Headlines Network publishes new mental health resource on hybrid work

Credit: Courtesy of Headlines Network

Headlines Network, an organisation promoting mental health in journalism, has launched a new resource for hybrid work.

Hybrid work, combining home and office tasks, gained traction in journalism during the pandemic. Before covid-19, it was already present but less common.

According to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ), two thirds of newsroom leaders now adopt hybrid models.

These flexible arrangements have eased life for many, especially working parents, disabled and neurodivergent people, and those on lower incomes. However, they also introduced new challenges.

The RISJ report says that the main concern amongst news leaders is that the newsroom is becoming disconnected (38 per cent). There's also a proximity bias towards those working near their bosses.

The Headlines Network resource is informed by journalists in different roles, levels of experience and backgrounds. It includes practical tips from Sky News correspondent Daniel Henry, FT Specialist managing director Graeme Davis, RISJ director of leadership Federica Cherubini, and freelance journalists Laura Oliver, Natasha Hirst and Angel Martinez.

"The pandemic taught us more about personal circumstances," says Headlines Network director John Crowley.

"But we also realised that managers are people too."

The guide especially focuses on young reporters who have never known a newsroom without hybrid work, forgotten-about freelance journalists and newsroom leaders trying to accommodate the many different hybrid work setups.

The guide is supported by the Google News Initiative. Check it out here.

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