Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Information for employers

00:01 Okay, so hi everybody, my name is Annie and I'm a health advisor based in London.

00:05 In my role we like to focus on positive lifestyles to promote health and

00:09 well-being so today we're going to have a talk about how to make homeworking

00:13 work for you and your household. So striking the right balance between work

00:20 and leisure can be a challenge for many different reasons.

00:22 So, what we'll look at today is: work-life balance, digital detox, how technology can

00:28 support us and also improving sleep. Now, Londoners actually spend about three

00:35 weeks more at work a year than the rest of the UK, according to data, and with an

00:39 average working week of around 40.4 hours for males

00:43 and 35.2 hours for females in London, it's important to strike the right

00:46 balance between work and leisure. Many of us are now part of the Sandwich

00:50 Generation, which is generation of people whose caring responsibilities span two

00:55 generations. You might, for example, be caring for your children and ageing

00:59 parents or in-laws. For some people, things like being

01:03 self-employed or running your own business can also add to the pressure.

01:07 With current guidelines, we're potentially working from home a lot more

01:11 now and this can disrupt our typical routine, leaving us to go one way or the

01:14 other. We might procrastinate more when we're not in the usual office

01:18 surroundings, with our work uniforms on, or we might be very productive but more

01:22 inclined to work longer hours over the weekend because we have laptops and work phones on at home.

01:27 You might find that you're responding to client and business

01:31 requests outside of traditional business hours, or you might find it hard to

01:34 switch off and separate your work from home life. Working outside of usual

01:38 business hours is now also more common, as the world is more connected, so you

01:43 might be expected to work across different global markets, and therefore

01:46 time zones, or to deliver goods around the clock so why is it important having

01:52 a good work-life balance is recognized by nice which is the organisation

01:56 colonization that provides national guidance guidance and advice to improve

02:00 health and social care and I think that it's very important for mental health it

02:05 encourages workplaces to support work-life balance through policies as a

02:09 good balance can protect people's physical and mental health.

02:12 For example, it might help to protect against high blood pressure, drinking too

02:16 much alcohol and depression. So if people look after themselves and achieve a good

02:21 balance, they'll be more productive and less likely to experience burnout.

02:26 Within this topic, it's important to mention that you need to find out what works for you.

02:30 There will be something different for everyone.

02:34 Some people are more workaholics and thrive off the adrenaline, whilst others

02:38 prefer a more structured working day. Also if you are in a managerial role, you

02:43 need to be mindful of how your work behaviours can impact the team.

02:48 Scheduling early morning meetings or sending emails late at night can set a precedent for

02:51 the rest of the team to do the same. When reviewing your work-life balance,

02:55 it's essential to consider external factors, like your relationships or

02:59 family commitments, so if you are getting pressure from you at the half, for

03:03 example, saying: "You're always checking you work phone!" it might be time to

03:06 readdress things. If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed while working, it

03:12 can have a significant impact on both your personal life and productivity, so

03:16 it's best to seek support from your manager before you reach a point where

03:19 you can't cope, as you might be able to make some small changes to your routine

03:23 that will prove to be the solution to your problem. Let's have a little look

03:27 at some tips to help us get that right balance. Now although we are social

03:33 distancing, we can still use the hoursthat you're working, either from

03:36 home or out and about, to look at how to get that right work-life balance. Firstly,

03:42 as I mentioned briefly, try get support from your employer. Discuss your workload

03:47 with your manager. Let them know how you're coping and trying to manage people's

03:51 expectations on what you can deliver and when. If possible, have regular meetings

03:56 or one-to-ones and talk to you manager about your working

03:59 arrangements. So, depending on the nature of your role, you might be able to

04:04 have flexible working hours or compress your working week into a set number of

04:08 days. And if you are working from home and looking after children at the same

04:11 time, flexible hours might be beneficial for you. Now remember to use your annual

04:17 leave. You are entitled to it, so do use it. It's probably going be one for when

04:22 we were safely able to go back to work and spend time

04:24 with our friends. We can think of it something to look forward to. Of

04:28 course, you might still want to use your annual leave at the moment and we might

04:32 just need a day off just to relax at home and speak to family and friends.

