As England goes back into national lockdown, fears are rising that the country could be about to be gripped by a mental health crisis.
Managing the physical and psychological health and wellbeing of staff was a top priority for retailers when the first set of restrictions was unveiled by the government back in March.
Although the lockdown, reduced social interaction and concerns over job security all created stress and uncertainty, the spring and summer weather meant people could still enjoy exercise outdoors and meet friends in parks and pub gardens when measures eased.
But with wetter, colder weather and darker nights setting in – and with huge uncertainty still hanging over plans for Christmas celebrations – the second lockdown is likely to take a greater psychological toll on people across England.
Looking after the mental health of colleagues and customers is therefore going to be much more difficult than in the spring.
Since the coronavirus crisis gripped the UK, Retail Week has focused on the crucial topic of mental health in our articles and virtual events.
Here, we pull together some essential resources to help you and your workforce keep on top of your mental health as the country prepares for a Covid Christmas.
Mental health, motivation and managing the highs and lows
This Be Inspired workshop asked attendees to take a moment to pause and focus on your mental wellbeing.
Starting with a keynote from Google on the importance of minding your mental health and the ways the tech giant supports its colleagues, before going into a panel discussion in which retail leaders shared how they maintain motivation when times are tough, this online event provides tangible tips for getting through the difficult times.
You will hear stories and advice from:
- Lee Frankham, retail director, EE
- Emma Heal, managing director, Lucky Saint
- Naomi Kasolowsky, group insight director, Tesco
- Becky Postlethwaite, industry manager – retail, Google Cloud
- Eimear Sweeney, Benefits Lead, Google Cloud
Retailers raising the bar in mental health support
In this article, Emma Mamo, head of workplace wellbeing at Mind explains how to create a culture where staff of all levels can open up about their mental health and know that if they do, they will be met with support and understanding.
There is also practical advice from retailers making it their responsibility to support and protect their employees’ mental health including Pets at Home, Superdrug, Lily’s Kitchen and Wessanen UK on the steps businesses can take to support the mental wellbeing of their workforces.
Advice from retail execs on managing stress and mental health
To coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, RWRC spoke with senior retail leaders from Ocado, John Lewis Partnership, Lucky Saint, Pets at Home and Secret Sales to understand how they embrace ‘good stress’ and deal with ‘bad stress’, and the measures they have taken to stay resilient during the coronavirus crisis.
In the video, senior retail leaders, including Lucky Saint managing director Emma Heal, Pets at Home director of private brands and innovation Claire Gavin, John Lewis Partnership managing director of partnership services Patrick Lewis, Ocado chief operations officer Anne Marie Neatham and Secret Sales co-founder Sach Kukadia, share tips on how they are staying mentally healthy.
They have shared advice on how to avoid catastrophising situations, alongside candid insights into the different ways they switch off.
The leaders also discuss the difference between ‘good stress’ and ‘bad stress’, and the steps they have taken to avoid the latter.
Why self-care is an important leadership skill
In this feature, retail chiefs including Lucky Saint’s Emma Heal, Beaverbrooks’ Anna Blackburn and Air & Grace’s Claire Burrows extol the benefits of investing in yourself during this difficult time.
As Covid-19 consumes the industry and brings major disruption and uncertainty, UK retail chief executives have all got more going on than they can handle, more demands than they can meet and more questions about their business than answers.
So how can retail leaders navigate this challenging period while maintaining their mental health?
Practising self-care can help leaders and their workforce keep a positive headspace and maintain a healthy work/life balance.
Influencing workplace wellbeing in the new normal
The restrictions as a result of the coronavirus pandemic have sent shockwaves throughout retail.
The way we work across all disciplines has been reimagined and this will inevitably evolve.
What will this ‘new normal’ look like? And how can we all have a say in what policies are put in place to protect customers and employees?
Watch this panel discussion to discover what different retailers are doing to ensure their workplaces are safe and comfortable post-Covid-19 and find out what we as individuals can do to influence this.
The panellists are:
- Amanda Cox, stores and people director, Dunelm
- Manju Malhotra, chief operating officer, Harvey Nichols
- Rebecca Ryman, customer performance director, Intu
- Emma Mamo, head of workplace wellbeing, Mind
