Why time-richer execs are favouring the Home-Boardroom

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For the first time working from home is being seriously adopted by those at executive level, according to new research by premium health insurer Bupa Global, and it’s providing serious benefits.

Thanks to the impact of COVID-19, the world of work has had to evolve faster than ever before and working from home is now more common, even at executive level.

But even after lockdown ends, many executives now want to keep up the benefits including less commuting and more time with their families, according to the results from the Bupa Global Executive Wellbeing Index. It found that more than half of global executives do not plan to return to the same fast pace of life following the pandemic, which rises to six in ten for chief executives^[i].

So, how do executives see their work lives post-COVID? And what benefits do they expect?

REAPING REWARDS

There are many advantages to home working, from cutting out the crowded commute to spending more time with your family.

Another major benefit could be one to your health. A new study, published earlier this year in the journal BMC Public Health, surveyed 32,000 working adults and found that those who worked longer and reported poor work-life balance were twice as likely to say their health was poor^[ii]. One of the benefits of rewriting the work playbook is that now, according to Bupa Global’s research, 16% of executives will now discourage work outside of working hours in a bid to improve the work-life balance^[iii].

Dr Pablo Vandenabeele, Clinical Director for Mental Health at Bupa Global, says that creating boundaries is a positive and necessary step, that we have long needed. ‘For a long time, we have seen that the digitalisation of work has caused us to blur the boundaries between private and work life,’ Dr Vandenabeele says. ‘Indeed, we know that many execs struggle to refrain from answering emails last thing at night and first thing in the morning.’

LONG TERM SOLUTIONS

The changes we’re experiencing are leading to a better future, according to Sheldon Kenton, Managing Director of Bupa Global, ‘The changing way we do business, a chance to reflect on our familial as well as environmental responsibilities, helps set a blueprint for greater wellbeing in years to come.’

Dr Vandenabeele says that the home-boardroom can become a long-term solution, as long as we make the necessary adjustments. ‘It’s important to maintain the boundary between work and private life,’ he says. ‘Ensure your workplace at home is located in a separate part of the home (this does not always have to be a separate room but can even be a separate desk), maintain set hours (as you would do in the workplace), have scheduled lunch breaks, and make clear arrangements with those living with you what is work time and what is family time.’

He adds that social connections are important in order to preserve our sense of identity. ‘This can be done by ensuring you have daily periods whereby you go out of the house and engage with the world but also ensure that some degree of social connections with colleagues is maintained.’

BUPA GLOBAL RESOURCES FOR CUSTOMERS

Bupa Global has resources to help you and your family cope. If you’re a Bupa Global customer and have a health concern the Global Virtual Care (GVC) service provides confidential access to a global network of doctors by telephone or video call, with virtual appointments available 24/7 in multiple languages - enabling you to speak to a doctor at a time that suits you. Please visit our COVID-19 information hub for more details on how you can access our GVC service.

Alternatively, if you have access to Bupa Global through your employer – you and your family may be entitled to use the Employee Assistance Programme. The programme entitles Bupa Global policyholders to access trained healthcare professionals 24 hours a day, 365 days a year via phone, email or online to talk through any work, life or personal concerns.

For more information about Bupa Global health plans call 0371 346 0407 or visit bupaglobal.com/withyou

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Calls may be recorded. Bupa Global is a trading name of Bupa Insurance Limited and Bupa Insurance Services Limited. Bupa Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Bupa Insurance Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Global Virtual Care is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority or by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Global Virtual Care is provided by Advance Medical, a Teladoc Health Company, and Everyday Resources is provided by Workplace Options LLC who are both service providers for Bupa Global. Bupa Global is not responsible for any actions or omissions carried out by these third parties in the provision of these services.

^[i] Bupa Global’s Executive Wellbeing Index, Sept 2020: https://www.bupaglobal.com/en/your-wellbeing/inside-bupa/wellbeing-index

^[ii] Mensah, A., Adjei, N.K. Work-life balance and self-reported health among working adults in Europe: a gender and welfare state regime comparative analysis. BMC Public Health 20, 1052 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09139-w

https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-020-09139-w

^[iii] Bupa Global’s Executive Wellbeing Index, Sept 2020: https://www.bupaglobal.com/en/your-wellbeing/inside-bupa/wellbeing-index