Half the world’s workers feel strain from Covid-19 threats and changes to their role

More than half of employees across the world have suffered from anxiety and stress as a direct result of threats to job security and changes in working patterns.

A World Economic Forum-Ipsos survey, carried out internationally between November and December 2020, also highlighted the negative impacts of home working, an increased sense of family pressies, a struggle to achieve work/life balance, and feelings of isolation and loneliness.

Research authors at the University of Sydney estimate the cumulative cost of lower productivity, hospitalisations and suicide from the impact on employees on the world economy to be $114 billion by 2025.

Covid interference

Overall 40% of homeworkers said they felt isolated. But there are clear cultural differences in terms of the impact of WFH: whilst 24% of Japanese people WFH felt lonely, this increased to 75% in Turkey.

Of those surveyed, 32% had worked longer hours; 32% shorter hours. 30% had taken a leave of absence, while 15% had left their job. Employees talked in terms of their falling productivity, the need to work early in the mornings and late at night and problems with their home office.

The worst effects were found to have been experienced among people aged under 35, business owners, women and lower-income workers.

Holistic help

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “It’s no surprise that such a large proportion of employees have encountered serious feelings of stress and anxiety – many of them perhaps for the first time in their lives. We’ve been used to reasonable levels of job security, or at least a clear sense of our options, of having a level of control over our working life.

“The reality is that the complexity of the pandemic situation means that no single initiative from HR, no increased support from line managers, is enough to secure wellbeing. Which is why external support from a service like an EAP, and access to professionals able to talk through tangles of work/home issues, has become such an essential for now and the coming years of recovery.”

Why are women shouldering the majority of career stress from Covid-19?

73% of women reported feeling career stress in November 2020, compared with 57% of men in LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index.

The survey of 1,697 UK professionals points to how women have been experiencing a particular sense of career vulnerability as a consequence of the pandemic. During 2020 45 per cent of female professionals spent more time than in 2019 searching for their next job or project (compared with 33% of men). 37% of women spent more time working during non-work hours than last year (29% of men).

Women also took less time off. 55% said they had used less holiday, as opposed to 46% of men.

Unequal insecurity

LinkedIn figures also suggest an ongoing issue of lower hiring rates among women. Working mothers and  women over 30 have been the worst affected by pandemic-related redundancies and job shortages.

“Our latest data shows women are spending more time than men working out of hours or searching for new roles – often while juggling work with increased family responsibilities,” said Emily Spaven, UK Editor at LinkedIn. “If we’re going to create a fair recovery, we have to recognise the impact the pandemic is having on individuals and offering greater flexibility to women and working parents who are balancing ever-more demanding workloads.”

Work/life imbalance

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “For all the social change of the past 30 years, the position of women in work continues to be riddled with age-old inequalities. The crisis has only served to expose those fault lines between the different attitudes to and experiences of men and women.

“In other words, women are still expected to take on expanded roles as mothers, carers and housekeepers in ways that men mostly aren’t – meaning all kinds of stresses on time and attention that have to be juggled with work commitments. So there are still perceptions among employers that women are less straightforward to employ, to promote, to be given additional responsibilities.

“While HR can’t reverse an entire culture overnight, they can make sure the particular challenges of female staff are widely understood and appreciated. On this basis, employers should be more flexible, make sure health and wellbeing is a priority, and ensure the right kinds of support are available to mitigate against the stress imbalance ”

Make sure families can get help from an EAP in 2021

The full extent of the benefits of EAPs to the UK population is limited by HM Revenue & Customs rules on family access.

While in Canada the services are well-known and promoted for use as ‘Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)’, the usage among family members in the UK is low. EAP providers typically allow family members to use services at no extra cost to the employer. But UK tax rules see an EAP used by family as a taxable benefit.

Find a solution

There are practical ways to make sure family access doers’t come with a tax cost, says Tracey Ward, Head of Business Development and Marketing at Generali UK Employee Benefits.

“Work with your group income protection insurer / standalone EAP provider to assess whether any additional costs are actually incurred through extending access. If not, access may potentially be extended without any liabilities.

“If additional costs apply, consider whether the cost of the EAP could be put in the trivial benefit exemption.

