Working from home support guide - December 2020

Working from home

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and requirements to continue to work from home where possible, we have updated our Working from home guide which shares practical guidance to help you manage your health and wellbeing, and aims to support you as we all continue to get used to this new way of working.

It reminds colleagues to take breaks throughout the day, enjoy regular exercise and ensure you’re spending time with loved ones, as this all has an impact on your mental health and overall health and wellbeing. It also includes links to resources for those who may have caring responsibilities, tips on how to ensure company information remains secure at all times, and advice on how to work efficiently.

Our priority remains the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees, and we understand that working from home can be stressful and challenging. We want to ensure that in addition to the measures we’ve put in place across our sites, those working remotely are also well supported.

This guide highlights support available to you, including how to approach these challenges, as well as guidance on working effectively from home whilst looking after your health and wellbeing and finding a home-life balance.

Thank you for your support and please continue to look after yourself, your family and your colleagues.

Regards,

David Thomas Chief Executive

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Dear colleague,

Looking after your mental wellbeing

04

Looking after your physical wellbeing and keeping active

07

Learning from home

08

Getting ready to start your day

09

Getting into a work routine

09

Managing your time

10

Parenting at home

11

Dedicated homeworking space

12

Take regular breaks

13

Stay connected

14

Top tips to manage your team remotely

15

Working in a safe environment

16

Setting up your workstation safely

17

Expenses

18

Saving on energy

18

Keeping data secure at home

19

Maintaining security at home

20

Additional support

22

Support others

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BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Contents

03

There are some obvious benefits to working from home that some of us can enjoy i.e. not having to commute, but feeling stress, boredom, anxiety and uncertainty is also completely normal.

Here are some suggestions to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing.

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Looking after your mental wellbeing

Relaxation and mindfulness Try some meditation or breathing exercises. For example, sometimes we can be so tense that we do not even remember what being relaxed feels like. Progressive muscle relaxation teaches you to recognise when you are starting to get tense and how to relax.

Mindfulness techniques may also help you focus on the present rather than dwelling on unhelpful thoughts (though they may not be helpful for those experiencing more severe depression). Our Learning and Development team run fortnightly Mindfulness Practice Sessions, visit My Learning for available dates.

Reflection Make time every day to reflect on what went well. It’s important to recognise your successes and the things you are grateful for, no matter how small.

04

Sleep Sleep is as important to our health as eating, drinking and breathing. It allows our bodies to repair themselves and our brains to consolidate our memories and process information. See below some useful tips: • Keep regular sleep hours: Going to bed when you feel tired and getting up at roughly the same time each days helps teach your body to sleep better. You should try to avoid napping where possible as this could impact your sleeping pattern.

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Looking after your mental wellbeing continued

• Create a restful environment: Dark, quiet and cool environments generally make it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

• Confront sleeplessness: If you’re lying awake unable to sleep, don’t force it. Get up and do something relaxing for a bit, and return to bed when you feel sleepier.

• Write down your worries: If you often lie awake worrying about tomorrow, set aside some time before bed to make a list for the next day. This can help put your mind at rest.

• Put down the pick-me-ups: Caffeine and alcohol can stop you falling asleep and prevent a deep sleep. Try to cut down on alcohol and avoid caffeine close to bedtime.

• Try a sleep app: Apps like Sleepio or Calm can help with meditation and sleep.

05

Managing your own stress and mental health workshops We regularly run these workshops run by our partner Willis Towers Watson. The interactive sessions look at understanding and managing our own stress and mental health and provides information, tools and tips to support you in maintaining good mental wellbeing through the pandemic and beyond. Look out for available dates.

Connect

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Looking after your mental wellbeing continued

Keep in touch with your friends, loved ones or colleagues. Talking and sharing your thoughts and feelings when you’re feeling stressed or anxious can give you a fresh perspective, as well as enable you to process the experience and focus on ways to move forward positively. Although you may not be able to meet in person, you can make use of the telephone, social media and email.

Barratt Connect Why not take the opportunity to join one of our monthly Barratt Connect calls? These calls offer an opportunity to share experiences and ideas, offer words of encouragement or simply gain some support by reassuring that you are not alone. Click here for further information.

Useful contacts/links: Health and wellbeing: Our Place Headspace App

06

It is important that you keep up with some physical activity. Make sure you take time out to do some form of daily exercise.

