Let’s lift more people out of loneliness

We’re living in a different world for mental health, both in workplaces and more widely in society. As the Mental Health Foundation’s report ’Mental Health in the Pandemic’ made clear, relationships with friends and family were disrupted and broken, particularly among those on lower incomes or with physical disabilities.

At a time when more bodies, including the NHS, are calling for national action and planning to deal with a mental health crisis, Mental Health Awareness Week (9-15 May 2022) is more important than ever.

Every Mind Matters – Loneliness

This year the Department for Health & Social Care, alongside the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, are encouraging everyone to think about ways they can ‘lift someone out of loneliness’, as part of the Better Health — Every Mind Matters campaign.

The campaign web pages provide advice on the issues and how to help yourself and others

There’s also a toolkit and campaign materials which can be used by employers

Small acts

“Those small acts of kindness, making time to get in touch with people who might be feeling isolated can make such a difference,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell. “We all need that kind of reassurance, no matter how well connected we might feel ourselves to be. Busy modern lives and our absorption into social media mean we can often forget the importance of face-to-face contact.

“At the same time, actually opening up about feeling lonely is a difficult thing to do. As ‘successful’ and independent modern people, it’s not something we’re not supposed to feel. That’s why it’s so important for HR to make the EAP visible, and keep on sharing the message that speaking to someone in confidence through an EAP is a normal thing to do, before negative emotions and experiences become too much. Together we can always find a better way forward.”

Why employees expect to burn out

Research published in time for Stress Awareness Month suggests that 62% of British employees had experienced burnout (a state of physical and emotional exhaustion) in the past year. A quarter believe they had been burnt out ‘consistently’ over that period.

The figure was one headline in the Anatomy of Work Index produced by global software firm Asana from surveying 10,000 employees internationally (2,000 in the UK).

Why it’s happening

Burnout is supposedly more of a problem for women (67% compared with 58% of men had gone through the experiences), and for younger workers (72% between 16 and 38 compared with 56% of 39 to 64 year-olds).

Hybrid working isn’t helping with stress. Almost half 46% said they felt more isolated working remotely. 56% were multi-tasking during virtual meetings, and 55% were checking work emails outside work hours.

“The perception that burnout is an inevitable part of career success suggests that there may be a trend of championing overwork in some UK companies,” says Asana’s Simon O’Kane. “If businesses don’t take action, they risk workers falling into a cycle of exhaustion, poor performance, and low morale.”

Stress as a drug

“Burnout should never be seen as a badge of honour,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.  “It’s bad for anyone’s health, no matter how strong they believe themselves to be. The exhaustion involved is serious and has implications in terms of work and home life — and the potential for ongoing problems with physical and mental wellbeing.

“HR should be working with their EAP provider to promote the importance of healthy attitudes to work and the importance of a balance in people’s lives. Stress at ordinary levels is a good thing for motivation and for the pay-off in terms of a sense of achievement and overcoming problems.

“In this way, sometimes stress can be a kind of drug, encouraging overworking and risk-taking. But employees have to be able to recognise when the stress is getting unhealthy for them, be able to talk about it openly with their manager and peers, and know when and how to get professional support from an EAP before there’s a collapse.”

Who wants to admit they’re hard up?

A survey among more than 2,000 UK employees by YuLife found that 80% are worried about stress as a result of their financial worries. Similarly, 80% feel it’s having an effect on their performance.

The stress is being made worse by a mismatch in expectations between employers and their people. 49% of employees surveyed believed that it was their employer’s responsibility to help support and improve their financial wellbeing. But only 21% said they would be comfortable in actually opening up and talking about their financial stresses. 24% claimed it wasn’t clear about the support on offer from their organisation.

Financial aid

YuLife CEO Sammy Rubin said: “The almost-universal nature of money worries means that employers have a responsibility to support their employees’ financial wellbeing with additional benefits and insurance products as well as creating help and awareness to suit their financial needs.”

With the cost of living crisis beginning to be felt by more households, more employers are looking to provide practical advice.

Halfords, the motoring and cycling services and products company, has introduced access to a financial planning app. In this way its 10,000 staff have an easy way to get information on their finances and how to budget and control their wages. The business also provides a flexible pay cycle so that employees can draw on money earned in a month before pay day.