“If the EAP falls foul of the trivial benefit exemption, work with your provider and/or tax adviser to calculate the potential tax liability, which could be met on a grossed-up basis – so that employees do not meet the tax cost – under what is known as a PAYE Settlement Agreement. This puts you in an informed position to decide whether or not it’s worth paying that liability in order to extend mental health support more widely.”

Family first

“Problems at home can be complex and involve relationships and issues across families,” said EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell. So extending availability of EAP support to a family isn’t just a an additional perk, it’s important in terms of helping to find solutions for the employee. It doesn’t make sense to limit usage because of a tax liability when revenues for HMRC from this are very small – and it only undermines the overall impact of an EAP.

“The reality of this year will be many more people dealing with the fall-out from the pandemic crises, more people looking for help and reassurance around their mental health who will find the NHS isn’t in a position to help.

“Wider access to EAPs will mean fewer cases of people ignoring the warning signs, not talking or asking for help, and a way to avoid mental wellbeing deteriorating, leading to more serious cases for the NHS to take on.”

Head over to our LinkedIn to find out more about help from an EAP in 2021

2020

It’s been an extraordinary year, one of a kind which very few people would have predicted. With approval and administration of a vaccine there is a light at the end of the tunnel of the pandemic – but the impact from the crisis on businesses and the workforce will stay with us. What matters is how HR help their people cope with the legacy of stress, uncertainty and change.

Throughout this difficult year I’ve been so proud of how EAP services and providers have reacted with such speed and diligence to each emergency. Right from the very beginning adaptations were made in how services were accessed and delivered. Although largely unnoticed by the wider world, professional support services were kept going throughout the most difficult times – the product of hard work and a real commitment to providing support to others in need.

When people lost their loved ones, when people struggled with the stresses from new work routines and the impact on home life, when finances were under threat and relationships were strained, EAPs were always there to listen and provide support. Professionals have been available at every hour of the day, taking on extra workload to provide that friendly voice and reassurance in times of distress and crisis.

Quickly, services and content were adapted to make sure workforces had the latest advice on coping with WFH, with loss and change, and maintaining good mental health in general. A wealth of webinars, interviews, tips and guides have been made available as part of the EAP added value offering.

I feel strongly that EAP services have come into their own. They have proven their worth in supporting businesses and employees across the whole of the UK. We, as an industry, have played a fundamental part in supporting the mental health of the nation, taking some of strain away from NHS services, and will continue to do so.

What EAPs did during the pandemic – and will continue to do – hasn’t be recognised adequately. I hope this will change. Maybe if you personally used an EAP this year you could say thank you to them. Drop them a line. If your business made use of an EAP (or just had one on stand-by), pop a note of thanks to them for being there.

To all the providers of EAPs and allied services, to the counselling community we really so much on, the psychologists, service managers, support and admin staff, I say thank you. You have been amazing.

No doubt 2021 will bring its own host of new challenges. The mental health of the nation will continue to be an issue, that’s for sure. At least we know EAPs will continue to be there, all day every day, ready to adapt and take on the challenges.

Wishing you all the best,

Eugene Farrell, Chair, EAPA UK, writing about 2020.

Are we leaving mental health intervention too late?

Mark Blunden,

A room in town

It is a somewhat startling fact that 50% of mental health problems are established before the age of 14, but little is done by ‘the system’ to ensure the effects of these problems do not carry into adulthood.

A further sad fact is that the third leading cause of death in 15 to 19 years olds is suicide (WHO). The World Health Organisation goes on further to state that ‘The consequences of not addressing adolescent mental health conditions extend to adulthood, impairing both physical and mental health and limiting opportunities to lead fulfilling lives as adults.’

During our formative years (10 to 19 years) we are more vulnerable to mental health problems as we grow and change physically and mentally. Other social factors such as poverty, violence (especially in the home), family breakdown / divorce and other adverse experiences prevent adolescents from thriving and entering adulthood free from trauma and burden.

Most mental health conditions forming in these years go undetected and are therefore carried into adulthood and inevitably into the workplace. Four out of ten sicknotes now relate to mental health issues.

According to The Centre for Mental Health sickness absence due to mental health issues cost UK business £34.9bn last year.

Picking up the signs of mental health in adolescents is not easy for the already burdened education system despite a greater presence of wellbeing programmes entering into schools and other education establishments.

