A Big Orange Heart, formerly known as WP&UP, has opened its 2020 Remote Work Wellbeing and Mental Health Survey. The charity organization focuses on supporting remote working communities with education and resources for mental and physical health. It is also home to a community of more than 4,700 members who support each other in growing their businesses and building new skills.
The survey asks fairly broad questions about your mental health and the mental health support in your work environment. It takes approximately three minutes and is completely anonymous.
Results from the 2019 survey showed that the majority of people in the WordPress community work alone and a significant percentage are dealing with anxiety and suicidal thoughts:
- 8% of the WordPress community have had suicidal thoughts in the last 12 months
- 47% stated their workplace makes them feel anxious
- 56% of the WordPress community works alone
Big Orange Heart founder Dan Maby believes these results are helping his team save lives. The charity is actively creating and maintaining services and a peer support network that encourage people to stay connected to their community, in order to reduce the isolation they experience.
“Our 2019 results identified that almost 8% of all respondents had been dealing with sustained periods of feeling suicidal over the previous 12-months, twice the national US average,” Maby said. “This finding led to more training being provided in suicide prevention and support for our team, which enabled us to support multiple individuals that have contacted us requiring suicidal support, all of whom are still with us today.”
There are more people working alone remotely now than ever before due to the pandemic. Spend a short time on any social media network and you will likely hear several people say they are not doing okay. This survey helps the team at Big Orange Heart understand the extent of mental health related issues within the remote working community and informs various initiatives the organization plans throughout the year.
“As a charity, like so many others at this time, we have been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 global crisis,” Maby said. “Now more than ever we need to ensure our limited resources are used in the most effective way possible. Your anonymous data will allow us to best understand how we can help improve the lives of others within our community.”
The Remote Work Wellbeing and Mental Health Survey runs for one month and will close on August 31st. Take the survey and check out Big Orange Heart’s blog for several helpful posts on how to maintain your mental health while working during this crisis.