction in expenditure too.”

Capita Travel and Events has put together a new Unnoticed Impact of Business Travel report, which takes a deep dive into the issues surrounding business travel and how their expertise helps employers tackle these cost effectively, with health and wellbeing in mind.

You can read the download the entire report for free by clicking here – https://www.capitatravelevents.co.uk/impact-of-business-travel/

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Cross-country meetings affect workers mental health

Migraine can wreak havoc on people’s lives, both personally and professionally. Not only is it underdiagnosed and undertreated, it is highly stigmatized.

As people living with migraine are mainly in their prime working years, it can be a huge challenge for employers. More than 90% of people with migraine literally cannot work or function normally with a migraine; and people with migraine have reported a productivity decrease of as much as 13% compared to a comparison group of people without migraine.

In this piece, Caroline Barth, head of pharma people and organization at Novartis writes about her experience of working to support people living with migraine in the workplace. One of the strategic priorities at Novartis is to unleash the power of people; supporting people with conditions like migraine is linked to that. Although it affects as many as one in seven people, supporting those living with migraine does not have to be costly and can make a real impact.

Hiding in plain sight

The effect migraine has on the workplace – both on wellbeing and productivity – is significant.Research has shown that 60% of employees reported missing almosta full working week due to migraine in the month preceding the study.In addition, over two-thirds of employees say their employers know about their migraine, but only a small proportion receive support.

Employees living with migraine may be hiding in plain sight, minimizing their attacks because they fear criticism, discrimination or demotion. Migraine is an invisible disorder; many employers have little or no idea what their employees may be battling.

To combat this, open communication and an open atmosphere is needed from employers to foster a workplace where employees feel safe to speak out. This type of openness is at the heart of our new culture at Novartis. We believe it helps create a psychologically safe environment which is key to enabling disclosure and meaningful discussion.

Employers have a pivotal role to play in employee health and wellbeing

The health and wellbeing of employees is an important priority and responsibility for any business. Migraine is now the leading cause of disability in those under 50. As such, its impact can be magnified as these are generally years in which productivity peaks, and during which families and careers are forged.

But there are steps that can be taken towards fostering migraine-friendly workplaces. For example, at Novartis we are modeling workplace adjustments such as creating quiet hubs in our offices where employees can rest and recharge their batteries when they are experiencing an attack.  We are moving towards an environment that “gets” migraine through awareness and education of the entire company.

We also know that migraine-specific wellbeing programs can have a real and beneficial effect. We initiated the Migraine Care Program to provide an independent, complimentary service for all Swiss-based Novartis employees, and their immediate family members, living with migraine to improve their quality of life.

Specifically, the Migraine Care Program supports employees with migraine by providing access to education, advice and appropriate healthcare professionals.  Initial results from this program have been very encouraging: we had over 320 employees and their families engage and receive support and approximately 30% of these were receiving a diagnosis of migraine for the first time.

Since launching the Migraine Care Program, I experienced a very meaningful moment when an employee came to my office and asked if the blinds could be lowered as the glare could trigger their migraine. This moment showed me how being supportive of those living with migraine can help employees to feel accepted and also allow them to ask for small adjustments which can help them be at their best.

Paying attention to employee’s wellbeing

Experiencing a migraine at work can result in reduced performance with employees not being able to fully function in their role despite being at work; this is often termed presenteeism. Presenteeism is known to be a bigger issue than absenteeism for employers.

The equivalent of 43 million workdays are lost to presenteeism due to migraine in the UK alone, at a cost of £4.4 billion. A study in the US of one large financial services corporation with over 80,000 employees estimated the costs stemming from migraine-related reduced on-the-job productivity to total $24.4 million within the corporation alone. Increased awareness of the burden of migraine may contribute to reducing the stigma.

Furthermore, workplace accommodations can mean that people experiencing a migraine do not have to push on through, they can take time out and return when they are at their best. In fact, workplace adjustments could even reduce the number of migraine attacks experienced by allowing employees to avoid triggers.

The workplace is an ideal place to identify, support, and provide care for people living with migraine. Businesses need to recognize the importance of developing programs that could effectively reduce presenteeism due to migraine.

Paying attention to your employees’ wellbeing may seem like a big undertaking, especially for employers with a large workforce, but improving working conditions can boost diversity and productivity.

At the end of the day it’s a two-way partnership – a caring and compassionate working environment for employees with conditions like migraine fosters the highest levels of creativity and productivity. Ultimately, a workplace that is good for people living with migraine is good for everybody

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Why supporting people living with migraine matters

We all make mistakes, to err is human, and so on. These phrases are clichés for a reason, and yet many of us continue to strive for perfection in our personal, professional and social lives.

Sophia Durrani, managing partner, strategy at media agency UM explains that they recently carried out some research to see how prevalent this feeling is, as it has major implications for how people behave – and, more importantly, for their ongoing mental health. It revealed that 41% of the 1,683 adults from UK and Ireland we surveyed – with a roughly equal gender split – would describe themselves as ‘perfectionists’.

That figure is highest in young adults, as more than half of those aged 16-24 and around half of 25-34s identify that way.

Unsurprisingly, that need for perfection puts a lot of pressure on our shoulders – and it seems women are facing the perfect storm, both in the workplace and from society at large. The study further revealed that women are not just perfectionists but they feel the pressure to be perfect the most acutely: 75% say as much, compared to 62% of male respondents. Some of the biggest areas where they feel this pressure are being a parent, being attractive and meeting family expectations. There are many ways to relieve this pressure, such as attending therapy for low self-esteem, boosting your self-worth, and focusing on your own individual journey, rather than comparing yourself to others. Remember that perfection is impossible to achieve, but excellence is always within reach.

In addition, and perhaps most relevantly for the business community, around a third of adults say they feel the most pressure while at work. Although more men say they feel this pressure than women, they’re rarely under pressure to “be attractive”, “look nice” and “always be on good form” in the workplace the way women are. The research found that these pressures affected females the most.

Frankly, these figures should be a wake-up call to managers about mental health in the workplace, particularly for their female employees. A huge amount has been written about the negative effects of stress, and according to the Health & Safety Executive more than 11 million days are lost at UK businesses every year because of stress at work. If nearly half of employees consider themselves perfectionists, with all the associated pressures that entails, that figure is unlikely to go down without serious help.

These findings highlight that businesses need to do more to respond to the challenges of this constant pressure to be perfect – to do more to help their employees in the moments that matter. Hence more and more are developing initiatives designed to reduce stress and bring balance back to their employees’ lives.

In some cases, that means smarter, more agile working practices and understanding that not everyone works the same way. Email policies, for example, can reduce pressure on employees by noting that an immediate response outside working hours, even to a message from the boss, is not expected.

There are other potential initiatives for businesses to try too: ranging from mindfulness meditation to health and fitness courses to flexible and remote working. And let’s not forget the impact that one-to-one coaching can have on employees’ wellbeing in the workplace.

But it has to be more than this. Yes, these programmes are really helpful in helping employees manage stress, but this doesn’t get to the root of the problem. We need to radically rethink our attitudes to what’s realistic, as opposed to the ideal outcome in the workplace.

Essentially, something has to give. It isn’t feasible to be a high-flying executive and a domestic goddess managing an unfair share of the domestic load and to be the perfect parent. Yet we try and that’s simply not possible unless we can afford help or have (willing) family living nearby. Let’s be realistic, the former is highly unlikely for the average millennial. And then there’s the constant guilt: either you aren’t achieving at work, or you’re letting down your nearest and dearest.

Perfectionism means everything takes longer. And so either you put in the extra hours, or other things start to slip. Either way, perfectionism can breed stress and ultimately leads to burnout. It’s little wonder that there’s a lack of senior women in the highest echelons of the business world – and that’s not healthy for anyone.

Photo by Gokil on Unsplash

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Why the pressure to be perfect is impacting our mental health – especially women

Burnout is a health hazard in the workplace. Paul Friday, Director of Strategic Relationships at leading HR and payroll provider MHR explores how HR can help protect employees from stress before it spirals out of control.

Be honest…do you ever dread going to work? Do work worries hang over you all weekend to the point where you can’t relax or enjoy yourself?