In the office, you’d normally pop to the kitchen or walk over to one of your colleagues to ask a question, which you can’t do when you’re working from home. So make sure you factor in time away from your work space when you’re at home, and get some fresh air as well. You can spend a couple of minutes in the garden, or go for a walk around the block to stretch your legs.

There’s also a whole range of exercises you can do at home, such as a home yoga video or a fitness class. Click here for some ideas.

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Looking after your physical wellbeing and keeping active

There are strong links between what we eat and how we feel, for example caffeine and sugar has an immediate effect.

Eating a balanced diet has long lasting effects on your mental health and eating a balanced diet keeps your brain functioning well.

Useful contacts/links NHS Fitness Studio: A variety of fitness videos from aerobic exercise to yoga and Pilates.

Joe Wicks ‘The Body Coach’: Exercises shared on a regular basis and for free on YouTube.

Vitality Health: Vitality offer a range of health webinars run by qualified sports, wellness and nutritional coaches. Joining at lunchtime will give you that much needed break away from doing your work and ensure you take time for yourself during the day.

Click here for more information.

07

We want to ensure that whilst you’re working from home, you still get the opportunity to develop yourselves. Now could be an ideal time to focus a little on your personal development and develop those skills you’ve always wanted to… and we’ve added some great new content to MyLearning to help you.

We know that learning a new skill can have a positive effect on your wellbeing, so we’ve worked hard to ensure a wide variety of flexible development opportunities are available, including live virtual sessions, eLearning modules, videos, book clubs, and modular programmes which are all designed to fit around your working routines. Not only that, but this offer is continually growing as we explore and implement new products and approaches to fit your learning needs.

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Learning from home

Whether its: • Finding new ways of working and insights into reducing stress, anxiety and maintaining a positive and focused outlook.

•

Gaining an insight into working in, or managing remote teams.

•

Developing your soft skills, particularly in this new working environment.

•

Getting to grips with new technology like Office 365 and new selling tools.

•

Undertaking a new qualification or even.

•

Refreshing your mandatory learning.

We’ve got a development option available to support you and enhance your wellbeing.

08

Although you do not have a daily commute, aim to wake up around the same time every day. This helps stabilise your internal clock and improve your sleep overall.

You’ll feel less tired, more refreshed, and find it easier to concentrate throughout the day.

Why not use that extra time to plan the day ahead, take a walk, or exercise before starting work.

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Getting ready to start your day

Getting into a work routine Try to follow your normal morning routine, including getting into work clothes, as you would if you were going into your normal place of work, this will help you get into the right mindset for working from home.

Some people find that dressing more formally is helpful to create that work mind-set, and is also useful if you need to dial into a video call. Changing out of work clothes when you ‘clock off’ will help you switch off at the end of the day and create a separation between work and home.

09

Working from home can give you more flexibility, but it can also lead to the normal boundaries between work and home life becoming blurred. Over time, this can start to take its toll on our mental health, so it’s important to think ahead and create a healthy work routine.

Without the patterns of getting into work, taking breaks, meeting colleagues, and returning home it can be hard to establish good boundaries between work and home. Break down your working hours, when you will start, take regular breaks, and finish.

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Managing your time

Create a work schedule: This is one of the most difficult things to get used to doing when you’re working from home, but is absolutely key to help you focus.

Ensure that where possible you keep to your regular working hours: This will prevent you from over-working which is easy to do when your office is at home.

Start your day at the same time as you would normally arrive in your office or workplace and finish your day at the same time as you would normally leave.

It’s important to not feel you need to “overcompensate” because you are anxious about working from home.

As well as breaking up your day, we want to reassure colleagues that while you’re at home, you should spend some time during the day with those living in your household, whether this is family or friends.

10

We appreciate that home schooling and occupying younger children is still essential for many and flexibility around this is encouraged. Please see below some websites which you may find helpful:

Teaching and activity resources

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Parenting at home

BBC Bitesize: Providing help with homework, revision and learning. Find free videos, step-by-step guides, activities and quizzes by level and subject. It allows you to drill down into the right tools for your child’s school year, and even lets you pick a subject area to focus on from English to Geography to Maths and History. It caters to school children all the way from primary school to post-16, so will work for whatever age your kids are.

Twinkl: Teacher-created planning and assessment materials and teaching resources. Perfect for inside and outside the classroom.

Partnership for Children: Resources to boost your child’s wellbeing.

