A survey was conducted by Virtual College - an online training provider - to identify the issues encountered by workers since they commenced working from home at the start of the lockdown on 23 March 2020. A year has passed since the UK went into that first lockdown and HR had no option but to take control - proving its adaptability.

Teams had to react quickly and put into place strategies to ensure that remote working did not deepen work-related stress or burnout.

Of those workers surveyed, 48.6 per cent said they felt less fit since working from home, whilst 39.35 per cent felt more tired.  Over 20 per cent of the respondents said that they regularly felt stressed in their new working environment - and over 30 per cent said that working from home is more stressful than working in the office.  In addition to stress, 20 per cent of those surveyed said that their mental health had worsened as a result of working from home.

Some respondents - 30 per cent - quoted anxiety and over 37 per cent stated that they had experienced moments of loneliness, with 35 per cent saying that they missed the interaction with others in the office.  Insecurity and depression were cited by 20 per cent of home workers and in terms of physical health, 20 per cent stated that they did not have a comfortable workplace at home.

Siobhan Martin - Global HR Business Ppartner at Aegon Asset Management - said that HR has learnt first-hand how important human interaction is and that employees will need to interact with colleagues in person once the lockdown is lifted. 

She told HR magazine:

"It’s important to acknowledge that we are social creatures and it is easy to forget the feelings of security and calmness that come from just being around other people. HR must build this into the new world of work after the pandemic." 

The survey also found that many workers were not getting outside or taking exercise regularly and when it comes to physical ailments over a third of respondents said they have experienced backache as a result of working from home.

Many respondents - 38.74 per cent - said they exercise just 1 or 2 days per week; 13.5 per cent get no exercise; over 10 per cent do not get outdoors at all while working from home and the majority - 39.64 per cent try to ensure that they get some fresh air just 1 or 2 days per week.

Hannah Brindle - Managing Director of Virtual College - said:

“We are very excited to launch our ‘Walk for Wellbeing’ campaign and we truly hope we can inspire many businesses and their teams to get active, get outdoors and get walking. Getting fresh air and exercise - particularly in the daylight, can really help with both mental and physical wellbeing, and building this into your working day with support from your employer is incredibly important. The insights from our survey were concerning and reinforce the need for all of us to take our mental and physical wellbeing seriously - particularly if we want to remain motivated and productive at work and at home and keep healthy and safe. In Virtual College, we have introduced a ‘daylight hour’ - where we encourage our teams to take an hour out during the day and get some fresh air and exercise. Our ‘Walk for Wellbeing’ campaign is taking this one step further - encouraging our people to collaborate and participate in bigger walking challenges which we hope will counteract some of the mental and physical symptoms associated with living and working remotely.”