We all feel stress from time to time. But if you feel like that all day, every day, to the point of exhaustion then the problem isn’t just stress. It’s occupational burnout, something that’s just been recognised as a legitimate medical diagnosis by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

HR would act fast to fix something that causes physical injury to employees, but what about their mental health? That has a physical impact, too. And stress can be contagious.  It’s time to take a closer look at the causes of burnout and how HR can help save people from its grip.

What is burnout and how do you recognise it?

Burnout is chronic exhaustion caused by long-term workplace stress that has not been managed successfully. Its symptoms are:

1. Feelings of depleted energy or exhaustion.
2. Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativity and/or cynicism related to working life.
3. Reduced professional effectiveness.

This is not only bad for an individual suffering in their job, but for organisations too. It could mean a reduction in productivity, an increase in absences, and talented people resigning. On a deeper level, burnout should raise alarm bells about the culture of your organisation. Any illness that’s caused by work needs a workplace solution.

Bad relationships can breed a burnout culture

Technology is a double-edged sword when it comes to our personal and professional wellbeing. The speed, convenience and sheer ease of communication that it brings is hugely empowering. For workers who aren’t desk-based, or who need more flexible options, mobile technology is vital.

On the other hand, 24/7 access to work emails and other systems can make it impossible to switch off mentally. When you’re waiting for a stressful situation to be resolved, it’s easy to keep checking that inbox. But are you really just adding to your anxiety? It’s clear our relationships with technology need to change so we can embrace its ability to reduce work pressure, rather than letting it hold us hostage.

Access to fast and easy communication doesn’t always mean that our relationships with each other are healthy. Workplace culture is mostly dictated from the top down, so managers must be sensitive to how their behaviour can influence others negatively. Research by Mind shows that less than half of people with a mental health condition had told their manager. At the same time, many managers are not trained to identify when people are struggling or know how to reach outwhen they do.

The answer is to create a culture where people feel comfortable talking about their wellbeing in the workplace without fear of judgement. And where everyone knows how best to reach out to people who are showing signs of stress – before it spirals into burnout.

What can HR teams do to help fight burnout?

HR teams are in the ideal position to take a lead on tackling burnout. Here are 5 things you can do to help reduce stress in the workplace:

• Create a wellbeing charter – A formal document that states your organisation’s standards and expectations for wellbeing shows a real commitment to your people’s happiness. It can guide training and development goals, and make sure that employee wellbeing is considered during times of organisational change.
• Check in regularly with your team– Regular 1-2-1 check ins with the people you manage can give them a ‘safe space’ to talk about anything that’s on their mind. It’ll also make it more likely that you’ll spot changes in their demeanour. 1-2-1s can be run online for remote employees, to avoid feelings of isolation.
• Train people to identify stress and offer support – It’s not only crucial for people to notice signs of stress in others, but also for people to diagnose stress in themselves. The earlier it’s acted on, the better. Regular training on wellbeing should be mandatory for all staff, starting with their onboarding process.
• Survey your employees for ideas and feedback– You’ll get a sense of what it’s really like at ground level if you can regularly survey the mood and opinions of the workforce.
• Encourage people to use their annual leave – When people are under pressure, they can sometimes feel guilty about taking time off work. Reminding people to use their full annual leave entitlement shows you appreciate they have a life outside of work.

It’s time to change the way we think about workplace stress

In an ideal world, our working lives would be stress free and we’d switch off as soon as we got home. But human nature just isn’t like that, and it’s perfectly normal to worry about work just as we do with any other aspect of our lives. But that doesn’t mean stress should be normalised into your working culture. Burnout is both a mental health and a physical problem, and it shows how our entire wellbeing can dependent on a positive work environment. Organisations have a duty to provide this, or risk becoming the type of employer that nobody wants to work for. Healthy employees mean a healthier bottom line – so act now to make burnout one less thing to worry about!

If you want to talk to your employees about mental health but don’t know how to start the conversation, see our adviceon how to reach out.

Read more:
Fighting burnout in the workplace

Corporate culture and practice have gone through significant change over the years.

From the deeply sexist and toxic Mad Men-esque environments of the ’60s and ’70s, to the mind-numbing and isolating cubicle-based layouts of ’80s and ‘90s offices (where sexism was still there in more subterfugal ways).

Dr. David Plans, CEO and Co-Founder at BioBeats, says that looking at these examples, one might think we have made good progress in terms of culture in the workplace, but there are still many issues to be resolved; chief among which is the stereotypical vision of what makes a great leader.

Corporate culture is often defined by its leadership and in how people believe they need to act to climb the ranks. The stereotype of a leader is a mix of strength, power, and resilience, with a laser-focus on results and the ability to suppress all emotion.

Leaders are meant to remain stoic and unyielding in the face of stress. Such personal traits are idolised, rewarded, and sought out in today’s corporate culture, but are they really the qualities we ought to look for in our leaders?

This deep-rooted stereotype has led to decades (if not centuries) of gender assumptions around leadership traits being easier to find in men, who in many cases grow up being told vulnerability is a sign of weakness and systematically confuse emotional restraint with resilience as a result.

The ability to suppress emotion isn’t a skill we should praise. In reality, suppressing emotion while simultaneously combatting the stress and pressures of a leadership role can turn anyone into a ticking time bomb.

It can bring a person to the brink of an explosive episode, where any challenge may trigger toxic behaviour, which makes people around them unwell (and kills productivity). When we add a lack of good-quality sleep, constant and often difficult decision-making demands, and the continuous challenge of maintaining a work/life balance (particularly in employees with families), it can all bubble up and manifest in burnout.

Corporate culture is in crisis. This is not hyperbole; it is the stark reality of how work impacts our lives today. Data from Mind shows a staggering 95% of employees who have taken time away from work due to stress named another reason for their absence, such as an upset stomach or headache, in order to avoid discussing their mental wellbeing.

Meanwhile, research by the Mental Health Foundation found 29% of people had felt so stressed that they started drinking or increased their drinking, and 16% had started smoking or increased their smoking.

The impact goes beyond individual health. For businesses and the wider economy, poor mental wellbeing manifests in increased sick days, high levels of presenteeism, and unsustainable staff churn, which translate into higher costs for training, recruitment, temporary staff and lower productivity overall.

At a time when the UK economy is suffering due to its productivity levels and when poor mental health is costing employers £42 billion per year, the corporate culture crisis must be at the forefront of all business leaders’ minds.

So how do we combat this issue? Partly, the issues found in corporate culture are embedded in the values we are taught at an early age. Boys are still too often told to “man up” and to hide perfectly valid emotions. This encourages children, as they grow, to bottle up their feelings and to dismiss poor mental health as something that happens to ‘other people’.

With men still dominating the board room – only 6.4% of full-time executive roles at FTSE 250 firms are held by women – tackling how we ingrain gender stereotypes must be part of how we discuss mental health as a society.

We must educate our children from a young age on the difference between vulnerability and weakness; emotional availability and vulnerability are foundational to a balanced psychological life and should be taught (as well as basic tenets of mental health overall) in the same way basic maths skills and science are.

Understanding and being comfortable with vulnerability is essential to be able to accurately calculate risk, pursue innovation, and recover from failure. It is a core part of how individuals and organisations grow beyond known their known parameters. In other words; to lead successfully, one must understand how to be open and vulnerable.

A leader who understands the impact their behaviour has on employees will treat them more fairly, because they will understand how to be compassionate towards themselves, first, and how to be more emotionally available in discussions and negotiations as a result.

They will be able to understand the stresses put upon employees, identify problems before they manifest as something much worse, and break the cycle of ‘power and strength’ being seen as the defacto standard mode of operation for a successful business.

Better leadership leads to many positives. Better business, a better economy, and perhaps most importantly, better mental health for the nation as a whole, which will inevitably translate into higher productivity. The male mental health crisis is fueled by widespread ignorance of the points this article has raised, and it is one of the factors crippling our productivity. Change is required; right now.

Read more:
Combatting the male mental health crisis in corporate culture

According to research conducted by the TUC, the average daily commute now sits at 58 minutes, meaning that people are spending 27 working days a year commuting to work.