04:38 Remember that saying 'no' is okay, so learn to say 'no' if you can't take on extra work

04:43 or responsibility. Make sure you're able to explain why; you can't just say "no"

04:47 your boss - "Nope, I don't want to do that!". Accept the things that you can't change

04:51 and concentrate on the things that you do have control over. If possible, we also

04:57 say try and stick to your contracted hours, so see if there are ways that you

05:01 can work smarter, rather than harder or longer, and to achieve tasks within your

05:05 contracted hours. I think it's really important at the moment to try to develop

05:10 good relationships with your colleagues. It can help to create like a social

05:14 network at work and particularly important now we spend more time social

05:18 distancing. We want to use Skype, WhatsApp, email - you can use anything to check in

05:24 with each other. Your work colleagues do know the work that you're doing and can

05:28 actually help you stay focused and motivated. Now alongside this, do try and

05:34 be aware of the signs of work-related stress. Almost 12 million working

05:39 days are lost each year because of perceived work-related stress and stress

05:42 can contribute to such conditions as anxiety or depression. Nearly half a

05:47 million people in the UK have work-related stress at a level that's

05:50 making them ill, so it is important to recognise the signs of their

05:54 work-related stress to know if you need to adjust your work-life balance.

05:58 Signs can include: feeling that you can't cope, constantly worrying, finding it hard

06:04 to concentrate and remember things, feeling disappointed with yourself or

06:08 lacking confidence and seeing only the negative things in life. If you are

06:13 feeling those sorts of feelings, do get in touch with your manager and our

06:17 people who were unto you and try and get some support. Now this might not work for

06:26 everybody, but some people are working from home with children, so let's have a

06:31 look at some things just to consider. First of all I'm going to say take

06:35 advantage of technology - there's loads of apps and TV available for

06:39 children. At the moment I know that Joe Wick, The Body Coach, is doing like a 30

06:44 minute PE session each day for kids, which is great. And don't feel guilty if

06:49 they are looking at screens more often than usual. It's a time to do whatever

06:53 works for you and your family best. As I mentioned before, be flexible with

06:58 working hours - it might mean speaking to your manager and seeing if you can start

07:01 later, or have more breaks so you're able to care for your children. Do make the

07:07 most of nap time, whether that's trying to fit in chores, or work that you need

07:11 to do, or it might be taking the time to recharge yourself; giving yourself time

07:16 to have a 10 minute yoga class or read a book, or even practice mindfulness.

07:22 Some people are lucky to have a sort of an office area to work in from home,

07:28 others might not, but finding a specific working area can really help.

07:32 I'm finding that setting out a section on the kitchen table makes me more

07:37 productive and I won't be having any visitors so the mess isn't such a

07:40 problem. We also want to focus on positives, so whilst it is a difficult time

07:46 with lots of changes try to focus on positives at this time. So me and my

07:51 friends at the moment have started saying to each other every few days

07:53 something that we feel positive about and so far things have come up like:

07:57 extra time with the family, not having to commute as much, getting creative with

08:02 games and ideas for things that the children might enjoy and also spending

08:06 more time in the garden. So, whilst you are at home, do you try to make a

08:15 conscious effort to achieve a good work-life balance and stick to it. Set a

08:19 few non-negotiables, for example, going to bed at a set time each night.

08:23 Particularly when so many of us are working from home, it's important to set

08:27 times and boundaries when you will work and when you're relaxed.

08:30 Try not to think about work when you're not working. If you're spending time with

08:34 your family or doing something you enjoy, try to put any thoughts or worries about

08:38 work to one side, although I do know that it can be difficult! Spending time with

08:44 family and friends outside of work is tricky at the moment, however we do need

08:47 to show observing correct social distance

08:50 in measures. We might have to get creative,

08:52 for example using different apps, so HouseParty or Zoom, which are video

08:57 calling apps, so that we can speak to people and catch up from our own homes.

