Lone Working - Financial benefits vs Mental health

Today I want to discuss Lone working and its effect on business performance and more importantly a topic close to my heart MENTAL HEALTH 

How we work has undergone significant changes in recent years, with many individuals in storage now working alone because employers see the financial benefits of this. When making these decisions its really important to consider the most critical element of any business…… its people. With education of mental health at the forefront of many charities and social agendas now is the time to reconsider our approach in the self-storage industry and think differently to how we have done in the past

The Mental Health Challenges that come with working alone can be defined below:

1. Social Isolation: A prominent challenge of working alone is the lack of social interaction. Loneliness can lead to feelings of isolation and, over time, impact mental health negatively. Social isolation can affect nearly every aspect of your mental health. Studies show that feelings of isolation can be linked to:

• • Suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts
• • Less restful sleep
• • Decreased ability to regulate eating
• • More stress, especially in the morning
• • Greater difficulty paying attention and doing complex tasks. 

2. Work-Life Boundaries: Separating work and personal life can be challenging when working alone, leading to overwork and burnout and unproductivity.

3. Lack of Support and Feedback: Without colleagues nearby, individuals may miss out on the support and feedback that can help with problem-solving and skill development. This can result in an unengaged team that will directly impact performance.

4. Increased Stress: Responsibility for all aspects of work, from project management to client interactions, can result in high-stress levels. With the social isolation element, this means people cannot talk about the stress, and it can snowball and result in sickness days, which negatively impacts the whole team.

People of all ages are vulnerable to the effects of social isolation. For example, if you experience loneliness as a pre-teen or teenager, you’re more likely to struggle with depression in adulthood. Older adults are vulnerable emotionally and cognitively. Social isolation can cause up to a 40% increase in dementia risk. Working alone regularly can lighten old scars and affect them in the long run.

The financial burden of not accepting lone working. 

Consider the scenario of a standard self-storage business employing three full-time team members with a combined annual salary outlay of £97,000, comprising the Store Manager at £40,000, Assistant Manager at £32,000, and Sales Consultant at £25,000, totalling £97,000.

When an employee takes sick leave, typically necessitating temporary replacement from another branch, the ramifications extend beyond mere short-term coverage. This practice often perpetuates a cycle of solitary work shifts, leading to a reduction in staff engagement, subsequently resulting in decreased productivity, diminished employee retention rates, and a higher turnover rate.

Should the industry opt to invest in an additional team member at an annual cost of £25,000, coupled with National Insurance and Pension contributions approximately amounting to £3,000, the monthly cost would approximate £2,333, or roughly £538 per week. Or in storage terms five additional reservations per week.

By mitigating or eliminating solitary work shifts, not only would employee satisfaction improve, but it would also enable a greater emphasis on teamwork and personal development, aligning with our organisational values. This fostering of organic professional growth would subsequently diminish reliance on Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) in supporting our teams, reinforcing the prominence of genuine interpersonal connections within our industry. Ultimately, this strategic shift underscores our commitment to embodying our corporate values, placing our workforce at the forefront of our priorities. 

Conclusion

The prospect of solitary work arrangements introduces a series of formidable challenges, encompassing aspects related to productivity, performance, and the overall well-being of our personnel. Specifically, this pertains to concerns of social isolation and the maintenance of a healthy work-life balance.

Considering the potential benefits, I suggest that as an industry, we contemplate the allocation of resources toward the addition of an extra employee, with the intention of mitigating the necessity of solitary work shifts. Such an investment has the potential to yield improvements in performance metrics, a reduction in sick leave frequency, and decreased reliance on Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) to support our staff.

I welcome and encourage input from you all to gather insights and data that may substantiate or challenge this hypothesis. Do any of you possess evidence to either endorse or refute the proposed theory? As an employee, I would be interested in hearing your perspective on the connection between solitary work shifts and mental health and whether you are in favour of addressing this issue.

Your input is highly valued.