According to the same research, the number of commuters travelling over 2 hours to work has increased by 34% over the last 10 years. Whether you travel to work by train or car, it will come as little surprise that the stress of commuting can have a negative impact on your mental health. One report stated that half of commuters say that the commute increases their stress levels and over one third say that the commute decreases the amount of time that they spend sleeping.

Read more:
How to reduce stress on your commute

If you run your own business or are employed in a managerial position in someone else’s, then looking after your team is key.

As well as ensuring they have the support needed to work to their full potential, it is also vital to consider the pastoral side of your role. A good leader will always keep an eye on the emotional state of their employees and help them to feel happy at work too.

One thing to be on the lookout for here is how stressful working conditions may be impacting certain people. If you notice this happening, then you need to take action to deal with the situation.

How can you manage or avoid stressful conditions affecting staff?

Perhaps the best way to begin doing this is by making your workplace and the conditions staff exist in as low stress as possible. You could, for example, implement a firm policy on how customers treat your staff in person or on the phone to reduce any unpleasant incidents impacting them.

If your office is cluttered, then you could tidy up to make it feel like a nicer place to be in. Of course, some stressful conditions are simply caused by people not getting along! In this case, you need to act as a mediator to bring both parties together and solve the issue for everyone else’s good.

But what if stressful conditions cannot be avoided or totally eliminated? Your business may, for example, require staff to work long hours, have a full role at all times or deal with sometimes distressing material or situations.

The best approach to managing stress in others involves undergoing comprehensive training on dealing with it yourself and then using this knowledge to help others in your team or business.

Just how do stressful conditions affect staff output?

Some business owners may wonder if the above efforts are really worthwhile. Stressful conditions and the impact they have on staff performance should not be underestimated though. It is not only morally right to address these problems but also much better for your business. In simple terms, happier staff are more productive staff! But what specific ways can working conditions that induce stress in some harm their output?

More days off sick

The first way this can damage employee’s performance is through increased levels of absenteeism. As well as people being off more if they are stressed, the timescales involved with people feeling well enough to come back to work can be lengthy.

Stressful conditions could cause a staff member to take time off at regular intervals and for weeks at a time. This naturally is a barrier to them performing at their best.

Poor engagement with your business

For business owners to really get all they can from your employees, they have to feel engaged and connected with your business. If the working conditions they come into each day are stressful to them then this will just not happen. In fact, they will resent you for making them work in such a situation and disconnect from your goals. Ultimately, this will cause them to perform much worse over the long term.

Inability to produce their best

Even if staff do love your brand and believe in what you are doing, stressful conditions may make it impossible to perform at their best. If there is one colleague who is being nasty to them each day, they will simply not be in the right mental state to work to their maximum potential. This is the same for conditions where noise, clutter or poor lighting may affect them.

Customer service will drop

If you have staff that are stressed by where they work, then it is unlikely that they will deal with customers in a sympathetic or pleasant way. As they will be feeling tired and irritable from the constant stress of their working conditions, they are highly likely to take this out on your customers when speaking to them. Customer service is key to the success of any modern company and the decreased performance in this area could be disastrous.

Try to manage stress before it becomes an issue

The good news around this area is that, as a manager or business owner, you have the power to address staff concerns around working conditions. This gives you the edge in helping to avoid them or manage them as needed. The above shows just why this is so key – if you do not, then the subsequent drop off in staff performance could derail your whole organisation. It is much better to do the right thing before then and help staff to deal with any stress they feel through the environment they work in.

Read more:
How do stressful conditions lead to poor staff performance?

For most of us, work takes up a significant proportion of our life. Nobody sets out to deliberately raise their stress levels at work or anywhere else, and yet for many of us chronic stress caused by our working life can get in the way of our enjoyment, performance and overall sense of achievement.

On the other side of this equation, successful and lucrative businesses are staffed by people who are happy in their work, stretched but not stressed, demonstrating their full potential, giving of their all, feeling fulfilled within their working lives, and not looking to move elsewhere anytime soon. 

Healthy staff = healthy company = healthy profits: everyone’s a winner.

This level of both individual and company health is rare in today’s stress-filled business world, but it is possible and achievable with the help of an insight into the root causes of stress and what you can do about them.

Based on sound psychological knowledge and current brain research, we have designed a one day course that will give you vital information about the devastating effects of stress, what you can do to avoid yourself, your staff, your company becoming chronically ill, and how you can turn things around to the benefit of everyone.

With staff emotional wellbeing comes increased profitability, improved staff performance and reduced sick-leave and staff turnover – a superb working environment where business will flourish.

If a stress free, efficient and profitable workplace is an ideal that you would like to attain in your own company or workplace, for yourself and for others, book yourself a place on our Workplace Stress course on 12th June in London.

We also provide in-house training: please contact mark@humangivenscollege.com for further information.

Read more:
Is your working life working for you?

Today, we live in societies where stress has become a ‘norm’. Managing stress has entered our daily routines and stress-free life only reminds us of our childhood fairytale book.

But as surprising as it might sound, stress management can pretty much be under everybody’s control. It is possible to reduce the level of stress by having positive thoughts about everything that happens around us.

While it might remind some people of the famous old-time metaphor about the glass-half-full or half-empty, it has long been proven that positive or negative attitude towards life can affect many areas of health and wellbeing.

So why don’t we just all start to think positively?

The fact is positive thinking comes harder than negative thinking. If in order to practice positive thinking a person should follow certain rules and do daily activities, negative thinking comes pretty much ‘naturally’. This is because of the famous ‘negativity bias’ of our brain which makes it more sensitive to negative news and thoughts. It simply means that positive thinking is harder to implement and requires more efforts than negative thinking.

But can the optimistic consequences of positive thinking on stress management outweigh the efforts required to implement positive thinking?

Let’s take a closer look at positive thinking.

What is positive thinking?

In simple words, positive thinking is a mental and emotional attitude of expecting good results. It doesn’t mean you see the world in pink and ignore all the negativity. It simply means that you approach unpleasantness in a more positive and constructive way.

Many people confuse positive thinking with optimistic blindness. In reality, positive thinking is based on a critical approach to life situations where a more positive behavior to problem-solving is prioritized.

Research has proven that the effects of positive thinking expand beyond good stress management. Numerous positive effects include but are not limited to:

• Less anxiety and depression
• Improved psychological balance
• Better capacity to manage stress and stress-causing events
• Better health and increased lifespan
• Healthier and stronger relationships
• Higher productivity
• The overall feeling of happiness

One of the theories why people feel all the health benefits when they practice positive thinking is because having a positive attitude enables people to cope better with stressful situations, which, in its turn, reduces the harmful effects of stress on one’s health.

So what does positive thinking really have to do with stress management?

In general, positive people tend to take more risks in life because thinking positively helps the brain think more widely and consider more opportunities. When something goes wrong positive people tend to ‘blame’ the external factors for the failure, whereas negative people, or pessimists, tend to blame themselves in such situations. As a result, they shut themselves down to new opportunities and see only limited choices when a problem arises.

To some extent, this explains why negative events are handled easier when a positive attitude is adopted.

There has also been scientific proof as to how positive thinking influences stress management.

Studies by Andrews and colleagues (2008) have shown that women and men who are happier and have more positive thoughts and feelings usually experience lower levels of stress hormone cortisol(this hormone is also responsible for harming the immune system, among other things). So the results basically suggest that the way you think effects on how you manage stress.

Back to optimists and pessimists. People who think positively see failure as a set of unfortunate circumstances. Their answer to failure is the immediate reaction to fix the problem without limiting their own opportunities. In other words, they have a problem-solving mechanism that immediately starts working when something negative happens.

On the contrary, people who think negatively only see the negative pattern behind the problem and see no point in trying to fix it, as “It will anyway end negatively.”

But can negative-thinking be transformed into positive-thinking?

It has been proven that by repeating certain tips continuously on a daily basis can help every person apprehend positive thinking and change the spin of negativity for good.

How can positive thinking be practiced?

A lot of people think that once they start practicing positive thinking they will no longer have negative thoughts. Well, it is not right.

Negative thoughts are part of how our brain functions. It is totally natural to have negative thoughts. Positive thinking is not about deleting those negative thoughts for good. It is about knowing how to manage once those thoughts appear in one’s brain.

So the first step towards practicing positive thinking is identifying negative thoughts.

People who think negatively tend to magnify the negative aspects of a situation and filter out all the positive ones. Another distinctive quality of negative thinkers is the ability to personalize all the problems and immediately assume that the problem is in them. They also tend to automatically anticipate the worst when something occurs and see things black-and-white without no color in the middle.

If you identify yourself with at least one of these situations, you are most probably a negative thinker. Admitting it is the first step towards positive thinking.

Once you understand your current way of thinking, it is time to make conscious efforts to look at things differently. So how to actually implement it?

1. Transform your negative thoughts into positive ones

Letting negative thoughts hang around for some time causes anxiety and depression. That is why it is important to quickly respond to negative thoughts.

Here are some tips to help you handle your negativity:

• Positive affirmations:positive self-talk helps transform negative thoughts into constructive positive affirmations. Instead of saying, “I made a mistake” you can try, “This is an opportunity for me to learn.” It does not mean you neglect the problem. It simply means you give it a second chance and do not limit yourself to one failure.
• Positive visualization:when we visualize a situation, we tend to see more opportunities for finding ways to solve problems. So next time you use positive self-talk, try to visualize the situation. It will help you find solutions to bring your thoughts into reality and thus manage your stress.
• Positive people and events:positive thinking has a greater impact when we surround ourselves with positive people and events. They have a direct influence on our mood. So a little extra positivity will certainly not harm you. On the contrary, it will boost your motivation to practice positive thinking.

2. Know and utilize your strengths on a daily basis

Knowing and utilizing our strengths helps us become happier and more confident about ourselves, be more productive at work and be more satisfied with life in general. But studies have shown that not even one out of three people can confidently name their top strengths.

Strength-awareness helps to understand our top skills and the ways we could leverage them more in our life. This, in its turn, boosts our self-confidence and self-esteem.

When we know what we are good at and can use it in our lives, positive thinking becomes more than possible. It becomes a necessity.

So how to identify top strengths?

• Using strengths tests: strength assessments are the best way to find out one’s top character traits. I have recently been recommended a free strengths finder. It is called HIGH5 and helps identify your top 5 strengths and explore how you can use those strengths more effectively on a daily basis.
• Asking friends and colleagues: another way of finding out one’s top skills is by asking friends and colleagues for feedback. Their opinion will help you comprehend the areas you are good at and the possible ways of utilizing your strengths more often.
• Consulting with a personal coach: career coaches and personal development professionals can also guide you in your exploration of personal strengths and top character traits.

3. Practice, practice, practice

Many people fail to adopt positive thinking because they want immediate results. When change does not happen overnight, they turn their backs on positive thinking. This type of people generally constitutes the majority of those who do not accept positive thinking.

Well, here is the secret. Positive thinking does not do magic and will not turn you into a positive person overnight. It is a continuous process of practicing the abovementioned techniques and not giving up.

It is like learning a new language. No one is capable of nailing French in one day.

The same logic works for positive thinking. In order for your brain to turn negative thinking patterns into positive ones, it needs time and a lot of practice. It is about learning how to identify negative thoughts and using small steps to transform those into positive.

Positive thinking is not a supernatural power of changing the dark negative world into a pink positive one. It is an attitude that helps manage negative situations by adopting a positive approach, which eventually helps cope with the stress related to those negative situations.

How we think influences how we manage stress. Why not think positively and manage stress more easily? At the end of the day, it is always a question of a choice. So choose positive.

If you want to know more about building on your confidence, take a look at this article about strength-based confidence building.

About the author: Anatoli Chernyaev strongly believes that a strength-based approach is fundamental to achieving happiness. Content marketing manager born in Armenia and currently residing in France, he writes about self-awareness, positive thinking, and personal development.

Read more:
Why is positive thinking key to stress management?

Did you know, your favourite position in your office chair may be your most comfortable but, it may in fact be causing long-lasting damage to your body, without you even realising it?

Need some proof? Health researchers have examined the effects of technology on our posture and have coined the term ‘tech neck’ — described as aches and creases across the neck and chest areas, brought about from spending a large amount of time on computers and handheld devices.

The growing problem of bad posture

Bad posture can not only give you ‘tech neck’, it can lead to muscle problems and strains in other areas of the body. In fact, poor posture is known to be one of the major causes of back problems. It depends on your posture as to which muscle groups feel the strain. Even if you’re not experiencing problems now, improving your posture is something that you should consider to prevent issues from arising in the future.

Unfortunately, another main cause of back and neck misalignment is spending prolonged time at a desk — something that many of us can’t avoid. Research has even shown that sitting time has a positive correlation with lower back pain and neck-shoulder pain intensity. You’ll be pleased to hear that there are some actions that you can take to maintain a good posture when you’re at work.

How can it be resolved?

The first step you can take to bettering your posture is being aware of it. This pushes you to make active changes and recognise when you could improve.

With correcting your body positioning

Positioning your body in the right way at work is important, as it’s possible that you’ll be sitting or standing like this for many hours. The way that we sit also has an effect on the way we walk, so it’s important to keep an eye on it.

Good posture is where the body is in perfect alignment. This is where your spine can maintain its natural curvature and it isn’t strained. The best way to sit or stand in this way is to imagine there is a string attached to the top of your head that’s pulling you up. This should lengthen your stance, improve the way that you’re positioned, and stop you from slouching. You might find that slouching is temporarily comfortable, but over time it can lead to strain on already sensitised musclesand soft tissues.

If your job requires sitting down for a prolonged period, what should you be doing? Try and sit back in the chair rather than perching on the edge, as this offers your back some support and again, stops you from slouching. Do not sit as far back so that your feet dangle though.

Letting your feet dangle can cause problems. If you sit on a high stool at work for example, tuck them in and rest them on the support. Positioning yourself so that your legs hang over the side of your chair causes gravity to pull your feet towards the groundand this tilts your pelvis backwards, which can lead to pain.

Your shoulders should also be in a relaxed position to relieve shoulder pain. Avoid hunching them up so that you can lean on the arms of your chair or rolling them forwards.

With equipment that promotes good posture

Not only do we need to sit in the right way, but we need to be using equipment that supports our good posture. Speak to your employer if you think that you need extra support or that your current equipment is affecting your posture.

If you have a desk job, a suitably adjusted chair that supports that inward curve of your spine is important. Arm rests can help provide support, but they need to be the correct height. If they’re too high, this can cause raised shoulders, and if they’re too low, it can cause leaning. As we mentioned before, make sure that your chair is the right height so that your feet are flat on the floor and your knees are parallel to, or just lower than, your hips. Your screen should be directly in front of you, around an arm’s length away with the top of the screen at your eye level. A neck rest can also be used to help you relax your neck when you’re not typing.

If you use the telephone a lot at work, you might find that a cordless headset would be better suited. This is because you might find yourself cradling your phone between your ear and shoulder, which can add unnecessary strain to our neck, upper back and shoulders.

By keeping mobile throughout the day

It’s important to stay mobile. Even if you are sitting with good posture, being sat in the same place for a prolonged period can still be harmful. And, moving around at workhas other fitness benefits too. In fact, when asked to interrupt their sitting at work every half an hour throughout the day, overweight/obese office workers showed a 32% reduction in lower back discomfort, compared to seated work. But how can you keep moving at work?

• Standing during phone call.
• Taking a break from the computer every 30 minutes and stretching your legs.
• Walk to a colleague’s desk instead of emailing them.
• Doing some desk exercises.

Read more:
Bad posture and ‘tech neck’: a growing problem in our digital age

A New Year often heralds the promise of a new start, providing us with an opportunity to take a moment to sit back and take a fresh look at what we would like to achieve in the brand new year ahead.

It usually involves a resolution or two around self-improvement, a health choice, whether this is losing weight, getting fitter, or taking more time to ourselves – all great ambitions.

But it’s estimated that 36% of us give up on our resolutions within the first month, and after six months over 50% have given up.

Here are our top ten tips to start you on the right path:

Find out your BMI

BMI is your body weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in metres. A BMI of 25-30 is considered overweight and a BMI of greater than 30 is classified as obese. Your doctor can discuss your BMI with you and advise on steps to maintain a healthy balance.