09:02 It might also be playing board games, so playing board games with people that you

09:07 live with, or online games with friends. You could set up house games leader

09:11 board to give everyone something to look forward to in a bit of competition; it's

09:15 something that I've recently implemented in my household and it's proving to be a

09:18 really good way to engage with people. Although we might need to rely on

09:23 technology more at the moment, do you try to spend some time without you at home.

09:27 It's always important switching off from Facebook, emails and Instagram for a

09:32 little bit of time can help relax our minds. For those working long days, it can

09:38 be hard to find time to incorporate exercise into your working week, whether

09:42 this is working from home or not. It is very easy to forget to do our usual

09:46 exercise routine, or maybe our gym classes aren't running, or you usually

09:51 exercise with friends and that isn't allowed at the moment. This is where,

09:55 again, you might need to get a little bit creative with what you do. It could be

09:59 looking online for some free classes or videos; it may be utilising household

10:03 using - I don't know - books for weights. The

10:10 health advisers at Bupa will still be putting out some videos through Facebook

10:14 to give people some ideas about exercise so can keep your eyes peeled for those.

10:19 Do eat a balanced diet with lots of fruit and vegetables and get enough

10:23 wate. We want to try to keep our bodies healthy and hydrated and find

10:27 time to enjoy our meals.

10:31 Now we touched briefly on this on a previous slide, but I think it's worth

10:35 mentioning again. There's a lot of information going around about the

10:39 current pandemic and whilst it's great to be up-to-date, it's probably not that great

10:42 to be looking at Facebook to get all your advice. This is because we don't

10:46 know what's right and what it's made up. So often over the past few weeks I've

10:50 seen a post starting: 'My mum's friend's sister has said...' which is probably not a

10:54 reputable source and it just serves to make me anxious.

10:57 So saying that, setting a time during the day, maybe over dinner or before bed,

11:01 to not look at your phone is really beneficial. It can also be important to

11:06 be aware of your existing habits and think about how then they might impact

11:10 the information you see too. Now using apps and wearables to your advantage.

11:19 Humans are social creatures, so it's really important for us to have positive

11:23 social interactions. It can help to combat loneliness and stay upbeat. A few

11:28 suggestions of ways to stay instant in touch could include, as I've mentioned

11:32 before, the Houseparty or Zoom apps, so video calling apps, it might be WhatsApp group

11:38 chats so you can stay in touch with people and send both voice notes, or it

11:43 might be things like Headspace or Insight, designed to help you sort of

11:47 train your mind and body for a healthier, happy life. So, looking at mindfulness

11:51 and meditation, you could even track your heart rate or

11:56 your steps -try and keep up with your friends on your Fitbit and for those

12:00 that do a bit more exercise you could look at Strava, where you can connect

12:03 with people and compare your exercise done. So next we're going to have a brief look at

12:11 some information surrounding sleep. So, as you can see here, sleep is a temporary state

12:17 of unconsciousness, which she can be woken up from and it's divided into two

12:21 main phases: NREM, which is non-rapid eye movement, and REM which is rapid eye

12:26 movement. So the first phase of your sleep is called non-rapid eye movement

12:31 and that's how you spend most of your sleeping time. This phase actually has

12:36 three different stages within it. The first stage, N1, corresponds with feeling

12:41 drowsy and N2 is a light stage of sleep where you can easily be woken up; it's

12:46 how you spend half of your sleep time. And N3 is a period of deep sleep. So

12:52 the second phase, after the first one, is the rapid eye movement sleep, during

12:58 which you tend to dream. Now sleep is a cyclical process; the above sequence

13:03 occurs repeatedly throughout the night and a cycle lasts, on average, about

13:07 90 minutes. Each cycle occurs four or five times a night and that's dependent

13:12 on how long you sleep for. How do we get a good night's sleep? We want to resist

13:20 the temptation to snooze if possible so in that groggy state after waking up

13:25 hitting the snooze button becomes all too easy. It's likely though, that

13:29 delaying your alarm won't just make you late for work, it will also leave you

13:32 feeling worse once you're up and out of bed. Your body begins preparing you to wake

