Has work from home changed the way you look after your wellbeing?

A Travel & Tourism report has shown that the expanding 'work from anywhere' culture has led to extended stays and the blurring of lines between travelling for work and personal time. So, has work from home changed the way you look after your wellbeing?

The report from Relatable said:

• More than 50% of global travellers say that they would extend their business trip to enjoy some personal time at their destination.
• Lots of people view remote working as an opportunity to slow down, stay longer and explore holiday locations.
• 42% of global employees said they intend to work from overseas mid-term.
• 70% of companies plan to introduced a 'work from anywhere' policy by 2025.

It is widely reported that Millennials and Gen-Z are leading the way in demanding more of a work/life balance - protecting their own mental and physical wellbeing in their career choices. However, for working parents, those with elderly parents, those in carer roles or simply those who want to enjoy their health and wellbeing as well as their careers, and be more motivated and productive as a result.

Workplace wellness and productivity

While it's hard to see a positive in the Pandemic, and many forward-thinking organisations were already embracing the work from home culture and flexible working options to support individual team members, undoubtedly Covid-19 has escalated the trend.

Forbes reported that just before the coronavirus pandemic really took hold, about 31% of workers in the United States said they had worked from home. By April the same year that number had risen to 62% and that figure has broadly remained the same since. Contrary to the initial fears of many employers, productivity rose ('sometimes by as much as 25%') as people were more comfortable and experienced fewer interruptions.

Work/life balance

While the WFH revolution has the capacity to blur the lines between work time and downtime, for those who manage to strike the balance, there's an opportunity to totally reshape the way we organise our working lives - integrating them more fully rather than having rigid segmentation.

That integration and flexibility is something that's always been encouraged by Spabreaks.com Founder, Abi Selby. In her article about coming back to work after having her children, our own CRM & Email Marketing Executive, Laura, said:

"When I started, I was talking to Abi about balancing home and work, and she knew I was worried about it. Her advice was not to totally separate work and life - that it was ok to blend the two a bit - let the kids meet the team on video calls, sit on my lap when I’m on the phone or answer a few emails while they’re in a swimming lesson. Let the kids know that the laptop isn’t something that takes me away from them."

Wellbeing and leisure for life

When we look at the options for how we can spend our leisure and wellbeing time, the advances in workplace wellbeing and how we can incorporate health into our working day and week, this idea of balance is rising to the fore. Instead of working on the basis of being run ragged five days a week and collapsing at the weekend, more people are endeavouring to feel 'well' all the time.

That might mean aromatherapy at your desk, a walk at lunchtime, yoga before work, or even eschewing after work drinks for an after work thermal suite and massage instead, with an evening/twilight spa break.