Watch your alcohol intake

Healthy alcohol consumption is less than 14 units of alcohol per week for women and men (with no more than 3 units on any day). As a guide, one pint of ordinary-strength beer is 2 units; one small pub measure of spirit is 1 unit; and one small glass of ordinary-strength wine is 1.5 units.

Stop smoking

Smoking damages the lungs and cardiovascular system and significantly increases your risk of developing cancers. Stopping completely is the only way to avoid these risks.

Get your five a day

Check to see that you get the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. Plan your week day meals in advance and take salads and nutritious snacks with you to work, which will both save you money as well as contributing to your five portions.

Watch your saturated fat intake

Is your saturated fat intake too high? Everybody needs essential fats to remain well, but try to avoid dairy product fats and meat fats. Stick to vegetable and fish fats/oils wherever possible, and check the nutritional information on labels during your weekly shop.

Be resistant

Pay attention to your muscle tone and posture to help prevent bone and joint problems. Strong muscles and tendons promote healthy joints. Do some light resistance training for 15 minutes each day of the week and cover all the major muscle groups, including legs, arms, buttocks and back. Try cycling with light resistance, lifting light arm weights and back extensions/sit-ups (provided you do not have existing injuries or other medical problems).

Make time to relax

Make time for proper mental relaxation each day. Consider disciplines such as meditation or yoga, or simply take a gentle walk.

Raisin meditation mindfulness exercise

Before you begin, find a quiet spot where you can sit down and relax. You might find taking a few deep breaths will help you loosen the body and bring your mind to your practise. Once you’re comfy, pick up the raisin and hold it in your hand.

• LOOK at the raisin. Really concentrate. Let your eyes roam over the fruit and pick out all the details– the colour, areas of light and shade, any ridges or shine. Before moving on, you might want to close your eyes, as this can heighten your other senses and help you focus.
• TOUCH the raisin. Feel its smallness in your palm. Explore the raisin’s texture with your fingers. Is the skin waxy? Are there any edges? It is soft or hard?
• SMELL the raisin. Bring it close to your nose and with your deep inhalations and exhalations, concentrate on any scents and fragrances you can detect. Does it smell sweet? Or perhaps earthy? Has this triggered your taste buds or made your tummy grumble?
• TASTE the raisin. Place it in your mouth, noticing how your hand instinctively knows where to go. Don’t chew yet, just spend some time concentrating on how the raisin feels on your tongue. Turn it over in your mouth and feel it’s texture on the roof of your mouth. Take one or two bites into the fruit, without swallowing it yet. Fix your mind on the sensations just released into your mouth. How does it taste? How does this develop as the moments pass? How has the raisin changed? Do the smaller pieces of fruit feel different?
• HEAR the sounds you make as you chew it and swallow. Notice When you have really explored the sensation of the raisin in your mouth, notice your intention to swallow it and then follow with the physical action. If you can, track the sensation of the raisin going into your tummy. Now take a moment to notice how your whole body feels. When you are ready, start to awaken your mind. You might want to move the hands and feet a little, slowly open your eyes and take a few deep breaths. With the meditation exercise now complete, you can carry on with your day when you’re ready – there’s no hurry.

Sleep well

Sleep is an essential part of mental and physical healing, so make sure you get enough. Deep uninterrupted sleep is required, and most adults need between six and eight hours a day. Look for ways to turn your mind off before you go to bed at night, such as listening to music or reading a book, instead of switching immediately from working to attempting to get some sleep.

Evaluate your lifestyle

Make changes to your lifestyle to give you more relaxation time and space to work on your mental and physical health.

Read more:
Helping to turn resolutions into reality

Imposter Syndrome is the fear that you’ll be exposed as inadequate, or a failure, despite evidence proving you’re successful. And it’s a mind-set that’s more common than you might think.

If left unchecked, Imposter Syndrome can lead us to feel stressed and anxious. So, it’s important to challenge negative thoughts surrounding this fear, turning them into positives. Rather than thinking “if this goes wrong, I’m fired’, think “I’m qualified. If I make a mistake, what’s the worst that could happen?”

What kinds of people are vulnerable to it?

Most of us can be vulnerable and Imposter Syndrome is commonly experienced as an individual moves up the career ladder. Many people believe their success is more down to luck than ability.

It’s widely considered a female epidemic, however men tend to experience a heightened sense of failure – they think the stakes are higher due to stereotypes of successful male breadwinners. Essentially, women, like Michelle Obama (pictured) are generally more willing to discuss their emotional experience than men, rather than bottling it up. Opening up should be seen as a sign of strength and willingness.

There’s a cultural element to it, too. We’re often taught from a young age to downplay our abilities otherwise we’re the one who sticks out in the crowd.

Can it actually impair our progress and performance at work?

Yes, Imposter Syndrome can prevent us from believing in ourselves. Lack of self-belief can lead us to overwork and over-preparation. If we’re so fearful of making mistakes, we won’t take risks. A mind-set of “I got here by luck, not ability” might prevent us taking risks. A business that doesn’t take risks might find itself with diminishing returns. Imposter Syndrome can also stifle productivity. We may procrastinate, delaying tasks we don’t feel we’re equipped to undertake, or meetings we’re nervous about running.

Success doesn’t necessarily bring relief, either – indeed, it can heighten this sense of being an imposter. Owning and celebrating achievements can help counter these feelings, however.

What three steps can we take to move past it to become more confident and self-assured?

• Name the self-doubt. Acknowledge it for what it is. Ask yourself, “what’s holding me back here?”
• Challenge the negative thoughts, then convert them into positives. Focus on your best attributes and acknowledge daily accomplishments, focussing on the facts, not the feelings. Share your successes with loved ones and don’t shy away from praise. Visualise the future, set goals and be motivated
• Be a bolder you. Take risks. Don’t seek validation from others all the time

To take on those imposter feelings Dr Mark Winwood, director of psychological services at AXA PPP healthcare, encourages people to be TRUE:

• Talk to a supportive friend, colleague or family member – don’t keep your fears to yourself
• Remind yourself of your successes, document them and be inspired by your achievements
• Use evidence to dispute and diffuse your inner bully
• Evaluate how you’ve overcome imposter moments and share your learnings with others

“It’s important not to let self-doubt exacerbate our fear of failure, which may overwhelm us or crush our confidence. Instead, own your fears – use them as a positive, motivating force. Channel your fear into situations that daunt you and push yourself. Ask ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ And go for it, with a more resilient mind-set and a stronger business.” He concludes.

Read more:
Experiencing imposter syndrome? You’re not alone

Traumatic events, if left unacknowledged or untreated, have the ability to alter our health and mental wellbeing permanently.

Trauma is how the mind responds to mental injury, caused by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event and requires processing to avoid causing long term mental health problems in an individual.

Examples of traumatic events include:

• Domestic or family violence and dating violence
• Community violence (shooting, mugging, burglary, assault, bullying)
• Sexual or physical abuse
• Natural disaster such as a hurricane, flood, fire or earthquake
• A serious car accident
• Sudden unexpected death of someone close (suicide, accident)
• Serious injury (burns, dog attack)
• Major surgery or life-threatening illness (childhood cancer)
• War or political violence (civil war, terrorism, refugee)

Because most people try to keep talking about traumatic experiences or events to a minimum, we tend to think they are few and far between, but, (WHO) World Mental Health surveys have shown that 70.4% of people surveyed across 24 countries have experienced at least one traumatic event throughout their lifetime.

Most people spend most of their adult lives working, so the likelihood that someone you employ will experience trauma in their personal lives at some point is almost inevitable.

Workplace trauma is another possibility, especially if employees are at risk of having accidents during the course of their working day.

Taking care of employees’ mental health at work is a priority for most people who want to see their organisation and their employees flourish. So being ready to assist them, whether it is through a trauma therapy or trauma counselling service, or simply finding out what they need to get through this experience can make an incredible difference to the quality of their life in the future.

It is not yet known what causes PTSD but treatment for it involves the proper processing of memories. Which is why trauma therapy, which allows an individual to process their experience, is highly advised for those who want to avoid it.

