Mental health support improves but employees’ health declines
New research by ACAS has found that over a third (36%) of British employers have seen their mental health support improve since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
ACAS commissioned YouGov to ask businesses in Britain about whether they had seen a change to employee mental health and wellbeing support in their organisation since the start of the pandemic. The poll found that:
- Over a third (36%) said it had got better.
- Nearly one in ten (9%) said it had got worse.
- Half (50%) reported it as staying the same.
- 6% of employers did not know.
Despite these largely positive findings, new research published in Nuffield Health’s Healthier nation index reveals that 41% of employees reported a mental health decline since the beginning of the first lockdown in March last year.
The research showed that 50% specifically cited overworking as a barrier to doing physical activity and almost half (48%) revealed they were not aware of the steps they could take to boost their mental and physical health.
Additionally, more than a fifth (21%) stated that employers should undertake mandatory reporting on the physical and wellbeing initiatives they have in place to improve the physical and emotional wellbeing of their staff.
Brendan Street, Professional Head of Emotional Wellbeing, Nuffield Health, believes employers have a “significant” role to play in supporting workers’ mental health and should prioritise communicating the support on offer, with rapid access available to mental health specialists. He said:
“Employers should communicate the changes they’re making to the workplace for those nervous about a physical return. This can help alleviate feelings of anxiety in employees who worry they may be stigmatised for fearing an immediate return to normality."
Organisations should also be mindful of the mental health of those staff working from home, Street said, pointing to research showing that remote and hybrid workers regularly exceed their expected working hours. He concluded:
“Employers should provide advice on separating work and home life and outline employee expectations from the outset. This means defining working hours and letting employees know they aren’t expected to reply to emails outside of them."
ACAS advice for employers on managing mental health includes:
- Be approachable, available and encourage team members to talk to you if they’re having problems.
- Keep in regular contact with your team to check how they are coping.
- Be understanding towards the concerns and needs of your staff while they work in new or unexpected ways – for example, working from home or managing childcare while working.
- Address any individual communication preferences such as asking team members if they prefer to talk over the phone, through video meetings or by email.
- Look after your own mental health and get support if you feel under more pressure than usual – this support could be a colleague at work, a mental health network or a counsellor.
Sometimes people require specialist support with physical or mental health issues and may need extra support, for example from occupational health, human resources and counselling.
People thrive on friendships and good social interaction, and people who have positive relationships in the workplace are more likely to enjoy coming to work and be productive when they get there. The importance of the quality of the professional relationship between employees and their line manager cannot be emphasised enough.
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