CBeebies: Includes stories TV shows, games, activities, printable colouring sheets all aimed at younger children.

Fun Home Activities: Ideas for home-based activities with kids from craft & games, to exercise, cleaning, home organisation and photography.

Active for Life: Activities and learning through play, using active games to keep children moving and learning at home.

Scope: If you child has Special Educational Needs (SEN) you can find online support and a range of educational and fun activities to help you support you and your child.

Richer Education: Richer Education is an organisation set up by academics that specialises in delivering enrichment sessions for both primary and secondary school children during weekends and school holidays. They deliver classes, camps and virtual sessions for children to learn, enjoy and have fun.

11

Having a dedicated work area and setting out a proper desk space will help with your focus. This may be the kitchen counter or dining table, but having a separate work space is key to help define the part of your house where work happens.

That makes it more likely that you’ll actually get things done when you’re there, but just as importantly will help you disconnect when you’re not.

Clear your work surface of clutter and set up your equipment to avoid physical strain.

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Dedicated homeworking space

At the end of the day close the door on your workspace, or at the least cover it up and tidy away all papers. Having that physical disconnect like leaving the office supports that mental transition between work and home.

12

It is very easy when you are working at home to lose track of time.

Don’t stay glued to your screen all day. It’s important to take regular screen breaks and get up from your desk and move around just as you would in the office.

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Take regular breaks

Aim for frequent short breaks of around five to ten minutes every hour. Use your break times to clear your mind, stretch, get outside for some fresh air if you can and connect with others, even if that is via phone. Breaks allow you to unwind, re-focus and then apply yourself better.

Don’t skip your lunch break and make sure you eat away from your workspace.

If you really are too busy to take a proper lunch break then make sure you take at least 15 minutes away.

13

When working from home you can feel isolated having not spoken to anyone.

Communicate with your team and colleagues as frequently as possible, and pick up the phone and have a conversation rather than emailing, having a conversation can be much more stimulating and productive than a chain of emails.

Some suggestions may include: • Video/Teams calls instead of emailing can help team bonding and motivation.

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Stay connected

• Short check-in and check-out calls with your manager and your team, at the start and end of the workday.

• Social video/Teams calls or conference calls at breaks and lunch with friends and colleagues including having virtual coffee breaks.

• Checking in with the family and spending breaks with them.

With anyone working from home having access to Microsoft Teams, try using the online chat to stay connected for both personal and work-related topics.

Consider creating new, light-hearted channels to help connect people socially, and where they can share updates about non-work-related subjects. As with daily check-ins, online chat is also perfect to keep up-to-date with daily work/projects.

The Microsoft Teams ‘Getting Started’ Guides can be viewed on MyLearning.

14

1. Encourage everyone to take some ‘me time’ everyday, which could mean taking time out to exercise, go for a walk or read a book. It’s important that colleagues feel that they can take some time away from their workstation each day, and that you’re flexible around when they do so.

2.

Ensure you have solely social engagements with your team, and get these in regularly.

3.

Encourage everyone in your team to set time aside every day for a lunch break.

4.

At the start of all meetings, spend the first few minutes allowing people to catch up.

5.

Keep an eye on people’s output and less on the time they’re working.

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Top tips to manage your team remotely

6.

Ensure your team liaise amongst themselves, peer-to-peer interaction without a manager is essential.

7.

Act as a role model for positive health and wellbeing.

8.

Promote and allow time for training and development opportunities to keep up interest and motivation.

9.

Don’t forget the importance of recognition and thanks with your team.

Remember the Customer First Employee Recognition Scheme, and always look for opportunities for Instant Recognition.

10.

Recognising stress or a lack of engagement early is vital. Get to know each team member so you can spot when there is a change.

In addition to Group level communication ensure that you engage with your team members with more general communication at a local level.

15

Consider your environment and the immediate surroundings in which you will be working.

• Keep cables tidy so they are not a trip or snag hazard.

• Are objects like equipment, bags, paper, files and books stored safely?

Remember there may be others working or living around you.

• Your computer and other equipment may dry the air. Try to work in a ventilated area and maintain a circulation of fresh air if possible by opening windows.

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Working in a safe environment

• Is the lighting suitable, not too bright or too dim to work comfortably?

Consider shading windows, repositioning light sources, or providing local lighting such as a desk lamp.

• Are levels of heat comfortable? The ideal temperature is a minimum of 16°C.

