Mental wellbeing important while working from home for long; expert

Chandigarh, June 4, 2022: As many as 125 employees of Infosys Ltd. Chandigarh participated in a webinar on ‘Work from home and its impact on mental and psychological wellbeing’ on Saturday.

Addressing the webinar, Dr. Damanjit Kaur, senior psychiatrist from Faith Hospital Chandigarh said that mental health of employees may get affected during working from home for long periods of time. Just as it is important to look after physical health it’s also important to keep our mind healthy, she pointed out.

She said that some common feelings an employee might start experiencing can be; feeling isolated, lonely or disconnected from other people socially and professionally, being unable to ‘switch off from work’, having difficulty staying motivated and  difficulty prioritizing workload, feeling uncertain about progress, insomnia and sleep problems.

Giving tips to combat these situations she advised to set up routine and structure for workday by creating boundaries between ‘work time’ and ‘home time’.

“Set a routine as if you are going into the office with a regular start time, finish time and a structure for your day with breaks and exercise scheduled in. This will help maintain a strong boundary between work and home life by minimize the possibility of work intruding into your family time and help you switch off from work at the end of the day,”

Studies show that working from home can interfere with sleep, especially for people who find it difficult to switch off from work. Avoid working in your bedroom if possible, she asserted.

Because everyday encounters with colleagues don’t spontaneously happen when we’re working from home, we need to be proactive in organizing meetings and social connections to maintain positive relationships, she opined.  

Try and get outside at least once a day. If you’re not stuck in self-isolation, try to get outside at least once a day. Go for a walk, get some fresh air, and sunshine. If you are in isolation, go out to your garden or walk up and down your driveway or go out onto your balcony and enjoy fresh air, she maintained.