Are HR investing in the right areas of wellbeing?
Are HR investing in the right areas of wellbeing?
Around nine in 10 employers are worried about the increases in numbers of their staff reporting mental health issues, says a new survey from Willis Towers Watson of 213 UK companies.
In response, 75% plan to improve benefits provision in the short and medium term; 78% with a particular focus on stress management and mental health services over the next six months. 64% intend to make sure current wellbeing offerings were highlighted.
The data picked out the most common health benefits being offered: mental health support (68%), GP consultations (68%) and physiotherapy/musculoskeletal support (45%). But for the future, employers are looking to also include specific services around menopause (37%), male health (30%), female health (29%), gender transition (28%), fertility treatment (23%).
What’s wellness?
The question is whether HR plans are in line with what employees are really looking for, and what’s going to help them best cope with the new normal.
In another survey, this time by Canada Life among 592 employees currently working from home, 87% said they wanted access to mental health support. 54% wanted to see the introduction of mental wellness days; the same proportion was keen for help in addressing ‘always on’ presenteeism while working from home.
Work by IDC and Unisys suggests employers’ plans are out of sync with employee needs. In research carried out among 1,100 people across 15 countries they found 66% of firms planned to operate with a new model, and that 64% wanted to create a better working environment. For employers that meant safety first, but also increased productivity. For employees however, their priorities were having a work location and schedule conducive to family life (66%); being empowered and given more independence (51%). Employers were more interested in the problems with WFH and the need for better technology. Only 7% of staff surveyed were concerned about the lack of management oversight.
Getting into tune
“We’re in a stage where both sides of the world of work, employers and their people, are looking for change. We’re all looking to re-build in positive ways that bring a greater sense of resilience and psychological safety,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.
“The broad agreement might be there, but there are going to be differences in emphasis and detail that could lead to less effective or wasted wellbeing investment. The value of EAP services are their breadth and depth. For employees they offer an independent outlet for talking about any kind of issue, at any level. And for organisations as a whole, the kind of solid platform necessary for securing engagement and performance.”