Please ensure that you have a self assessment in accordance with the SHE Form 74a Risk Assessment so that you can self determine the suitability and safety of your home work area and any remedial action that needs to be taken. Once the Risk Assessment has been completed please email this back to your Line Manager. This Assessment should be completed annually.

16

• Where possible try to raise your screen so that the top of the screen is at eye level.

• Ensure your screen is positioned to prevent glare from natural or artificial lighting.

• When using a laptop where possible use a separate keyboard and mouse.

This enables the laptop screen to be positioned correctly.

• Where possible adjust your chair height. Your arms should be at right angles, with forearms lightly supported by the work surface. You may need a footrest if your feet are not firmly on the floor or sit on a cushion to raise you up.

• Make sure the lower back is well supported. Support for your lower back will help encourage good posture. You can use a folded towel to give you more support or consider a backsupport cushion if needed. Try to avoid sitting on unsupportive seating such as a sofa.

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Setting up your workstation safely

If you have any queries relating to the safe set up of your workstation please contact your SHE Manager.

Getting your seating right

• Seat back adjustable.

• Good lumber support.

• Seat height adjustable.

• No excess pressure on underside of thighs and backs of knees.

• Foot support if needed.

• Space for postural change, no obstacles under desk.

• Forearms approximately horizontal.

• Wrists not excessively bent (up, down or sideways).

• Screen height and angle to allow comfortable head position.

• Space in front of keyboard to support hands/wrists during pauses in keying.

17

By working from home, you will be saving on travel time and travel costs. You will be provided with the necessary equipment to enable you to work from home, but any other costs such as electricity and gas will be at your expense. Only in very exceptional circumstances will expenses be paid for home working. Please use the Temporary Working Arrangements Expenses G6459 until further notice. You are eligible to claim tax relief on such expenses. Use this hyperlink which will provide full details.

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Expenses

Saving on energy We appreciate that colleagues may be concerned about the additional energy costs whilst working from home. While we mention above that these should be at the employees own expense, we have partnered with Big Clean Switch, who can help save colleagues £100’s on their energy bills as well as helping them to switch to a 100% green tariff. They could also be eligible for an exclusive £25 account credit when they switch. Further information available on their website: https://bigcleanswitch.org/barratt/.

18

Working from home introduces a number of new security risks. It’s therefore essential that you take extra steps to safeguard the company’s equipment and data which you must do by complying with the Group’s Data Protection Policies: • Do not allow anyone else to use your computer at any time.

• Do not attempt to install any non IT-authorised software onto your computer.

• Do not connect any non-Barratt hardware to your computer.

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Keeping data secure at home

• All business information should be stored on the network H or S drives or OneDrive.

• Keep all paperwork containing personal data in a secure place and away from places where others in your home may see them.

• Do not take paperwork outside of the home, other than in transit to and from a Barratt office/site.

• Lock your screen when you leave your working area.

• Do not leave any Barratt equipment locked in a vehicle.

• Do not leave your equipment near an unlocked open window or door, opportunist thieves will be able to snatch a laptop very quickly.

• If you need to print documents at home please send a requisition form with management approval to the IT Service Desk to be given a printer for the home.

• Please install any required updates in a timely manner.

19

You are our first line of defence against cyber-attacks. Attackers have learned that the easiest way to get what they want is to target you, rather than your computer or other devices. Here’s a few pointers to help you stay secure and protect the business from cyber-attacks: • Be aware of unexpected calls from “IT” to fix your computer or internet (they are probably a scam). If you’re unsure contact the IT Service Desk. No external third party is allowed access to Barratt Developments IT equipment unless authorised by Group IT.

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Maintaining security at home

• Be aware of requests to do things outside of normal procedures.

Verify with the requestor by contacting them on their normal number.

Be extra vigilant for “phishing” emails. Look for emails that have poor punctuation, spelling, or a sense of urgency.

• Do not access the internet unless connected to the FortiClient VPN or Cisco AnyConnect VPN. • Never deny the updating of Windows and Sophos Anti-Virus updates.

• Do not post photographs of your working from home setup to LinkedIn/ Facebook/Instagram/Twitter or any other social media sites.

• Check before you click on links and attachments. Be wary of links or attachments in an email. If in any doubt DO NOT click the link or open the attachment. Report to IT Service Desk and delete the email.