In the UK it is estimated that three children in every classroom is suffering with a mental health problem (Young Minds). We also live in a country where the number of young people presenting to A&E with urgent mental health needs has tripled in the last ten years.

It is perhaps then no surprise, though clearly hugely tragic that The Samaritans report a rise in suicide rates for those under 25 with female suicide rates having increased since by 93.8% from 2012 to 2019.

In men the rate has thankfully decreased and its lowest point since 1981. The rate though is still way too high, and according to a BBC report it is still the single biggest killer of men under 45.

This fact is one I often discuss with clients, colleagues, and business associates. Despite the awareness of the benefits of discussing and dealing with poor mental health it seems that we condition boys from a young age not to express emotion. It is still seen as a sign of weakness. This perhaps, is a reason that the construction industry has the highest rate of suicide than any other industry. Construction, despite encouraging more women into roles is still very male orientated. Charities such as The Lighthouse and Mates in Mind formed to tackles these issues.

Men are also less likely to seek help. A UK British Medical Journal report notes that consultation rates were 32% lower in men. This especially applies to issues around mental health. When people do then self-refer to their GP, long wait times and short consultation times (10 minutes standard with your NHS GP) do not help always.

When issues are then diagnosed, referral to talking therapies takes time but is improving since the introduction of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programmes was introduced. This aims to get people into support within 28 days of referral, though add to that a common lead time of up to three weeks to see a GP in some areas.

Whilst we might have to keep the faith that the NHS can reduce waiting times, the private sector is rapidly adapting to the demand for treatment. Of course, the cost of private therapy is way beyond the means of many people. Charities and low-cost counselling centres are available and provide important services but still charge a fee.

As guardians of future generations, parents and carers are best placed to break the conditioning described above and encourage children to talk about their feelings.

For zero cost, we can make a huge difference to the outcomes of our young people.

Have treatments for mental ill-health been put on hold through lockdown?

mental ill-health: Employees took significantly less time off work during the first lockdown between March and July, according to research carried out by NTT Data for NHS Digital. The number of fit notes dropped by 34% compared with the average for the year.

The proportion of those notes, however, shows a steep rise in mental health-related illnesses resulting in time taken off work. Mental health problems now account for four in 10 (41 per cent) of all sick notes signed by GPs during the pandemic.

Employer role

Vicki Chauhan, head of public services at NTT Data UK, pointed to the increased importance of employers in ensuring mental health is seen as a priority among line manager and their reports.

“These are extraordinary times and until we can return to a level of normality, employers must remain conscious of the challenges that remote working poses to mental health and continue to support their staff as this pandemic evolves.”

In its response, the CIPD has called for HR to make sure managers provide regular one-to-ones alongside virtual team gatherings, to be flexible and empathetic.

Other new research from Benenden Health has suggested that almost half UK employers have seen an employee leaving their company because they perceived their mental wellbeing was not being cared for. 55% of employees in the study said they would look for a new employer if they believed mental wellbeing wasn’t being supported (78% among the 18-24  age group).

Plugging the workplace wellbeing gap

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “Understandably people have been cautious about making appointments with GPs. We’ve stayed away from surgeries and hospitals for anything we’ve believed to be non-urgent – to protect ourselves from risks of Covid-19 infection, but also so we don’t feel we’re taking up NHS time unnecessarily.

“Early signs of mental ill-health are all too easy to ignore, to try and brush aside. That’s the problem here. Access to support via the NHS has also been perceived to be difficult, even before the pandemic. The danger is that many of the people going to their GPs for sick notes have been doing so as a last resort, when problems with anxiety and depression have reached a more serious stage.

“At a time when so many more people in the UK workforce are facing additional strains – from the isolation of working from home, from increased work and financial insecurities, from the impact of the virus on the health of family and friends – it’s critical that employees know there are straightforward ways to access support. Good information as a fundamental, but also someone they can talk to for reassurance and to flag the best next steps for them as individuals.”

The winter health policy paper from Government (Staying mentally well this winter: click here) is important recognition of the challenges of the darker months ahead. At the same time, the paper potentially misses out on a crucial point: that work, workplaces and EAPs are an essential platform to the nation’s mental wellbeing.

