It’s been over two years since the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way many of us work, learn, and interact with each other. But people aren’t the only ones who have been greatly impacted by the virus. Many businesses, large and small, were faced with challenges, while others simply had no choice but to shut down. However, those who managed to survive the pandemic and continue their daily operations were able to thanks to remote working.

While remote working has positive aspects, it also has its downside. Employee mental health and wellbeing concerns are nothing new, and since the COVID-19 pandemic, these challenges have exacerbated, causing this to affect our work performance, put strain on professional relationships, and burn-out.

Alarming Findings

It’s no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted our mental health. According to a 2021 survey by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), remote workers reported the following negative mental health impacts they have encountered through the course of the pandemic:

  • Only one in five employees reported that their employer had offered additional mental health services since the start of the pandemic, down 35% from the previous year
  • More than four in 10 employees fear retaliation if they seek mental health care or take time off for their mental health
  • Nearly two-thirds of people working from home feel isolated or lonely at least sometimes and 17% do all the time
  • Fewer employees report that their employer offers mental health benefits, including sufficient mental health coverage (28%, down from 34%), mental health days (14%, down from 18%), and on-site mental health care (12%, down from 16%)

Mental Health Tips

The idea of working from home sounds like a dream come true for most employees. But since the global lockdown, and the sudden shift to home offices and virtual meetings, it can leave workers feeling stressed and anxious, resulting in mental health challenges. Here are some tips that can help employees feel more productive, gain better control of balancing their work and personal life, and take care of their mental health while working from home:

[Infographic] Mental Health Tips While Working from Home

How Netsweeper Can Help

Mental health was an issue well before the pandemic and has doubled in some countries within the recent years. Employers must take a more proactive role in protecting their employee’s mental wellbeing and engaging with them.

Netsweeper solutions allows businesses to control internet access, review online activity, and protect the network from harmful content, while allowing you to monitor and report potentially harmful online activity in real-time and identify at-risk behaviour. Together, these internet filtering and monitoring solutions give complete insight and control over network activity to ensure businesses are prioritizing employee health and wellbeing.