How to recognise trauma

From a co-worker, a friend, employer or family member’s perspective, trauma leaves behind visible marks on the behaviour of the afflicted person. Sleep disturbance, withdrawal, flashbacks, hyper vigilance, feeling of intense helplessness and fear are some of the symptoms experienced by a victim of trauma. Avoidance and hyperarousal symptoms are some of the most tell-tale signs of someone undergoing a crisis.

What you can do to help someone experiencing trauma

As an employer, we advise that you learn everything you can about trauma in order to be prepared.

When you recognise signs of trauma in an employee, reach out to the them and let them know that they have your full support.

If this isn’t possible because you have a large body of staff, you may want to consider appointing an outside service to deliver a Critical Incident Stress Management programme.  A service such as this can be delivered on-site or over the phone and will involve talking to a trained professional about the event, to help them process it.

Simply talking through the cause and effects of the trauma can be beneficial, and the after-care services provided by these programmes, will make sure the critical incident stress management programme is successful.

Read more:
How to help employees through traumatic events

Feeling well, both physically and mentally depends on having a varied, well-balanced diet that includes all of the essential nutrients our body and mind need to function at their best.

If we deprive our body of any of these nutrients, we create a nutritional imbalance that can have negative psychological and physical effects.

This is why fad diets – ones that omit a particular food group or are too extreme in terms of calorie reduction, for example, can lead to some people complaining of feelings of depression or lethargy.

By following a few simple dietary rules, we can help prevent feelings of lethargy, irritability and low mood:

1. Don’t skip meals. Eating regularly keeps your blood sugar levels stable and you’re less likely to feel dips in your mood and energy levels. Carbohydrate-rich foods that contain B vitamins can help boost nervous energy. Choose low glycaemic-index (GI) carbs, such as seeded bread, whole-wheat pasta, porridge, beans, lentils, and a variety of fruits and vegetables.
2. Eat breakfast. When you sleep your body uses energy to repair and recuperate cells, so when you wake up your energy stores are nearly empty! Fuelling yourself well in the morning helps to kick-start your metabolism and recharges your batteries. Choose foods that are high in fibre and protein, and low in sugar. Protein helps to balance your blood sugar levels to keep you fuller for longer. Eggs, and natural or Greek yoghurt with fruit and nuts provide an excellent protein punch to start your day! Or choose a wholegrain cereal or wholegrain bread with some fruit or fruit juice.
3. Have a varied diet. If you eat a variety of foods, you’re more likely to get a full range of vitamins and minerals. This helps your body to work at its best, and gives you a feeling of wellbeing.
4. Stay hydrated. Dehydration can make you feel tired and affect your ability to concentrate or think clearly. Although we should all drink plenty of fluids every day (aim for 1.5-2 litres), water doesn’t just have to come from the tap. There are lots of ways to make sure your body keeps topped up, for example, fruit and vegetables have high water content, as do diary products like yogurt and cottage cheese. Tea and coffee count, but try to avoid too much caffeine as it can act as a diuretic, as well as impair your sleep.

If plain water isn’t for you – why not try herbal tea, or fruit-infused water. Lemon, mint, cucumber and fresh orange slices make tasty and healthy alternative to sugary cordials.

Good-mood good guys!

A good-mood diet is one that includes a full range of nutrients, eaten in moderation, from the five major food groups:

• Starchy foods, such as rice, potatoes, and wholemeal bread and pasta.
• Fruit and vegetables (at least five portions a day).
• Protein, such as meat, fish, beans and eggs.
• Dairy foods, such as milk, cheese and yoghurt.
• Oils and spreads – choose healthier, unsaturated fat products where possible (too many saturates have been found to raise levels of harmful cholesterol in the blood).

Food is your body’s fuel, whether you are a busy parent preparing your family’s dinner or an athlete training for a special event – what you put in your body is essential to good health! Visit our diet and nutrition centre for more information and no-fuss feel-good recipes to try at home.

A good-mood diet is one that encompasses the full range of nutrients from the five major food groups: starchy foods such as rice, potatoes, and wholemeal bread and pasta; fruit and vegetables (at least five portions a day); protein like meat, fish, beans and eggs; dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yoghurt; and sugar and fat (choose healthier, unsaturated fat products).

Within these food groups, there are certain vitamins and minerals that research suggests have a particularly important influence on our mood and energy levels:

• B vitamins. You need B vitamins for nervous energy. A deficiency can make you feel depressed or irritable. You get these good guys from yeast extracts, wholegrains and fortified breakfast cereals – check food labels.
• Iron. A lack of iron can make you feel lethargic, so choose lean red meat, canned fish and liver. Bread and some breakfast cereals are also fortified with iron and can be a useful source for vegetarians. If you are vegetarian, don’t drink tea with your meals as this reduces the absorption of iron from food. Try fruit juice instead – the vitamin C enhances iron absorption.
• Glucose. Feeling good comes from a diet that gives you a steady supply of glucose, so you need to have a regular intake of low-glycaemic carbohydrates. Choose moderate amounts of pasta, beans, lentils, bulgur wheat, seeded or granary breads, and fruit and vegetables.
• Selenium. This has been shown to reduce feelings of negative mood and depression. Good food sources of selenium include Brazil nuts, meat, fish and eggs. Walnuts and Brazil nuts also provide potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and vitamin E.
• Folate. Studies have also suggested that having insufficient folate in your diet can increase your chances of feeling low. You get folate from liver, green vegetables, citrus fruits, beans, yeast extract and breakfast cereals.

Read more:
Improve your mood with feel-good food

Research reveals a significant number of managers are uncomfortable speaking with their employees about illness and feel most uncomfortable discussing cancer

A significant number of UK managers are unsure of how to speak to their employees about illness and are particularly uncomfortable speaking about cancer, finds a new report.

The research has revealed that 21 per cent of managers are uncomfortable speaking about any illness with an employee and have never spoken to a member of their team who has suffered with cancer about their illness. Meanwhile, one in five managers who are willing to discuss illness with employees are less comfortable discussing cancer than any other chronic illness.

This is despite the reality that there are currently 560,000 people in the workforce with cancer and statistics indicate this will rise to four million by 2030[1]. Therefore, managing cancer in the workplace will become increasingly commonplace for managers.

The study also found that many managers discussed the employee’s cancer with their colleagues before their return to work without their permission, with one in six (17 per cent) saying that they had told the colleagues of the employee about their cancer without discussing it with them first.

Evelyn Wallace, Clinical Services Operations Manager at AXA PPP Healthcare, who commissioned the research, commented, “Many people assume that having a conversation with someone about their experience with cancer will be very difficult, or may not realise the importance to that person of having a frank discussion. However, it is alarming that some managers think it is acceptable instead to share details of an employee’s cancer with their colleagues without having that conversation and obtaining their permission first.

“Being diagnosed or receiving treatment for cancer can be a tremendously difficult experience and all those in employment are protected from any form of discrimination at work by the Equality Act 2010 in England, Scotland and Wales, or the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in Northern Ireland. It’s therefore vital that managers sit down and speak with an employee about how they want to proceed and respect any request for confidentiality before acting on or sharing sensitive information with their colleagues. The conversations won’t be difficult if both parties are open and honest from the start.”

The study also investigated the expectations that managers have of employees who are returning to work and found that nearly two thirds have not changed how they manage someone who has returned to work after completing treatment for cancer; 41 per cent of whom say that this is because they are worried about the employee’s abilities and have instead taken away all pressures.

However, despite removing any pressures, over a third say that they would still expect an employee to meet previous standards of work within six months.

Wallace continued, “This research shows that many managers, whether knowingly or otherwise, are not properly supporting employees who have been affected by cancer.

It’s important for senior staff to understand that returning to work can be very daunting for someone who has been affected by cancer and while an employee may appear fine at first, their recovery will be a rollercoaster, both mentally and physically, with numerous ups and downs and steps forward as well as back. Therefore, managers should not expect a formulaic return to previous standards, nor should they expect the same productivity levels straight away, and should instead be willing to talk, listen and be flexible in the support they offer.”

Read more:
Talking about cancer at work

Emma Bullen from MHR provides practical advice on how managers can initiate conversations about mental health with employees and create a positive culture around mental well being in the workplace.

Good mental health is something that we all need, just like we all need good physical health. Nearly half of adults in the UK believe they have suffered with a diagnosable mental health condition at some point in their lives so it is important that people managers are comfortable enough to engage in dialogue around the subject.

