World Mental Health Day: The relationship between flexible working and mental wellbeing

World Mental Health Day is held annually on 10th October and provides an opportunity to raise awareness and advocate for mental health. While the importance of mental health has gained understanding and recognition in recent years, the way that flexible and remote working plays into wellbeing cannot be ignored. Many businesses since the pandemic have welcomed more flexible work models, while others have been insistent on the role of the office.

While there is not a hard and fast rule about which works better, The Buzz was founded on the idea of enabling flexibility to create an environment where our people can achieve a healthier work-life balance, which is vital to maintaining good mental health. We believe that when our team feels supported and balanced, they’re able to deliver the best possible work for our clients.

As a proud member of MIND’s Mental Health at Work Commitment, we’re dedicated to fostering a workplace where mental wellbeing is front and centre. The six standards underpinning this commitment offer a clear roadmap for creating a culture that truly values mental health. By supporting this framework, we join over 3,000 UK employers working to build a better, more supportive future for everyone. You can read more about it here.

The Buzz team explains some of the benefits of what flexibility does for them…

1. Improved Work-Life Balance:
Flexible work arrangements help employees balance responsibilities across all areas of their lives. Time that would have been spent commuting can provide more time for self-care or that of others. As Senior Marketing Strategist, Alex, said: “I love that it means I can work around nursery hours and childcare responsibilities”, or Marketing Operations Lead, Jess, explains: “I start my working day much earlier so that I can take the time out in the middle to go for a run or do a yoga class – my brain is best first thing so I end up doing better work. Then when the mid-afternoon slump hits me, I can go out and get some fresh air. It’s like taking a mini holiday during the day.”
2. Increased Autonomy and Control:
Studies have shown that allowing employees to control what / when they do work leads to them feeling more empowered but also trusted and valued by the business. By letting them manage their own time and manage their workload, it leads to greater job satisfaction which boosts not only mental health but productivity. The more you like your job, the better the quality of your work.
3. Choosing their work environment: Remote working means individuals can create a working environment that suits their needs. Choosing your setting can drive motivation, as Marketing Manager, Katie, explains: “If I need to brainstorm with colleagues, I’ll suggest we meet up and co-work, but on other days I need to get my head down and crack through deep work which means doing it from my flat is best. Every day is different, so I need adapt to how my brain and body feel to do my best work.”

The challenges of remote and flexible work on mental health

The benefits of flexible working are talked about a lot, but it’s important to also acknowledge some challenges that it can present.

1. Isolation and loneliness:
Without the forced daily interaction of colleagues or other commuters, working remotely can lead to a sense of isolation. Without the casual water-cooler conversations and camaraderie that naturally occur in an office, there’s a risk individuals can feel disconnected from their teams or their company culture. Loneliness is a high risk factor for mental health – specifically depression and anxiety – so it’s critical to ensure connections are still built and maintained. As Leonie, Founder of The Buzz says: “Every month we bring the team together for a coworking day. We chat about projects we’re working on, brainstorm ideas and share life updates. Often someone else in the team has worked on something similar so knowledge sharing is hugely valuable not only for us, but for our clients.”
2. Boundaries between work and life:
Without the commute, the line can be blurred between work and home and the temptation to just keep tinkering away outside of normal working hours ensues. If your laptop sits on the kitchen table, ‘switching off’ can be difficult and lead to overworking. If this persists, burnout isn’t uncommon and work risks taking over the hours which should otherwise be reserved for hobbies, self-care and time with friends and family. These are crucial elements to factor in daily life to ensure that work-life balance is met. At The Buzz, we try to set clear expectations of what’s needed and when, to best allow us to plan our time to deliver for our clients.
3. Pressure to always be available:
If work is no longer confined to a physical office, it’s harder to see the boundaries. Many years ago, if someone wasn’t in the office, nothing could be done. But with our constant digital existence, seeing an email pop up on your phone when you’re about to go to bed prompts a temptation to reply. Equally someone calls you when you’re on holiday, you could just answer. The constant pressure to appear available can cause stress and a limited ability to disconnect and recharge. By setting ‘working hours’ on your Slack, Teams or Emails can be a good way to help set expectations about when you’re working and responsive.

Ways to support mental health while flexible working

As mentioned, there is not one size that fits all in the world of work. For many, a balance of both office and home environments leads to the best mental health, while also enabling the best work to be produced. It’s important that we all check in on friends and colleagues whilst ensuring a few strategies are adopted to set everyone up for success.

There’s a few ways here at The Buzz, that we like to do this:

• Regular check-ins and comms: Even if they need to be virtual, having regular team meetings or 1-2-1s maintain connection and boost feelings of support. It helps our team understand each other and make it easier to spot signs of poor mental health within them.
• Set boundaries and encourage time off: We do our best not to disturb colleagues on their time off unless it’s absolutely necessary. We encourage them to take a break and recharge because the quality of work that’s delivered and motivation felt afterwards will be worth it. If we need to message a colleague out of hours, we aim to flag whether it’s something that needs to be addressed now, or can wait until they’re back online.
• Provide resources and support: It’s important that employees know how and where to ask for help, particularly if you’re a small business and don’t have an HR department. The Buzz is part of the Mental Health at Work Commitment through Mind, who share advice and easily accessible resources for companies and individuals alike.
• Encourage flexibility without guilt: Flexibility should truly mean flexibility. The Buzz we want to make sure our team feel empowered to take breaks, work in a way that suits their productivity levels, and not feel guilty for doing so. This autonomy, when coupled with trust, can lead to a more motivated and mentally resilient workforce.

While World Mental Health day is a useful reminder to us all that we need to pay attention to this – in ourselves and our colleagues. The risks around mental health are severe but there are things which can be done to minimise them and recognising how working life – in terms of location and environment but also workload – can impact this. Creating an open and honest workplace culture built on trust and flexibility, will enable the benefits to be harnessed and ultimately bring significant improvements to employee happiness and as a result, the quality of the work that they deliver for their clients.