28 January 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic has meant many people are adjusting to working from home and during this latest lockdown many parents again find themselves trying balance home schooling their children as well.

A new study by the University of Oxford suggests that the pressures of lockdown have increased the levels of stress, depression and anxiety in parents and carers.

The researchers found that between mid-March and the end of December 2020 parents and carers were:

·       having difficulty relaxing

·       being easily upset or agitated

·       feeling hopeless

·       lacking interest and pleasure

·       feeling fearful and worried

·       being more irritable, over-reactive and impatient

According to John Jolly, head of the charity Parentkind, the research highlighted “the additional stress and pressure that partial school closures place on parents”. He suggests that policymakers listen to the concerns of parents regarding the “safety and reopening of schools, the fair allocation of grades in the absence of exams, and remote learning provision”.

However, employers can also take measures to mitigate some of the stress parents are facing during these challenging times.

Here at Corinthian, the management team got together as soon as this current lockdown was announced and discussed what more we can do to support the mental well-being of our team members. We decided that with immediate effect we are giving our employees who are home-schooling two hours off every day to enable them to focus on home learning with their children.

If, like me, you are constantly being interrupted while on a Zoom or Microsoft Teams call, then take a look at our stay at home schooling guide. This is a great resource full of useful links to fun and educational websites, to help entertain your children when you need to get some work done.

I’ve also found it helpful to establish a routine and create a dedicated work area. For more resources and support while balancing working from home and home schooling, visit our website at: https://corinthianbenefits.co.uk. If you are an employer, ask yourself what you’re doing to support your employees during this difficult time.

As we are operating primarily remotely at the moment, we can offer a telephone call, or video Zoom to answer your questions. Please contact us at [email protected] Tel: 0845 241 9541