13:36 some time before the alarm goes off, so releasing hormones that promote

13:41 alertness and getting you ready to face the

13:44 day, so hitting the snooze button actually confuses this process as sleep-promoting

13:49 hormones are released into your bloodstream making it even more

13:52 difficult to awaken. You want to try and avoid caffeine and caffeinated beverages

13:58 late in the day have been shown to prolong efforts to fall asleep, as well

14:02 as negatively impacting your sleep quality, so even the healthiest sleep

14:06 there should be careful with the amounts of caffeine that they are ingesting. Whilst

14:09 we're familiar with caffeine in tea, coffee, chocolate bars and potentially

14:14 soft drinks, it's important to note that caffeine can also be a hidden substance

14:18 in products such as medication. We also want to probably have a look at our alcohol

14:24 consumption in the evening. Alcohol might ease getting to sleep, as it can make you

14:29,290 --> 00:14:32,470 feel sleepy and reduce the time it takes to fall asleep

14:32 however sleeping with alcohol in our system changes the composition of sleep so that once

14:36 the alcohol wears off, we'll spend more time sleeping in the lighter, non-restorative stages of sleep.

14:44 Alcohol-induced sleep can not only leave you feeling more vulnerable to sleep disturbance, but prevent you

14:50 from feeling refreshed in the morning. Vivid or bizarre dreams are also more common

14:54 during alcohol induced sleep. You probably want to try and avoid napping during the day. It can

15:01 lower the sleep pressure that we feel in the evening, so it postpones feeling of

15:04 sleepiness and it reduces the time spent in deep sleep during the night.

15:09 On the whole, sleeping during the day is inconsistent with our internal

15:12 biological clock and can lead to a more variable sleep time and quality during

15:17 the night. I want to have a look at the sort of activities that we do late in the

15:23 day. A stimulating activity should be avoided before bedtime, so it can include

15:28 overloading yourself with food in the evening, or even reading the latest

15:32 page-turner in bed. It's going to be slightly different for everybody.

15:36 For some people, reading a book is really relaxing; for others it

15:40 might be a bit too intense. Now, the ideal activity at this time of day would be to

15:45 relax the body in the mind and let go of the day behind you. So the point is to

15:49 de-arouse yourself to prevent the struggle falling asleep. We're also going to have a look

15:55 at our bedroom. So we want to keep our bedroom as dark as possible. Keeping

15:59 our sleeping environment dark will not only prevent sleep disruption due to

16:03 light, but it can also affect how we sleep so it's actually during the dark

16:07 phase when the hormone melatonin, that promotes sleep, is released in the brain.

16:12 Lying down in dark bedroom can actually further stimulate this production and thus

16:16 ease the onset of sleep. You want to try and commit to a schedule. So

16:23 a consistent bed and rising time is key for a poor sleeper and it will increase

16:27 the predictability and consistency of sleep, regardless if we're a night owl or

16:32 morning lark, sleeping at the right time of the day is important and it's so that

16:36 we can get the right composition of specific sleep stages for maximum sleep

16:40 benefits. Finally, exercise has long been linked to better and deeper sleep, whilst

16:46 reduced physical activity has been linked to more frequent instance of insomnia.

16:50 Aerobic exercise in particular, practiced three times a week, has been shown to

16:54 help adults with chronic insomnia by improving their sleep quality; reducing

16:59 the time to fall in asleep and reducing the number of awakenings during the night.

17:04 However, as we mentioned before, we don't want to have too many stimulating activities late in the day,

17:09 so intense aerobic exercise is discouraged too late in the day, as it might postpone the initiation of sleep.

17:17 Now on this slide there's just some

17:20 links for some further support and the top one shows the Bupa coronavirus hub

17:24 which is updated regularly, if you are looking for more information around

17:27 what's going on at the moment.

17:31 So that's the end of the talk today! I hope there's been some useful

17:35 information for you. And just a quick summary: we have just looked at the

17:41 challenges and effects of getting that work-life balance, how we can manage it

17:45 at home and at work, getting enough sleep and how we can use technology to our

17:50 advantage. Thanks very much!