When working from home damages your Corporate Brand

An unsupportive home working space is a route to stress, anxiety and corporate brand damage.

Companies with staff working from home in the last 6 months have enjoyed cost savings for office accommodation and utilities along with increased productivity of staff. 

Many, including Google are not anticipating a full return to traditional office based working anytime soon.

But while staff might be more productive, the question is, what’s happening to their wellbeing?

Is productivity coming at the expense of a balanced home life, working without a break and an engendered feeling of vulnerability as the country goes into recession?

And what happens when the long sunny days turn to rain-soaked grey and usher in the winter blues?

Working with my Interiors Therapy clients, I’m seeing ‘office space’ taking over sitting rooms, kitchen tables, and squashed into bedrooms. People are perched on dining room chairs and breakfast bars with precious little regard for ergonomic postural support.  

There is no escape from the job unless home includes a dedicated study space or spare bedroom, and even then, other working members of the family are likely to be making do elsewhere. It’s not sustainable and it needs a lot more proactive thought.

Clients are telling me they feel pressured to be available any time their boss is online. They constantly check their laptop or phone for emails, afraid of being regarded as lazy or ineffective, although they are working longer hours than before. 

This isn’t a healthy working environment. It’s a route to errors, stress, anxiety and blame.

Some employers actively invested in providing risk assessed home working environments, most did not.

We’ve all seen and judged people based on the visible areas of a room during Zoom calls. 

It’s easy to lose respect when someone’s home office is a bedroom with an unmade bed and dirty washing, but if a member of staff was sent home with zero support to create an optimal workspace, then the company must take responsibility and accept the blame for damaged health, morale and wellbeing.

And if that member of your team is customer facing, representing your company, what’s that doing to your brand?

With Interiors Therapy we look at the whole home to identify the various needs of the people who live and work there. 

By defining areas to work safely and productively for their set hours and then switch off from the office completely, we set boundaries. Work spaces are created to support the user energetically, physically and emotionally. 

This benefits both staff and employer, making the working day more lucrative and profitable all round.

If working from home is a long term plan for your staff then a supportive working environment is essential. Let’s talk now, before it’s too late!