Combatting loneliness at work
This week marks Mental Health week with this year’s focus on loneliness. As recruiters, we try to be mindful of how people feel as they progress through their recruitment journey, it can be exciting looking for a new role but some will also find it challenging. Applying and interviewing for a job can bring us into areas where we can feel uncomfortable – you may be put on the spot, asked challenging questions. You may have to face rejection, have to deal with feedback, deal with new environments and potentially have to have difficult conversations on your journey to that new position. A job search is a time when we are required to be resilient so make sure that you prepare yourself mentally for what’s needed and if that dream job isn’t offered to you, that’s ok. There will be others.
Post pandemic many find themselves spending more time working from home and we hear from some of our network that it is in this new environment that people can be more exposed to feelings of loneliness during the working day as those casual meetings, office kitchen chats and shared lunches have become less frequent.
If this resonates with you it’s important to try and find solutions that will bring you the contact and connection you may crave during your working day. Here at Hasson Associates we’re all home workers and these are just some of the ways in which we try and connect and ensure good mental health whilst working alone.
Talks and Seminars – from in person to online there’s a wealth of lunchtime learning that you can participate in. Often run by universities, galleries or local libraries on a range of topics. The MRS also have regular webinars with access to their archive for members. Grab your lunch and learn something new for an hour.
Join a networking group – &more, WiRE, Research Club, CoRE, AQR. The market research industry has lots of groups where you can get involved and meet people either at in person events or via later afternoon video events.
Take a break – use your breaks and lunch to head out of the house. Go and have a coffee with a neighbour or friend, go for a walk, get some exercise, interact with what’s around you from people to nature. It’s good for the soul.
Call your colleagues – we can be too reliant on email when actually there’s no substitute for picking the phone up and having a chat. Share what you’re working on and remember if a colleague calls you, maybe they’re feeling lonely and want to hear a friendly voice. Try and spare a few moments to chat things through with them.
Set boundaries – it’s easy to take your seat at home and be there all day. Don’t. Create a WFH routine that structures your day. One colleague at HA begins and ends her day with a walk, her ‘commute’ that marks her day, leaving the house and coming back. Remember, switching off is vital for good mental health, where possible limit your emails to working hours.
It’s good to talk and at Hasson Associates, if you want to talk through your next role, then we’re here to listen and advise. Being human is at the heart of what we do.