Christmas, heralding the start of winter, will be a welcome chance for a break for employees from all the alien stresses of 2020 – a respite from workplace infection worries, the downsides of WFH and days filled with Zoom calls, the threats of burnout. But as it is every year, Christmas is also still a challenging period given the strains on finances, on relationships; feelings of isolation and loneliness; the sheer pressure of expecting every moment to be merry and bright.

The biggest challenge signalled by Government and the NHS is awareness of mental health problems and a willingness and opportunity to get help. ONS figures suggest the numbers of referrals to the NHS for mental health conditions has been falling during the pandemic. It appears people don’t want to go to GPs or hospitals: they don’t want to waste NHS resources, or expose themselves to greater risk of Covid-19 infection.

Instead there’s perhaps been a battening down of the hatches, similar to what happened during wartime. We stay safe, shut out our worries. The problem with this is that the ‘losses’ are felt most keenly when the war ends, in our case when the vaccine programme is well under way in springtime. The crisis might be over, but that’s when people see and feel the loss of family and friends; the loss of jobs and financial securities. There’s also going to be strong sense of loss of time, lost chances for keeping up social connections, for fulfilment of hopes and plans.

The proportion of the population having to deal with Covid-19 infection will always be relatively small compared with the numbers affected financially and/or psychologically. Just as has been recognised with the economy, the fall-out from the pandemic in terms of psychological wellbeing will be long-term.

Work plays a critical role in the mental health of every nation. Providing money yes, but it’s just as important in giving people a sense of purpose, status, structure and routine, as well as friendships, the feeling of being part of a community. That’s why the furlough scheme and the efforts of employers to keep as many people in work as possible have been invaluable, being flexible, offering WFH, making modifications to ensure workplaces are Covid-safe. EAPs have been – and will continue to be – an essential part of what work means and offers to so many employees.

EAPs are helping to ease the burden on NHS services, offering easier access for employees to mental health support, when and how it’s needed, and at an earlier stage. A recent EAPA study compared the use and waiting times for NHS services (via the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT)) with EAPs. Although caution should be paid as the data is from different studies/different groups of clients, it showed an average waiting time from referral to treatment of 20 days through IAPT, compared with 8.8 days with an EAP. Clients who completed treatment with IAPT needed an average of 6.9 sessions; with EAPs this was four.

Public Health England’s Better Health campaign is all good in terms of advice and awareness. In practice though, for the working population, there is easier to access support via employer funded EAPs, providing more immediate availability of professional support online, by phone, and through video calls.

Andrew Kinder, Vice Chair of Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA), on health policy paper www.eapa.org.uk

Bosses fail to live up to pandemic demands for ‘caring’ leaders

pandemic demands: Three-quarters of UK professionals believe their company’s leadership fell short of expectations during the crises of 2020, according to a survey of 3,500 professionals in October.

ILM, a City & Guilds group business, found that an absence of soft skills was the main problem: more than a third reported that leaders or managers failed to motivate their teams; 31% said leaders did not show empathy and emotional intelligence (31 per cent). Employees claimed this had led to a significant impact on their own motivation and performance.

Despite the evident need, 35% went on to say that bosses had not demonstrated problem-solving skills. 29% that there was a lack of basic organisational skills. People management was considered to be the most important skill for leaders (68%), followed by good communication skills (48%) and the ability to build relationships and interpersonal skills (48%).

People power

“Leaders are always an easy target for criticism – it’s not surprising that one way or another, staff will have felt disappointed by their manager’s response over this most difficult of years,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell [https://www.eapa.org.uk/].

“On the one hand, employees depend on bosses to make the right decisions for the good of long-term performance, to be decisive and tough-minded. On the other, they want them to see the bigger picture, to be considerate of employee experience and needs, preserving a sense of positive purpose, mission and community.

“This is why the role of HR is so important in providing the glue between those two different forces in the life of organisations, where one is often pulling against the other.

“What’s been demonstrated by the Covid-19 period is the critical importance of strong leadership combined with a culture of support. That includes maintaining day-to-day communications and encouraging time for interaction of all kinds between employees. But also a package of services, like the EAP, that demonstrate commitment to wellbeing and provides an outlet for people to talk about personal issues – the kinds of issues that managers aren’t ever in a position to help with.

