It’s an unsettling and uncertain time for everyone as the impact of coronavirus continues. With many people now working from home, who may not be used to this way of working, feelings of stress, anxiety and loneliness are going to be common, especially for those who live on their own.
The challenges of social distancing and self-isolation can understandably take their toll on people’s mental health and wellbeing.
So, it seems particularly timely that April is Stress Awareness Month.
With millions of people in the UK experiencing high and often damaging levels of stress, Stress Awareness Month, which has been held every April since 1992, aims to increase public awareness about both the causes and cures for stress.
Recognising & Managing Stress
Recognising and managing stress is a subject that has always been a key area of focus at Copart.
Last year, we invested in Mental Health Awareness training courses for managers across our 18 UK locations, which equipped them with the skills and knowledge to confidently navigate mental health issues in the workplace.
This training has become particularly important as we now find a large proportion of our workforce working from home in line with Government advice regarding social distancing.
Communication is Key
We believe that communication is key to ensure that our remote workers do not feel isolated during this challenging period and we are maintaining regular contact with them by utilising technology to enable team meetings by video, chat groups and online collaboration tools.
We’ve also been sending out hints and tips on how remote workers can stay connected, healthy and positive through regular e-newsletters to teammates working from home.
Karen Langley, Communications Manager, said:
“Many of our teammates are now working from home and for those who are not used to this way of working we appreciate it must feel very strange right now.
“We’re all so used to coming into the office and seeing our teammates every day that we often take that important social contact for granted. We’ve been asking our remote workers to take advantage of online chat and video conferencing technology to help stay connected and have been encouraging them to replicate as many of their usual office routines and habits as possible from home.”
These tips include having a virtual coffee and catch up with teammates to encourage natural breaks and replicating the number of times they might walk up and down the stairs at work in their home throughout the day for a small exercise boost.
Support & Benefits
With healthy eating posing a challenge for some while working from home, we have also encouraged remote workers to check out the latest food and drink offers on the Edenred discount website, which Copart employees have free access to as part of our benefits package. There are great discounts available at healthy meals and snacks companies including Gousto and Lifebox Food, which can be delivered direct to their doors.
Jo Ferguson, Head of UK Human Resources, said:
“During this challenging time, it is more important than ever that we alleviate stress and anxiety wherever possible by providing our teammates with regular communications and access to support when needed.
“Many people across our business are working from home for the very first time, which can itself be stressful, so it’s essential that we make them feel they are not alone. We are encouraging teammates to use online collaboration tools and are regularly promoting the services of the charity Ben, who provide a fantastic range of health and wellbeing support services to people working in the automotive industry.”
Discover what makes us who we are or find out more about how we’re approaching the challenges of coronavirus.