Extra leave, virtual yoga classes, and zoo tours for children are some of the ways big companies are trying to help their employees cope with the Sydney lockdown.
EY has offered all Sydney staff a cash voucher to help them buy healthy meals while working from home. Nick Short, 45, from Sydney, said he struggled juggling his job at Westpac with home schooling his children during the first week of lockdown last month. He started taking carer’s leave to spend half of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with his children. He works a full day on Friday when his wife, a veterinarian, is at home.
Online communication such as virtual meetings, established during last year’s lockdown, is being used again this year to ensure staff stay in regular contact. When the lockdown is over, Ms Small says all staff will return to the office because a hybrid model did not work when it came to planning a film festival.“It killed creativity,” she said. “There was always an important person or an important piece of information not in the room.”
“More regular online catch-ups with CEO’s, encouraging employees to regularly check-in with their colleagues to talk about their well-being, along with initiatives like providing mental health days off or encouraging staff to take time out every day to exercise, is more widespread,” he said.