(image: Helena Lopes, Unsplash).

New data has revealed that there has been a rise in interest in mental health advice for those working from home, with searches in England jumping up by 63% in the past year.

With over two-fifths (42%) of remote workers feeling that working from home has had negative impacts on their mental wellbeing, the experts at Choose Leisure wanted to share that there has been a stark interest in mental health support across the UK.

Dr. Hana Patel, NHS GP and GP Medico-Legal Expert Witness commented:

“Working remotely, or from home, can have lots of benefits but it can also be isolating and have a big impact on our mental health. Often, it might be difficult to manage boundaries when being out of the office environment, so here are some tips that can help maintain well-being” :

Highlight of the day – “Each day, try to find one small thing you can take pride in or appreciate. You might find it helpful to create a list at the start of each day, and tick off everything you’ve done at the end.”

Lunch self-care – “Make sure you take at least a 30-minute lunch break and eat in a different room from where you work. If you can, try to get some fresh air and go for a short walk.”

Prep your tech – “Set up a ‘work’ and ‘personal’ login for your laptop, so that you can differentiate between the two – you could even use different screensavers and backgrounds to make the difference clear.”

Meeting environment – “Distinguish between proper meetings and informal chats with your colleagues – if possible, designate different spaces for formal and informal conversations to help set boundaries.

Fresh air, fresh mind – “Go for a walk as soon as you finish – this can act as a fake ‘commute’, and make it feel like you’re coming home after the working day has finished.”

Prioritise breaks – “It’s easy to work longer hours and take fewer breaks when working remotely. Put a reminder in your diary for when you plan to finish working.”

(image: Mikey Harris: Unsplash)

Beyond mental health tips for remote workers, national search trends also reflect the growing concern for work wellbeing.

Choose Leisure utilised search engine analysis to reveal a spike in searches for ‘work from home health’, ‘WFH mental health’, ‘WFH wellbeing’, ‘WFH wellbeing tips’ and 1,446 related keywords.

Nationally, England has been recognised as the country with the largest rise in working from home mental health concerns in the UK, based on online searches.

In 2022, the terms were searched an average of 79,720 times a month, but this rocketed to 129,950 in 2024 – that’s a 63% surge! Scotland came second with a 36% uplift, followed by Wales and Northern Ireland with 35% and 12%.

Searches for WFH Mental Health keywords
Location	2022	2024	% Change
England	79,720	129,950	63%
Scotland	9,690	13,220	36%
Wales	6,880	9,310	35%
Northern Ireland	6,090	6,800	12%

Donna Bicker from Choose Leisure, who conducted the research said:

“It’s important for remote workers to understand they are not confined to four walls, their home office or any space you use for daily work.

“Working from home is designed to foster flexibility and improve work-life balance. With mental health concerns on the rise in the UK, finding an ideal workspace—whether at home, in a café, or even travelling in a motorhome—can be essential for improved mental well-being and productivity.”

This non sponsored blog was written by Choose Leisure.

(Image: Brooke Cagle: Unsplash)

Considering the wellbeing of employees has never been more important, or more timely. With world events like the coronavirus pandemic having a serious impact on global mental health, more and more employers have begun to more seriously consider the overall wellbeing of their employees, not simply their productivity in the workplace.

In fact, many employers are beginning to understand how the two are intimately connected.Indeed, it is reported that healthy employees are 74% more likely to be satisfied with their current job than unhealthy employees.

It is therefore important for companies to consider ways to improve employee wellbeing. Below is a list of tips for improving the wellbeing of your employees.

Training and Long-Term Goals

The reason that many employees are unhappy at work is that they feel they have stagnated, spending years in a particular position without any opportunity for growth or new responsibilities.

It is therefore important to understand the individual professional goals of your employees and how you might deploy training and development schemes to help them achieve those goals. An employee is much happier if they feel they are working towards a goal or new opportunity, not simply stuck in a 9-5 grind.

It is well worth investing in personal development schemes to help employees recognise and develop their individual talents. These schemes can come in the form of lecture series or workshops, training schemes or bootcamps.

Flexibility

It has been reported by several studies that allowing employees greater flexibility regarding when and where they work can greatly improve mental health. Allowing flexible working hours and locations can help employees feel a greater sense of autonomy over their personal and professional lives.

Obviously this involves a degree of coordination, since employees must still be able to work collaboratively throughout the day, but studies have shown that more flexible scheduling can lead to greater wellbeing and productivity.

(image: Stefan Stefanovic: Unsplash)

Social Engagements

It is important for the wellbeing of employees to work in a friendly and collaborative workplace environment. Creating opportunities for social, non-work engagements for your employees is not just a chance for them to let off steam, it can be a vital way of helping employees build meaningful and productive social relationships with their colleagues.

If staff are on friendly terms, they are more likely to look forward to coming into work, as well as more likely to collaborate successfully with their colleagues on work-related tasks. A social and amicable work environment almost always leads to a happier and more productive workforce.

Creating a healthy office environment, full of friendly social links, can be achieved in several ways. One way is the more informal route of arranging after-work social engagements (or weekend trips) for your employees. Or you could go the more formal route of arranging dedicated team-building days or afternoons.

There are a myriad of ways of creating a friendly workplace environment, but it is inarguable that doing so will lead to greater wellbeing among all employees.

Strategize and Focus on Mental health

Many people believe that their mental health issues can at least partly be attributed to the pressures and strains of their professional lives or because they require financial assistance. It is therefore essential for employers to focus on creating an inclusive environment where mental health issues can be discussed and tackled in an open, honest and compassionate way.

There are many ways in which employees can address mental health issues in the workplace. One is to create, and follow, a comprehensive wellbeing policy. The policy should signpost ways in which the company works to address mental health issues as well as the resources that the company provides for employees in regards to mental health management.

Creating a workplace environment in which mental health is clearly seen to be a priority will foster a greater sense of emotional security and wellness for your employees.