EAP ROI

“Advice on financial planning is an essential in our context of rising bills — particularly when the full implications of inflation are yet to be seen and felt,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“But often that’s just the first stage. It’s when people realise they have a problem that the cycle of stress and the negative impacts on their work begins. Employees need a way of managing both their finances and the stress that’s involved.

“It can be just as difficult to talk to a manager or colleagues about a money worry as it is about mental health — perhaps worse, as we live in a culture where financial wealth is still seen as an indication of being ‘successful’. So anxieties just spiral and grow.

“This is another way in which the professional and confidential guidance of an EAP, both in terms of advice content and in speaking with a human being, is so important.”

Who wants to admit they’re hard up? EAPA UK

Are employers spending enough on mental wellbeing?

Deloitte’s new report —Mental health and employers: The case for investment – pandemic and beyond — suggests the estimated total cost from absenteeism, presenteeism and turnover caused by mental ill health has increased by a quarter since the start of the pandemic: up to somewhere between £53 and £56 billion.

The authors surveyed 3,599 employees about their experiences between September and October 2021 (building on previous work dating back to 2017 for comparisons). The worst period was November 2020 to January 2021 — with some improvements in levels of mental ill health since that time, but ongoing higher rates of problems.

Just a third said that in the past year they had used some tools and resources to help them manage their mental health. Use of EAPs and digital apps has been growing, says the report.

Focusing investment

The most common cause of costs to employees is presenteeism. But the biggest cost overall comes form higher turnover, where people have left their job in the previous year or intended to do so in the next 12 months, for mental health or wellbeing reasons.

In response, Deloitte recommends investment into more awareness of issues, screening (monitoring and measuring) and training around mental health. Its model suggests a £5.30 return on every £1.00 spent on these approaches. It also points to the value of targeting measures to support higher risk groups like younger employees, employees with caring responsibilities outside work, key workers and ethnic minorities. For example, younger employees (under 30) have been more affected by the pandemic, with about two-thirds of respondents in this age group saying they had left their job in the previous year or were planning to do so due to poor mental wellbeing.

EAP ROI

“Increases in costs for employers due to reduced mental wellbeing is, of course, no surprise,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell. “It’s all about what HR is doing in response.

“More employees have been turning to their EAP — backed up by EAPA’s research earlier this year, which found that 347,000 more employees had used their EAP between October 2020 and October 2021 compared with previous years. Higher usage rates resulted in even higher Return on Investment as a result of reduced absence and presenteeism. For every £1.00 spent on an EAP in the UK, employers have seen an average return on investment (ROI) of £8.00. This compares with a previous average of £7.27.

“The key is promotion and awareness, particularly engaging employees around specific issues relevant to them, and making sure the EAP services available are tailored to suit the workforce.”

Are employers spending enough on mental wellbeing? EAPA UK

EAPs step up for Ukraine

Military forces, blue light services and hospitals in Ukraine are consumed by the constant emergencies caused by the invasion from Russia. In the meantime, there is a mass of the Ukrainian population which is having to deal with the stress and trauma of war. Refugees. Parents. Workers still trying to fulfil their job roles.

Their need for support is demonstrated by the experience of one EAPA member, Workplace Options (WPO). WPO has 175 clients with employees based in Ukraine, and provides EAP services to 581,000 employees in the region more widely.

Emergency resources

As would be expected, March has seen massive increases in the number of calls to the EAP: up 2700% in Ukraine; 200% in Slovakia; 130% in Russia; 122% in the Czech Republic. There have been around 100 critical incident requests and 664 calls relating to what are categorised as ‘disruptive events’.

WPO has also been seeing requests for support linked to anxiety around the war from across the world, in the US and UK (with calls up 15% generally). WPO scaled up its EAP services to include 80 additional hotlines within 19 days, ensuring all calls can be answered within 60 seconds. Counselling is made available within two days.

A tailored Ukraine Crisis Resource site was launched in early March to open up advice and content useful for anyone affected by the war (available in multiple languages, Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian and Romanian) — and work is ongoing to create a bank of webinars and guided discussions for Ukrainians, citizens of countries close to the conflict and Ukrainian expatriates.

