Enabling and supporting staff to work from home

To support the wellbeing of employees who are working from home, employers should ensure line managers maintain regular contact and communication with their teams, through phone calls or virtual meetings. Employers should also:

• encourage line managers to discuss the caring or childcare responsibilities of employees and adapt the duties and/or working hours of home workers to accommodate these  
• provide home workers with regular updates and communications in line with the rest of the workforce, for example through staff newsletters or enabling dial-in for all staff briefings  
• give employees information about the support available to them during their period of home working.  

It is also helpful to provide support and tips on what staff can do to maintain their own wellbeing while working from home, including considering:  

• establishing a routine, including a start and end time to your work, as agreed with your manager 
• discussing home working arrangements with family or the other people you live with and try to establish boundaries so you can work uninterrupted 
• maintaining a healthy lifestyle, good nutrition and plenty of sleep 
• taking a lunch break 
• staying connected with other colleagues 
• taking regular breaks throughout the day to get away from your screen/desk 
• staying active, either by taking a walk (if not self-isolated) or doing simple stretches and exercise at home. 

For more information on how to support staff cope with the challenges of working from home, see the toolkit from mental health charity, Mind to access a range of tips, guidance and resources.  

The NHS and Every Mind matters have created seven simple tips to tackle working from home, reminding us to take regular breaks, set boundaries, and stay connected. 

Adjusting to homeworking may be a challenge for many managers and employees, particularly if they're used to working together face-to-face. This guidance is for managers and looks at the people management aspects of supporting remote workers and maintaining an effective working relationship.  
 
1. Maintain regular contact - managers should check in regularly with employees and their teams through phone calls or virtual meetings. 
 
2. Set clear expectations - make sure that everyone working from home knows what is expected of them. This should include agreeing when employees will be available to work, how they will keep in touch, how performance will be managed, and who they should contact if they have any problems.  
 
3. Provide regular updates - staff working remotely with need regular updates and communications in line with the rest of the workforce, for example, through staff newsletters or virtual all-staff briefings. 
 
4. Use video calling as much as possible – video technology helps to maintain face-to-face contact with colleagues, this is an important part of how we relate to others. 
 
5. Be flexible about when work is done - allow staff to work in the most productive way for them and the team, which may enable people to undertake both work and caring commitments. 
 
6. Have longer one to one meetings - people at home can miss having a daily chat with colleagues and feel they are missing out on what is happening at work. Make up for it by setting aside more time for them to catch up.  
 
7. Make time for non-work conversations – just as you would usually do in the workplace. 
 
8. Be mindful of staff feeling isolated, lonely or experiencing a lack of team camaraderie - encourage team get-togethers and frequent interaction via face-to-face technology to build trust and rapport. 
 
9. Talk about how work-life balance is managed - remote working can risk blurring the line between work life and home life, be mindful of this, be clear about expectations and refer to guidance on supporting employees to manage their health and wellbeing.  
 
10. Use our toolkit on people performance management – it provides practical support and helps you develop the skills needed to deal with key management situations. 
 
The Health, Safety and Wellbeing Partnership Group’s Improving safety for lone workers: a guide for staff who work alone and Improving safety for lone workers: a guide for managers highlight the importance of protecting lone workers and provide advice for managers 

 

Some members of staff may be at greater risk of suffering domestic abuse or violence due to home working or household self-isolation. Domestic abuse can affect anyone regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, occupation, religion or social status, including our NHS staff. NHS organisations should recognise the serious adverse effects that domestic abuse or violence can have both on the home and working lives of staff.  

Domestic abuse or domestic violence, is defined as any incident of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of their gender or sexuality.  

It should be noted that domestic abuse or violence happens to both men and women. Research shows women are more likely to suffer more serious injury and ongoing assaults than men. However, it should be acknowledged that men can experience domestic abuse from their female partner and that domestic abuse also occurs in same-sex relationships.  
 
It is believed both men and women are particularly at risk of honour-based abuse or forced marriage during this period. Disabled women are twice as likely to suffer domestic abuse than non-disabled women.  

NHS England and NHS Improvement issued a letter to key leaders (PDF) in the NHS, to remind staff of the crucial signs of domestic abuse and the services that are available to help them to support patients, seek help if they are affected or support colleagues. 

Line managers should seek to support staff by discussing individual circumstances so appropriate support and actions can be taken accordingly. It is important to remember the staff member knows their personal circumstances better than anyone, so it is important to respect their wishes and do what you can to support them.  

If someone reports that they (or their children) are being abused, it is important to believe them. Don’t question them, take immediate (but appropriate) action.  

How to pick up on cues from staff who may be experiencing domestic violence 

Supporting staff with this issue is sensitive and complex in the workplace and can become trickier for managers when staff are isolating and working from home. It's important that line managers are regularly checking in with their staff and pick up on any cues such as: 

• a change in behaviour  
• not dialling into meetings (telephone or virtual) when expected to do so 
• not using the visual aids when in the meeting 
• seeming withdrawn 
• acting irritably. 

If you are concerned about a colleague suffering either physical (sexual), financial, or psychological abuse, we encourage you to approach yours or their line manager.  

Further support

Employers should ensure line managers are aware of the signs of domestic violence and signpost to available support including:  

• If someone is in immediate danger, they should always call 999 in an emergency. If they are unable to speak while on the phone, they should use the ‘silent solution’ system by pressing 55 where the operator will transfer the call to the relevant police force.  
• For information, help and support, call the free 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline run by Refuge on 0808 2000 247 or visit www.nationalhelpline.org.uk if it is not safe to phone.  
• COVID-19 Safety Advice for Survivors from Women’s Aid, including their survivor’s forum, live chat and email services.  
• Rape Crisis resources for survivors of sexual violence.  
• Men’s advice line on 0808 801 0327 for those males suffering domestic abuse or violence. 
• National LGBT+ domestic abuse helpline on 0800 999 5428. 
• Save Lives for supporting disabled people at risk of domestic abuse.  
• Karma Nirvana for supporting victims of honour-based abuse and forced marriage. The Honour Abuse Research Matrix (HARM) at University of Lancashire has developed guidance for employers on supporting staff at risk of honour abuse (PDF) or other forms of domestic violence during COVID-19.   
• Crown Prosecution Service for crime information and guidance on domestic abuse. 
• Respect helpline on 0808 802 0321 for anyone worried about their own behaviour. 
• Bright Sky free mobile app providing support and information for anyone who may be in an abusive relationship or those concerned about someone they know. 

For further support, please see our guidance to support employers in developing a local domestic violence and abuse policy and additional sources of support for staff. 

The government has issued guidance for employers on how to tackle loneliness within organisations. Produced by The Campaign to End Loneliness, the guidance acts as a conversational starter to widen and deepen understanding of workplace loneliness so that employers can identify areas to support staff.  

As we continue to integrate remote working into our daily working lives, supporting social connections and tackling loneliness as part of workplace wellbeing is beneficial for both employers and employees. Having good quality, meaningful connections in the workplace is associated with better work quality outcomes and higher levels of wellbeing and engagement at work.   

To find out how your organisation can address and tackle loneliness in the workplace through further information, top tips and organisational good practice, read the government’s full report on Employers and Loneliness.