“Once this basis of support, trust and confidence, has been created, people can be relied on to do the right thing more often, to provide support for each other in the knowledge that there’s always going to be someone there for them.”

Should anti-vaxxers be banned from workplaces?

Anti-vaxxers: Around 38% of the 13,000 professionals surveyed by Nature Medicine in November said they would ignore the advice from an employer to receive a Covid-19 vaccination.

Significantly, that would mean the UK wouldn’t be able to meet the WHO recommendation, the need for two-thirds of the population to be vaccinated in order for the pandemic threat to come to an end.

Growing activism

The statistic is just one signal of a mixed picture of attitudes to how the UK should move forward to end the crisis. Activism is growing internationally among groups who believe coronavirus restrictions have been out of proportion with the health risks, and have caused more harm than good in terms of lost jobs, isolation and damage to mental health.

London has seen a series of protest marches, including those led by the Save Our Rights UK group, calling for more protection for people’s rights, privacy, family life and medical freedoms. 

Under current regulations, employers cannot insist that employees take a vaccine; and there has been no indication, so far, of any sectors planning to introduce a requirement, even in healthcare.

Diversity still matters

“Everyone wants 2021 to see a return to something more like normal life,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell. “There may be different views about how that can best happen, but employers need to ensure all of that spirit of togetherness during times of adversity, of being a community that supports each other and shares its challenges, isn’t lost.

“Respecting diversity of opinions can be as important as respecting other kinds of diversity. There are many different reasons why someone won’t want to take a vaccine once they become available – due to a pre-existing conditions or fears about side effects and implications for mental health. Under current rules, any employer who asks an anti-vaxxer not to come into work would be subject to a discrimination claim.

“Again, it’s when there are heightened tensions like these that EAPs are so important. Helping more people deal with their anxieties means employees as a community are more tolerant, more willing to listen to and understand the needs of others, to be trusting of their employer. That way, everyone stays positive, even if we don’t share the same views.”

Do we need robots to keep up with EAP demand?

Maybe it’s not surprising that employees would rather talk to a robot than their line manager. 82% of people think robots can support their mental health better than humans, according to a global study by AI software firm Oracle.

The impacts from living and working under pandemic conditions are so common, from people working longer hours, the unwanted merging of work and home lives, the increased uncertainty and stress. That means hassle-free access to support is more important than ever. One in four of us, it’s reported, are burnt out, and we’re still some way off from returning to more normal routines.

Digital services are instinctive. If we want to shop, be entertained or find something out, we turn first of all to an instant digital source. It’s so much quicker and easier than having to make a trip out or even pick up a phone.

Judgment-free

The developments in chatbot and AI technology for providing tailored advice to employees have been impressive, but can automation ever replace a human being? According to the Oracle study the main reasons for turning to a robot – other than speed – are that AI is wholly unbiased and won’t pass judgment on the employee. 77% of employees surveyed in the UK wanted more access to technology to support their mental health, with 69% being receptive to the idea of a robot therapist.

Globally, 68% of people said they would prefer to talk to a robot over their manager about stress and anxiety at work. 75% said the use of AI had already helped their mental health at work: providing the information needed to do their job more effectively, automating tasks and decreasing workload to prevent burnout.

What does AI mean for EAPs?

Certainly AI can offer an instant engagement tool. EAPs have responded quickly to the changing needs of employers and their people during lockdown and distancing, building on the range and availability of online resources. Critically this has included providing access to human support through remote and video counselling, the all-important conversations with professionals able to understand all the complex nuances of someone expressing their emotions and struggles. For someone coping with mental illness at any stage, struggling to find reassurance and a solid basis of meaning and purpose, is it really healthy for them to always know they’re only talking to an impassive, uncaring void? Mental health has to be based on human care.

It’s also critical that HR don’t overlook the findings around talking to line managers, leaving sensitive and personal issues for the AI to clear up. It’s not the answer. Even if they can’t and shouldn’t take on the role of counsellor, managers continue to need be trusted and to have empathy and emotional intelligence. As the pandemic has demonstrated, work and workplaces aren’t just incredibly important economically in people’s lives but socially. Work is where people come together, have shared goals and struggles, share support and all the rewards of being together. In the same way, EAPs will always be about people helping people.

Eugene Farrell, EAPA UK chair, EAP Demand