Uncharacteristic or erratic behaviour, dips in productivity and frequent sickness are some of the warning signs that you can look out for when identifying potential mental health conditions among your people.

Often, those who are suffering with their mental health are reluctant to disclose the true reason for their absence, so it is down to managers to take note of the signs and act appropriately.

Research by mental health charity Mind revealed that less than half of people who had been diagnosed with a mental health condition had told their manager.

 Employers must create a culture that supports people to be open when it comes to talking about their mental health. This should be led from the top of the organisation as employees need to feel that senior managers are taking the matter of mental health seriously, and that disclosure will lead to support rather than discrimination.

Clear mental health strategies and policies will illustrate to employees that there is support in place should they need it.

To ensure that employees feel comfortable seeking support, managers must be approachable and confident when speaking about the topic. Normalising conversations about mental health and holding regular catch-ups with employees will help to build trust and provide an opportunity for issues to be raised at an early stage.

Striking up conversation about someone’s mental health can be a daunting prospect. However, basic managerial skills are all that is required to undertake this task.

The first step is to simply ask the employee how they are doing. As a manager, you will know your own team better than anyone else in the organisation, which is a vital attribute for creating a worthwhile discussion with them. Offering open communication will help you understand the employee’s situation and put the necessary support plan in place for their wellbeing.

When engaging in conversation about an employee’s mental health, location is key. The workplace can be a stressful setting for this sort of discussion so it is advisable to take it off site or at the very least to a secluded meeting room.

Now for the talking. Open and non-judgmental questions are key, giving the employee an opportunity to put their feelings into words without making assumptions about their condition or symptoms. It is important that managers actively listen and take a flexible approach to the employee’s requirements for support. Equally important is that the manager is comfortable to be honest about any absence or performance problems, so that these can also be addressed.

If and when the employee is ready, the manager should work with them to develop a support and action plan to enable the employee to maintain a good standard of performance while ensuring their wellbeing.

This should include provisions for the employee to seek external help from their GP or through an Employee Assistance Programme if your organisation has one in place. A date should also be agreed to review the action plan and whether or not the support is sufficient.

It pays to be armed with information on the support available. If your organisation provides an Employee Assistance Programme, then this can be discussed as part of the available support. Not being aware of any internal policies gives the impression that you don’t consider mental health issues to be of high importance, which can leave employees feeling less confident to approach you.

Remember, if the employee is not ready to talk about their mental health when you approach them, you should not force the issue. Instead, giving the employee reassurance that you are accessible to them if and when they wish to have a discussion sends a powerful message that you are interested in their wellbeing.

Of course, there are actions that employers should take in order to prevent work from becoming a trigger for poor mental health, and holding conversations around the topic is not the overall solution but it is a stage that employers cannot afford to overlook.

Ultimately, mental health problems need to be taken seriously by your business, and while you can’t fix the problems your employees face, you can offer support and guidance – that’s the difference between success and failure in supporting your people.

Read more:
Managers, how comfortable are you with discussing your employees’ mental health?

The work life is what would bring a good deal of mental health issues. The major reason could be the fact that a great deal of our daily life is spent in the workplace.

That would indeed call for the need for an efficient work culture where a good mental health needs to be maintained for the benefit of the employees and helps a lot in boosting the productivity of the organisation as a whole.

How to tackle Mental health at the Workplace? 

Well, there are a few measures that the management can take care ofto cater to the mental health issues that the employees may be going through. Surveys have indicated that over 300,000 employees leave their job just because they have been facing mental health issues. There are growing cases of sickness absence in many organisations.

You can take care to make use of a few options to handle the issues of mental health in your establishment. Opt for a few options as envisaged in the following discussion for an enhanced performance of your employees. 

Keep a look on Employee Behaviour

Mental health and issues thereof may not be easy to find out. It can be quite complex and addressing them may not be easy enough. Mental disorders such as anxiety and stress can go undetected it reaches a dangerous level. 

Keep a vigil on slower changes in behaviour. Some examples are late arrivals, lack of interest and mood swings can be an indication enough. Noticing the differences and making changes can be a good option.

 Talk About the issues

Talking about mental health is still treated as a stigma. Plan to change this behaviour. Encourage people to talk about the mental issues. The best option would be to develop a positive and open environment where employees can freely share their mental health issues without being stigmatised. 

Support the Employees with mental health issues

Employers should understand that the mental health issues that the employees may undergo are the result of the extreme stress that they may be going through as part of their work schedule. Lack of the time for the family or personal life or the stress of the deadlines can be some of the issues that the employees may be going through.

Support them to seek medical help. If they are suffering from stress related issues, one of the best options to address the concern would be to opt for stress buster drugs. One such good example would be Brauer products who have a good deal of assorted medicines that help address the concern effectively.

Show that you care

It is indeed the duty of the management to show to the employee that they care about the health and productivity of the employee. This can indeed act as a morale booster for the employee who will work towards improving their mental issues by taking the necessary measures. In fact, a friendly environment will help them build a good rapport with the management and they would be forthcoming to c=share the issues that they are going through. 

Provide a Healthy Work Environment

The work environment we work through would be the major contributing factor towards our well being and an enhanced productivity. The management should an all-out effort at enhancing the healthy work environment. Foster the factors that help in improving the employee wellbeing.

Higher stress levels can be quite excruciating if not taken care of right in time. The first step in terms of addressing the concern of mental health in an organisation would be to tackle the stress related issues. Some of the major reasons for stress can be skipping the break hours, excessive working hours, and overworking. Employers are advised to strike the right balance between work and personal life. 

The Concluding Thoughts 

Anything that interferes between the boundaries of the home and work would indeed be the cause for concern. In fact, taking care not to cross these boundaries would help almost every one of your employees, no matter how many of them are suffering from the mental health problems. 

Take care and address the concern right away That will ensure that you have an excellent productivity at your workplace. After all, the happy employees are anyone’s asset. 

Read more:
Best ways to tackle mental health in the workplace

How are you feeling today? Exhausted, overwhelmed, cynical, bored, apathetic, dissatisfied, despondent, anxious, annoyed, unstimulated? Did you have similar emotions a week ago? How about a month ago?

No, this is not an introduction to Psychology 101, but rather a prompt to ‘’check-in’’ with your emotional status as a business owner of an SME (small medium enterprise).

If you nod your head in agreement with any of these emotions, red flags should be waving at you right now.

The Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary defines the term Burnout as “exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation, usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration”.

Burnout is not instant. There is a gradual almost undetectable progression towards this condition, occurring little by little. Think of the analogy about the frog in a pot of water heating up ever so slightly and unnoticeable, until it is too late.

A burnout scenario occurs in a similar fashion: the mind and body will keep adapting to the abnormal situation, as ‘’the new normal” sometimes for extended periods of time, until you suddenly find yourself down the deep dark tunnel of despair or with a condition such as Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome.

 Time to define

According to a study by the University of Zaragoza in Spain, Occupational Burnout is subdivided into three primary categories.

1. Frenetic Burnout – Effectively Exhausted

Refers to “a category of people who are very involved and ambitious and who overload themselves to fulfil the demands of their jobs”. These individuals are incredibly ambitious with a growing tendency to obtain significant successes and achievements. They burden themselves with too many responsibilities and commit all their energy efforts to overcome tough challenges or attain unrealistic goals.

2. Under-Challenged Burnout or Bore-Out – Cynically dissatisfied

Indicates to “indifferent and bored subjects who fail to experience personal development in their jobs”. People in this category experience an increasing sense of indifference and lack of enthusiasm for their jobs, escalated by the fact that they are not able to identify the purpose of their role anymore. Not having enough work at hand, completing monotonous tasks and lack of variation in their daily routines contribute significantly to workers suffering from “Bore-out”.

3. Worn-out – Overwhelmingly Apathetic

Visible in individuals who are experiencing “feelings of a lack of control over the results of their work and a lack of acknowledgement for their efforts, which finally leads them to neglect their responsibilities”. The absence of recognition for their efforts and a general disregard for the importance of their jobs cause these employees to mentally just ‘’check-out” decreasing overall effectivity and efficiency.

