More businesses in Hong Kong are working remotely than ever before in an effort to combat the Covid-19 crisis. But while employees may now be well acquainted with working from home, this way of working can also present challenges that are difficult to spot at times – such as feelings of isolation and loneliness.

According to Jack Leung, Regional Director of Hays Hong Kong, this can not only impact performance and productivity, but also be detrimental to mental and physical wellbeing. To prevent this from happening, he sets out six ways that employees can look after their wellbeing while working remotely.

1. Create a dedicated workspace

“If you don’t have a separate room to work in, try your best to still create a dedicated space to work in from home”, advises Jack. “Keep it clutter-free and away from any distractions. If you discipline yourself to only work in this space, you’ll find it easier to keep your focus and still enjoy your time in other parts of your home.”

2. Be a home worker, not a lone worker

According to Jack, communication is key when working from home. “Work out what you need to put in place to enable you to communicate with colleagues, keep it frequent, and try not to use too many different platforms. You’ll mainly be communicating about work, but don’t miss out personal conversations too which usually happen more naturally in the office.”

3. Talk face-to-face where possible

“Wherever possible, communicate with your colleagues via video”, Jack recommends. “Face-to-face conversations are more engaging than conference calls and will help you feel more connected to your colleagues. Just remember to dress appropriately and keep your background neutral and not distracting to those seeing your screen.”

4. It’s okay to take a break

“The nature of an office environment can mean you’re more likely to take a break to chat to a colleague or go out and buy lunch. Therefore working at home means you need to be more proactive about taking a few moments off work to give yourself a break”, says Jack.

“Go for a walk outside, make a nice meal or take some time out to chat to a friend on the phone. Short breaks will help you refocus on your work and eventually support your productivity and mental health.”

5. Maintain your physical health

“You’ve probably heard it before, but eat well, sleep well and exercise well”, says Jack. “These are the cornerstones of good physical health and shouldn’t be ignored just because you’re working from home. If you find yourself with more time in the day as a result of not commuting, use it to improve your physical health and ultimately benefit on your productivity and wellbeing.”

6. Take a moment to reflect

“It’s very rewarding to end your day by reflecting on what you’ve achieved. Recalling these success and highlights on a daily basis will help you maintain a positive outlook on your work.”

Jack ends by reassuring professionals: “As Hong Kong continues to brave strict measures and keep the crisis in control, remote working has become an essential piece to keeping businesses afloat while preserving the health and safety of their employees. While many have already adapted to this new way of working for the first time, wellbeing may not always be top of mind. These tips are a reminder that a few simple and proactive steps can go a long way in not only ensuring wellbeing, but also maintaining morale and productivity.”

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Hays, the world’s leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.

Hays is located in Hong Kong at 6604-06, 66/F, ICC, 1 Austin Road West, West Kowloon, Hong Kong.

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About Hays

Hays plc (the "Group") is a leading global professional recruiting group. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Asia Pacific and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe and Latin America. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As at 31 December 2019 the Group employed 11,600 staff operating from 266 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2019:

– the Group reported net fees of £1,129.7 billion and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £248.8 million;

– the Group placed around 81,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 254,000 people into temporary assignments;

– 18% of Group net fees were generated in Australia & New Zealand, 27% in Germany, 23% in United Kingdom & Ireland and 32% in Rest of World (RoW);

– the temporary placement business represented 57% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 43% of net fees;

– Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA