Unfortunately, for some this will mean job loss and the uncertainty that brings. Even those fortunate enough to retain their roles might find work life unsettling. And then there are the managers and mentors who will be worrying about how best to guide their teams through this tumultuous time.
So whatever their situation, it’s likely your staff already need support to enter this next phase of the pandemic. And because a significant proportion of us are working from home, remote support is going to be crucial.
With huge numbers of workers seeing reductions in income, worrying about managing their money and coping with the negative impacts on overall mental health all this can cause, never before has it been so important to deliver this sort of support.
Something any employer can do is share credible online resources that provide free or low-cost access to mental health services, financial guidance and general wellness advice. So I want to use this post to share some of the best blogs and apps that I’ve been visiting during the five months of lockdown – in the hope that there’s something here to help your colleagues, whether they have their own concerns or are managing those who might be feeling uncertain.
TicTrac
Let’s start with a service we actually use at Wealth Wizards. TicTrac describes itself as “personalised health and wellness platform designed to generate lasting engagement and empower people to live healthier lives”. Launched in 2010, it has been used by some of the world’s biggest healthcare and insurance providers, including Aviva, Allianz and Prudential. The platform, which is available both on the web and as an app, combines personalised content, lifestyle campaigns and incentivised challenges to motivate staff. It also uses behavioural science to “nudge” staff into positive behaviours. Interestingly, existing investors include tennis champion Andy Murray.
Breathe HR blog
Run by the folks from software firm Breathe HR, the editors publish articles almost every other day on a wide range of topics, covering everything from employment law and flexible working to mental health and employee engagement – and a lot more besides. Recent posts include “10 Tips for Effective Performance Reviews”, “6 ways to motivate your team” and “Can an employee take unpaid leave?”.
SuperWellness blog
Working with employers, the team at SuperWellness provides “nutrition-centred wellbeing services”. They do this by helping companies make workplace nutrition an integral part of their wellbeing strategy. As you might expect, the blog is packed full of advice on what food stuffs and drinks can help people through lockdown and prepare people for the uncertainty ahead. Recent posts include “Why is nutrition a ‘must’ for your mental wellbeing strategy” and “How to support employees who are going alcohol-free”.
Noom
Staying with health, the weight management app Noom is another online tool that comes highly recommended by some of my colleagues. It helps people view food, exercise, and weight loss in a way that allows them to stick with the diet long-term. Instead of promising sudden or easy weight-loss, Noom takes a responsible stance on weight management, emphasising the role education and accountability can have in making positive changes in your health and wellbeing.
Work Well Being blog
The Work Well Being consultancy was set up to deliver workplace wellbeing programmes and initiatives “to enhance employee health and happiness and build enduringly healthy work”. The blog offers advice on how to spot the signs of depression, stress and sleep deprivation and support staff through those issues – along with a broad range of other important topics. While less prolific than the other content producers in this list, articles are always thought-provoking and always offer practical, actionable tips.
CIPD Blogs
The Chartered Institute of Professional Development (CIPD) is a professional body that champions better work and working lives by setting professional standards for HR and people development. CIPD Blogs plays a key part in its vision to drive positive change in the world of work by focussing on a range of topics by community members, many of them thought leaders in HR. These include national policy, workplace benefits and rewards and thorny topics like racism and bullying. There’s also a good opportunity to get involved in the thriving comments sections, the most active of which are promoted in a side bar.
Business Healthy
The aim of Business Healthy is to bring together businesses in the City of London to ignite a positive change in the health & wellbeing of their workforce. The site outlines some stark challenges: 31 million working days lost to work-related illness and workplace injury, 12.5 million working days lost due to work-related stress, depression and anxiety and 6.9 million working days lost due to work-related back, neck, & muscle pain and other musculoskeletal disorders. While many of the recent posts focus on government guidance for employers on coronavirus, a handy curation side bar makes it easy to find advice you might be looking for on a diverse range of topics including addiction, mental health in the workplace, disability and physical health.
Bonus:
It would be remiss not to mention my favourite app, MyEva – but I hold my hands up and admit I’m biased as this is our own digital financial adviser for workplaces. MyEva helps employees improve their financial situation with independent personalised guidance and advice.
So, whether you’re an owner, manager or team member, I hope you find something among these fantastic sites and apps that can help you through the turbulent times ahead.
Please feel free to tweet @MyEva_app or comment below with any you think I might have missed and we’ll add them to a future post.
Learn more about MyEva
MyEva is a digital financial wellbeing expert designed to support employees with their financial wellbeing by helping to improve their financial situation with independent personalised guidance and advice.
To learn more about how Employers can support the financial wellbeing of their workforce, explore www.myeva.com, email linda.anderson@wealthwizards.com or complete the form below.
Follow MyEva on LinkedIn today to discover how Employers are improving the financial wellbeing of their Employees.