EAP back-up

“A war like this, with its daily shocks and tragedies, has implications for so many people. Normality has come crashing down to be replaced by inescapable fear,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“Ordinary people in Ukraine, inside or outside of war zones, are being traumatised by what they are seeing and the threats to themselves and their families. The heightened tensions have spread in waves across the entire region into countries with close links to the affected areas.

“The work of WPO and other EAP providers has demonstrated how state-run services can’t be expected to deliver all the support needed when it comes to dealing with psychological stress and severe forms of emotional distress. EAP professionals continue to do crucial work as a back-up emergency service, making sure many more people can get support and advice that protects their wellbeing and keeps people strong through the crisis.”

What’s going to work in a national ‘ mental health recovery plan ’?

The 2022 Workplace Health Report commissioned by the NHS flags some worrying trends for employers: 58% of employees claiming to be experiencing mild symptoms of anxiety, and 18% that they have already been diagnosed with a mental health problem.

There is a gender divide. In the study, carried out by Champion Health, 37% of men reported symptoms of anxiety and 32% of depression, compared with 62% of women reporting anxiety and 61% of depression.

The main cause for stress was found to be levels of workload, followed by a ‘lack of control’, and ‘lack of support’. Outside of work, 30% of employees pointed to financial wellbeing as the biggest cause of stress.

On their own

Meanwhile, at the same time as more than half of employees are reporting mental wellbeing concerns post-Covid-19, relatively few are getting any support. Only 9% of employees say they are currently receiving support and treatment. 61% claim to have never received any kind of help. Three-quarters of those who have accessed support are women.

Sean Duggan, the CEO of the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network, is calling for the Government to map out a mental health recovery plan for the UK, looking at long-term policy and filling shortfalls in funding for NHS services.

Who’s on call?

“It’s critical that we, as a country, acknowledge that we’re living in a different world when it comes to mental wellbeing,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“The Champion Health report urges employers to think about the causes of stress in their organisation, and how these can be mitigated with more reasonable workloads and targets — based on an assumption that if things do go wrong the NHS will be there to deal with mental illnesses.

“Experience shows there isn’t the capacity, waiting times for appointments and treatments can be very long, and employees are put off from getting any help at all.

“In this context, immediate support through an EAP is an essential. Confidential professional support that’s always available and provides a channel into counselling when it’s needed.”

The Ukraine and Russia conflict happening in your workplace

A major conflict like the invasion of Ukraine sends out ripples across societies and into workplaces, particularly in a multicultural nation like the UK.

Staff with a Ukrainian background or links will be living with intense day-to-day anxieties; Russian nationals might be worried about criticism, harassment and their future prospects; while other employees will have their own fears about an escalation of the crisis, the growing impact on their finances, or have become embroiled in heated social media exchanges.

When sympathies are confidential

Under the 2018 Data Protection Act, employees are allowed to keep their personal background — and any particular links to the conflict — confidential. At the same time, it’s obviously a key part of an employer’s duty of care to make sure HR are thinking about the impacts on staff: who might be in need of emotional support, whether managers need to pay particular attention to how some are being treated.

Employers need to be able to demonstrate they have made reasonable efforts to meet changing needs. That might be allowing time off or more flexible working for staff most affected by the invasion; monitoring behaviours to prevent bullying and harassment — but most of all, to make sure there are opportunities to talk confidentially.

Independent ground

“The invasion has led to all kinds of emotions among staff, many of them personal, sensitive and complex,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“We live in an age when social media is where much of this emotion is displayed, poured out in ways that people will later regret, leading to fierce arguments and a ratcheting up of anger.

“It’s so important that employers are a foundation of understanding and reason, who are there to provide support if and when it’s needed to all their people. EAPs are the natural partner in this situation. They’re able to provide that all-important independence and confidentiality, able to help unpick complexity and offer advice across the spectrum of issues that might be involved.”

The Ukraine and Russia conflict in your workplace – EAPA UK

Who’s going to pay for the energy price hike?

Bosses at a string of smaller businesses are pre-empting the impact of the new energy price cap and the doubling of household energy bills.

That Recruitment Company in Birmingham, for example, have been given a permanent 5% pay increase so that the team don’t feel the pain of energy costs. RSL Renewables in South Shields have followed suit. Staff at Firefish Software in Glasgow have been given a £600 pay rise, while London PR firm Comms Co has given everyone a £700 pay rise.