“Working your fingers to the bone, dying from lack of stimulation or not giving a damn anymore?

Prevention is better than cure

Most of us (hopefully) visit the dentist twice per year, go for an annual checkup and aim for the prescribed ‘’10 000’’ steps per day as prescribed by our wellness programmes, all to improve general health and wellbeing (or to fly somewhere at 30% less than the standard price for that matter).

Preventative tactics will always trump remedial action.

1. Avoiding Burnout

• Lay down ground rules or borders (with yourself mostly) regarding the workload you are prepared to take on. Effectively prioritise by distinguishing between urgent and important.
• Delegate, it’s easier than you think. There is tremendous power in a positive “NO”!
• Effectively prioritise by distinguishing between urgent and important.

2. Preventing Bore-Out

• Continuously redefine your purpose as a manager or business owner. Are you working in your business or on your business?
• Still waiting for the IT Techie to update your software programmes or the marketing administrator to post a blog on the company website? Enrol in a few webinar programmes to spice up the daily slump and increase your learning curve.
• Question more. Satisfy your curiosity regarding a topic that fascinates you.

3. Counteracting Worn-Out

• Identify the purpose of your role in the company.
• Schedule “zero effort’’ times in your diary where you either do nothing or engage in a fun activity unrelated to work.
• Offer ‘’pro bono” assistance to lower ranking staff whether it is teaching the tea lady to use Gmail, or helping the security guard to set up a bank account.
• Develop a list of mini-goals with clear deadlines and timeframes for intended completion and celebrate even the smaller accomplishments.

 A balancing act

Rome was not built in a day, nor did your burn-out situation develop instantly. The time needed for re-establishing equilibrium depends on how far the scale of imbalance has tipped against you.

One foot in the burnout box may require only a few weeks to alleviate, but if you are pushing the bottom of the barrel, improvement may take many months to accomplish.

In the end, the act is upon you to balance the scale between too much and too little.

This article was provided by myhrtoolkit- HR software for SMEs. If you would like more information on how to keep your employees engaged through our new training management system, please call us on 0345 225 0414.

Read more:
Burnt, Bored or Worn – When abnormal becomes the new normal

Sometimes it feels like everyone is finding success and satisfaction except us.

If you are feeling a little down on your luck and are looking for a way to turn your situation around, here are the four key ingredients of a more successful life.

Show Initiative

Showing initiative is a skill that any employer will value. Demonstrating that you have initiative is one thing, but you need to demonstrate it in the right way. After all, anyone can take the initiative and do things their own way. You will only be rewarded for your initiative if you are making well-reasoned and sensible decisions. Initiative must go hand in hand with restraint, otherwise, you are nothing but a loose cannon and a liability.

Another way you can show initiative in taking the lead with your own self-improvement is by electing to learn valuable skills and knowledge on your own. Have a look at the full range of courses you can receive tutoring in through Superprof’s private tutors (an online site for finding private tutors in a range of subjects) and see how many of them would provide you with knowledge relevant to your career. They could even form the basis of an entirely new professional pursuit. Businesses love an employee who will train and improve themselves without costing the company a penny!

Develop a Work Ethic

Developing a strong work ethic will make a bigger difference to your success level than any other change you can make. With a better work ethic, you will be working smarter, and being considerably more productive. You have probably heard the old adage that you should “work smarter, not harder”. This is an important rule to remember, but it should not be an excuse to actively avoid hard work.

Developing a work ethic is not simple. Well, developing the ethic, in theory, is easy, but implementing it and sticking to it until it becomes your default behavior will take a little more work on your part. However, as long as you are willing, and you don’t become disheartened when you slip, any of us has the power within us to make lasting, positive changes to our lifestyles.

A strong work ethic will obviously benefit you enormously as an individual, but it will also make you much more valuable to any future employers. When employers see that you are willing to work hard and that you intend on making hard work your default behavior, they will take note. If you want to progress through the ranks of any organization as fast as possible, demonstrating your commitment is a great place to start.

Learn to Prioritise Your Time

Prioritising and managing your time effectively is an essential skill in the world of business, but it is also a surprisingly difficult skill for many of us to nail down. If you have been to university, or even college, you will have at least some experience with organizing yourself and prioritizing your time appropriately. However, in order to seriously pursue the highest echelons of the corporate world, you will need to take these skills to the next level.

Prioritizing your time properly is about more than just making and sticking to a schedule. In many jobs, you will be constantly dealing with fluid situations and unexpected occurrences. Under such conditions, and within most high-pressure environments, you will need to be able to make decisions about how to prioritize your time on-the-fly.

You cannot always count on having the luxury of time to make important decisions. If you hope to lead a team of other workers, it is doubly important that you are able to make these decisions, as well as delegating them.

Break Your Lazy Habits

All of us are guilty of some level of laziness in our daily lives. And who can blame us? The world we live in seems to be designed with lazy people in mind. Technology continues to encourage us to zone-out, to sit-down, and to have the world come to us. This doesn’t mean that we are lazy people, but so common is this behavior that we often don’t even think about ourselves doing it. Once you start to think about your daily activities, and how many of them we are either not giving our due attention to, you begin to realize how easy it is to take the lazier road.

The best way of breaking your worst lazy habits is to tackle the smallest and easiest ones first. As you go about your day, just take a moment to consider each activity you do, and the way that you do it. When you identify areas where you are being lazier than you need to be, you should think about how you can most easily change this behavior. Once you have corrected yourself in a few small areas, everything else will fall into place much more easily.

Success is one of those things that seems to be unnaturally ethereal and elusive until we earn it that is within our reach. There are few feelings as satisfying as knowing that we have achieved the successes that we have long pursued. Anyone can obtain success, and as long as you are willing to put the effort in, anyone can turn themselves from zero to hero.

Read more:
Zero to hero: The 4 keys to success

Research suggests that Brits are under significant workplace strain, with more than 1 in 3 confessing they think about quitting their position on a regular basis.

The study revealed that 13 per cent of employees are resorting to pulling a sickie to cope with stress, with the same admitting to feeling stressed at least once a day.

According to the research, employers overwhelmingly agree that taking a sick day for mental ill health is completely acceptable. The findings revealed that 94 per cent of HRs believe depression or anxiety is an adequate reason to call in sick, and over believe that workplace stress is also a legitimate reason for a sick day.

In contrast, employees were reticent to admit taking time off due to workplace pressures and believed it was not an acceptable reason to call in sick.

The research showed that only 13 per cent of employees had called in sick due to feelings of stress, with 10 per cent admitting that they did not want to face up to their workload. As a result of the findings, CABA is calling for anyone who is struggling with stress or concerned about a family member or friends to seek advice.

Laura Little, Learning and Development Manager at CABA commented: ‘1 in 4 people experience a mental health issue every year, so it is reassuring to learn that HRs agree stress, depression and anxiety are all valid reasons for employees to call in sick. It’s extremely important for businesses to promote a supportive, non-judgmental ethos to encourage employees to take time off if they need it, and most importantly encouraging conversation if people are struggling.

Our research shows that 80 per cent of HRs agree that physical symptoms such as back or joint pain is an acceptable reason to call in sick, so it is a step in the right direction that mental ill health is being recognised in the same way.’

Positively, the research showed that over half of working Brits would tell someone at work if they thought they were suffering from stress, anxiety or depression, with their line manager or supervisor the most likely go-to person.

However, nearly a third would keep quiet, preferring not to let anyone know. Over 55s were the most likely not to tell anyone, compared to 18 per cent of 25-34 year olds, highlighting that millennials are more open to discussions about their emotional wellbeing.

Little concluded: ‘Mental ill health can have a profound effect on an employee’s ability to do their job. It can affect motivation, performance and relationships at work. The impact can be lessened by taking preventive measures to mitigate the risk of triggering such feelings and by putting support systems into place such as team meetings or one-to-ones. Setting an example from the top gives a clear message that mental health is an integral part of everyone’s wellbeing.

We often take physical illness symptoms seriously so it is great to see mental ill health being treated equally, however if employees continue to keep quiet about their worries we will find ourselves in a vicious cycle. Therefore, action is needed to spread the supportive message, to ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to stress.’

Read more:
Workplace at odds over mental health