Hybrid working and virtual contact with clients can leave advisers sometimes feeling isolated, so it is important for workplaces to make sure social prescribing approaches have been put in place.
This was one of the solutions to social isolation and helping people return to work, which was discussed in a recent webinar hosted by Generali UK.
In the webinar, Dr Julie Denning, chartered health psychologist and managing director of Working To Wellbeing, and Kay Needle, Generali UK’s early intervention and rehabilitation expert, talked about the positive role that employers and social prescribing can play to help people return to work and thrive in their occupation.
In the webinar, Needle explained that while people are very aware that physical and emotional health has a two-way relationship, often people forget about the social aspect of wellbeing.
We don’t want enforced employer activities. That can create rather than relieve stress. Dr Julie Denning, Working To WellbeingThis aspect is being addressed in primary health care, and by the Department for Work and Pensions under the banner of social prescribing.
But Needle and Denning discussed the importance of an employers’ role and responsibility in regard to the social enablement of their colleagues.
Effect on young people
Dr Denning explained that while social isolation is a lack of social contact, "loneliness means a person might have social contact, but still feel lonely".
She said this could can affect a whole host of people in different situations, including:
- Being a carer
- Being unemployed
- Being self-employed
- Working remotely
- Having a long-term health condition
- Living alone
- Having a disability
- Being widowed
- Being bereaved
- Single parents
- Being parents on maternity leave.
In particular, this affects young people aged 15 to 24 - the cohort with the least financial resilience and those who the advice profession is working to bring in.
“Some of these factors do apply to our workforce members”, Denning said. “Strong evidence suggests loneliness affects our mental and emotional health.
"It can be linked to increased mortality rates, and cardiovascular problems. These are significant risks that social isolation has on people in the workforce.”
Social aspect of the health model
Also on the webinar, Denning and Needle discussed how there was "a strong impetus" for employers to provide something to cover the social aspect of the bio-psycho-social health model.
“The workplace is a social community, an entity, a group of people coming together for a shared goal, “ said Needle. “With the introduction of remote and hybrid working, employers have been grappling with how do we enable that social connection."
Denning recommended the importance of talking with, and listening to employees, seeing them as individuals with different needs and preferences.
She explained: “Everyone has a different social metre. And it is about listening to what the needs of individual work forces are.”
“Challenge the judgements and assumptions that you might be making in good faith, if you want to set up a football team or netball team, remember this might suit extroverts, but not introverts. They don’t want massive social networks,”
Denning added: “We don’t want enforced employer activities. That can create rather than relieve stress.”
Wider community context
Denning and Needle spoke of the wider community context – the sorts of projects taking place locally close to people’s homes - such as gardening, music, bridge, book clubs.
With remote and hybrid working employees often live many miles away from their workplace, so social connection might include giving people the opportunity to create connections in their own communities.
“So maybe it’s about giving people the time and flexibility to attend local community groups. Not every workplace and business can do that so it does come down to what is reasonable and can be facilitated,” said Denning.
Where an employer manages a disparate workplace with people spread around the region or even nationally - as often financial advice firms are - the onus is not on the employer to organise clubs and activities, she said.
The focus and emphasis is on the physical, and maybe the emotional. But we can neglect the social need.Kay Needle, GeneraliHowever, it is about the employers seeing what kind of enabling actions they can take to help their workforce be part of their communities, and participate in local community groups.
This can be especially helpful to those at home with children.
“Why don’t we give people 60 minutes in the morning, taking their lunch early or coming in later, and allowing people to have their healthy social connections in their communities?” Needle suggested.
There was a discussion on surveying and canvassing individual staff on their needs and what they would like to be possible.
The discussion concerned organisation collective needs versus the needs of the individual, trying to strike a healthy and achievable balance between the two.
Questions that company owners can ask are:
- How do we support people who, for individual reasons, find it hard to participate?
- How do we ensure that social initiatives are inclusive, and how do we engage people? This may relate to people who are neurodivergent, or who have disabilities.
- How are we doing in terms of surveying and canvasing and being as inclusive as possible?
- What do people need, really?
Needle said: “When we see social activities in the work place, its often fun runs, steps initiatives, marathons. There seems to be a tendency towards physical activities because it fits nicely in the wellbeing space.
"There is a known correlation between wellbeing and physical health and fitness.
"The focus and emphasis is on the physical, and maybe the emotional. But we can neglect the social need. This is beneficial and doesn’t need to tie into the physical challenge."
“When we look at employees who need it most – those with long-term health conditions - are physical activities and physical team challenges the best solution for them? Are there are other ways to do this?” asked Denning.
Benefits of social interaction
The conversation turned to highlight the benefits of basic social interaction in talking with others. This is why attending conferences and networking events can be such an important part of the adviser's calendar.
Needle said: “Just chatting and nattering – whether it is a book group, knit and natter, that opportunity to come together and just chatter.
"When you talk together you are processing information you are articulating information you might not have thought of before, and relating and feeding information into your schema and how you look at the world and validation and normalising of experience."
That is part of social connection – talking through the emotions. Finding the opportunities where people can come together will be just as medicinal as the steps and running and physical activities.
The two experts also took time to explore volunteering as an answer to social isolation, and suggested things such as volunteering.
Not only can this make you feel good, but volunteering is an opportunity to get out and do something which will likely improve mental health and to engage with our communities.
Social support
Likewise, a person on long-term sick leave can be encouraged to re-engage with their social support.
“So if a person had a knee injury and couldn’t attend his running club, encourage him to return to the club and for a meeting in the bar with his team mates after, so he can talk to people, and therefore socialise.
"You can think it is the physical side and the exercise but you can miss the social elements that someone is missing if they have a physical injury and can’t participate in,” said Denning.
The pair talked about the fears some people have of being on sick leave. “Just because a person is on sick leave the onus can be on being under the duvet, a patient, resting.”
Getting people out of the house can help people fight social anxiety and social isolation.
Volunteering can be half-way house to returning to work, and it can get you into a community of people to help you get structure to your day and build your physical cognitive and social domains.
An employee may be off work sick, but there is a big gap between being able to perform the duties of their occupation, and returning to the summer party for 30 minutes to say hello to colleagues.
This can also help to diminish social anxiety after being off work, and help keep in touch with colleagues and clients in-person, in an informal setting.
Anita Boniface is a freelance journalist