Posting they care

The action by employers has been a great way to signal to staff — as well as the wider world — that they’re thinking about their people and the hard realities of the 2020s. News of the pay increases has been buzzing with shares and likes on social media.

Chris Stringer, Chief Executive at That Recruitment Company, said: “The energy increase is concerning. Everybody is struggling now. I don’t think you should work just to pay the bills. Life is hard. Anyway, it’s only 14 staff not like 250,000.”

Wider wellbeing

“Quick pay rises to cover the huge increases in energy bills will really be a weight off the minds of staff,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell. “But that’s obviously only going to be for the very few. Big employers — who will have their own bigger energy costs to pay as a business — just can’t do it.

“We all know that bills will be doubling or maybe even more, but it will take some time for the real impact on budgets and lifestyles and relationships are known. HR need to make sure that their people are actively thinking about what it means for them. Anticipating problems and planning for ways to cope. EAPs are here and easily accessible to make sure those conversations can happen early.”

Who’s going to pay for the energy price hike? EAPA UK

Do you have a ‘work-spouse’?

More usually, work and home are seen as being a disruptive influence on each other: working couples struggle to balance responsibilities, who’s dropping the kids at school, and what happens when someone has to work late?

Researchers at the University of Bath (alongside IESE Business School and Vrije Universiteit in the Netherlands) studied the experiences of 260 couples where both partners were working. The purpose of the research had been to discover what happens when it comes to sharing out chores — and then where couples look for support when they are feeling under stress or worried about work/life clashes.

Love and the co-worker

Rather than going to talk about work/life balance issues with a manager, it was found that colleagues were far more important for support and advice. These are what the researchers refer to as ‘work-spouses’.

“They are the starting point of what we call a ‘gain spiral’, in which the benefits of a supportive relationship with colleagues then transfers to an employee’s home life, where they are subsequently shared with a partner,” say the researchers.

“In the other direction, a loving relationship at home is likely to translate into greater dedication and creativity in the work place.  if you’re happy at work, you’ll be happier at home, which in turn will make you better at your job.”

Caring spiral

“Most often, home and work lives have been thought of as acting against each other. Conflict in one place leads to trouble in the other,” suggests EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“It’s useful to think about the other side of the picture and how good practices of caring and support lead to a virtuous circle. EAPs play an important part in this kind of culture. People know they always have someone to speak to, they can open up and move forward. And that’s such a fundamental principle for working couples to catch problems early and start conversations before things escalate or fester. Employers can only ever benefit from a cycle of positive feelings and experiences in terms of satisfaction and productivity.”

Do you have a ‘work-spouse’? – EAPA UK

Can wellbeing be a priority at the same time as post-pandemic growth?

Fewer than a quarter of managers in new research say that employee mental wellbeing is a priority for them in 2022.

The research by King’s College London an South Westminster Business Alliance also suggests that managers are also aware of their own shortcomings: 78% agreed they wouldn’t be able to spot the signs of struggles with mental health among their teams. The main causes of issues were found to be related to work rather than home.

Hybrid working, it was discovered, just makes the signs of poor mental health among employees harder to spot.

Troubles ahead

The findings come at a time when growing financial pressures — from spiking energy bills and inflation generally — are likely to bring more stresses on employees and their relationships.

King’s College researchers suggest the coming months are a critical time for establishing good processes of support. “There is increasing awareness of the rise in mental health challenges, which have been accelerated by the pandemic. It is a crucial moment in time for employees returning to hybrid working, so is vital that businesses do all they can to support,” said Lucy Strang, Research Associate at the Policy Institute, King’s College London.

“Our research finds that participating companies were advocating health and wellbeing checks, so it is encouraging that given time and resource required that they can deliver and better support employees.”

How growth happens

“Businesses in 2022 are certainly prioritising growth and recovery,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“The question is whether an issue like employee wellbeing gets lost in the drive for implementing the necessary changes and hikes in effort. In many ways, the ability of organisations to grow will be based on resilience, the breadth and depth of staff — their engagement and performance. And ultimately all of those things depend on wellbeing and making sure managers and the workplace culture  overall is set up to help.”