20

• Be suspicious of unexpected emails. If you receive a suspicious email, please report to the IT Service Desk by sending it with the suspicious email as an attachment, rather than a forward. • Ensure you complete your Information Security and GDPR cyber safety awareness training.

For the period that you will be home working, the Company will provide IT access that must be used solely by you for business purposes and will be monitored in accordance with the Companies IT Acceptable User Policy.

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Maintaining security at home continued

For any IT issues or support requirements, including technical issues, access difficulties or additional equipment requests please contact the IT Service Desk:

Telephone: 01530 518080 Email: itservicedesk@barrattplc.co.uk

21

Working from home during times of stress and uncertainty can be lonely and isolating but it is important to remember you are not alone. Keep in touch with friends, colleagues, and family where you can.

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP):

If you are feeling anxious or isolated and want to speak to someone outside friends and family then our Employee Assistance Programme providers, Unum LifeWorks, offer someone to speak to in confidence.

Call 0800 0482702 or visit the LifeWorks website at www.unumlifeworks.co.uk (user id: unum password: lifeworks)

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Additional support

You can also download the free LifeWorks App on the App Store.

Construction Worker Helpline:

BC&E is a construction focused charity that can provide a range of services including financial advice through their Construction Worker Helpline.

Call on 0808 801 0372 or visit: www.bandce.co.uk

Mates in Mind:

We also have a strong relationship with Mates in Mind, a registered charity focusing on improving positive mental wellbeing for UK construction: www.matesinmind.org

Samaritans:

Call the free 24 hour helpline 116123 or visit www.samaritans.org.uk

22

Construction Industry Helpline:

The Construction Industry Helpline is managed and funded by the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity. You can read more about the organisation in their poster and access the help you need or you can also download the free app. The app is aimed at construction workers who would like more information about how they can help themselves or if necessary, take the next step in seeking professional help.

Call 0345 605 1956 or visit the Construction Industry Helpline website at https://www.constructionindustryhelpline.com/

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Additional support

NHS Every Mind Matters:

Access expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/

CALM:

CALM is a charity which exists to prevent male suicide in the UK. They run a dedicated support line and online web chat for men who are experiencing emotional distress or are in crisis.

Call 0800 58 58 58 or visit the CALM website at https://www.thecalmzone.net/

23

Shout: The UK’s first 24/7 text service, free on all major mobile

networks, for anyone in crisis at any time. It’s a place to go if you are struggling and need immediate help.

Text ‘SHOUT’ 85258 and a texter will be put in touch with a trained Crisis Volunteer (CV) who will support via text, or visit the Shout website at https://giveusashout.org/

MIND: The charity are providing helpful information, tips and support

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Additional support

for anyone who is worried about lockdown easing.

Call 0300 123 3393 or visit the Mind website at https://www.mind.org.uk/

CRUSE bereavement care: A charity offering support, advice and

information to children, young people and adults when someone dies. Their fantastic work helps enhance societies care of bereaved people. On their website, you can find help, guidance and information on grieving during isolation. The national free helpline number is 0808 808 1677, or visit the CRUSE bereavement care website at https://www.cruse.org.uk/

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BrightSky: A free to download mobile app, providing support and

information to anyone who may be in an abusive relationship or those concerned about someone they know: https://brightsky.community/

The Money Advice Service: Supports people’s money

management, helping tackle problem debt and improve people’s financial capability, plus free confidential advice.

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Additional support

Call 0800 138 7777 from Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm or visit the Money Advice Service website at https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en

Your Mental Health First Aiders: As part of our ongoing

improvements to assist our employees with their mental health, we have a number of newly qualified Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) throughout the business.

Their role is to support individuals, help to make their life at work easier, listen non-judgementally, offer and encourage support, signpost people to professional help and to assist in a crisis. If you are concerned about yours or another employees mental health then please contact any of the below MHFA to discuss your concerns, we are here to help and assist you confidentially. Please click here to view the details for your MHFA.

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Whilst you may be coping well your colleagues, friends and family may be struggling.

Take time to ask your colleagues “how are you?“ Give people an opportunity to share if they’re struggling, and talk it through.

BARRATT WORKING FROM HOME GUIDE

Support others

Lead by example and share how you’re feeling. When someone asks you, be honest.

If you’re struggling, say so.

Often, just the simple act of saying it aloud helps, and helps others know they can be honest if they are struggling too.

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V2 DECEMBER 2020