What happens if employees can’t open up about their health?

In a survey by Benenden Health, 43% of employees admitted they wouldn’t feel confident about discussing any health problems with their organisation.

The main reason given was the fear that opening up would have negative consequences for their career. Relationships would change. Any kind of ‘sickness’ would count against theme when it came to conversations about performance and consideration for promotion. 27% thought they would be in danger of losing their job as a result.

The issue people were least likely to want to mention was their mental health. 36% reported lying to their boss about the reason for an appointment relating to mental wellbeing.

These concerns were backed up by the findings from employers themselves. 28% said they would have doubts about offering support on health, even when it came to established, long-serving staff. 19% added that while they might have employed someone with pre-existing health conditions in the past, they wouldn’t be doing it again.

Unhealthy habits

More than half of UK employees have a long-term health issue or disability, claims the research, meaning large proportions of the workforce feeling unable to be open about their condition or access support and benefits.

In turn, there are risks of apathy, disengagement, higher levels of absence, lower productivity – and people just deciding they will find a more conducive and supportive environment with another employer.

Naomi Thompson, Head of OD and Benenden Health, pointed to outdated attitudes to recruiting people with long-term health issues: “This stigma is especially prevalent in the workplace, with businesses too often unable to identify wellbeing issues, employees concerned about the implications of discussing them and a continuing lack of tangible support, all of which contribute to lost time and productivity for businesses as well as unaddressed poor employee wellbeing.”

Being human

“Surely we’ve gone past the stage where people have to stop being themselves when they walk through the door or log on to the organisation’s IT platform?” asks EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell. “Do we really have to become impersonal, efficient robots?”

“Organisations only get the most from their people when they can be their whole selves. When they feel comfortable in their own skin, able to trust the people around them. That’s the way to tap into people’s true potential in terms of teamworking and creativity, as well as effort and engagement.

“Being able to talk honestly about health, physical and mental is all part of that process of unlocking people’s full potential. An EAP is a critical part of a support offering, the chance to speak in confidence with professionals. But this needs to be part of a wider culture of healthy attitudes to people and what really constitutes being strong: hiding your worries or facing up to them head-on?”

What happens if employees can’t open up about their health? Eugene Farrell

Are you truly supporting employees?

Despite 18 months during which mental health has been a top priority for HR, surveys among employees continue to point to both high levels of concerns and disappointment at the actual level of support being delivered when it’s needed. According to a survey last year by Second Sight, for example, more than half of employees were looking for more employer-led mental health support.

Is that because employers are not providing the right forms of support, or people find a reluctance among line managers to engage?

Fujitsu has recently been talking about how it’s been trying to overcome both of these issues for its 9,000 UK and Ireland employees.

Do it Your Way

Kelly Metcalf, Head of Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing at Fujitsu has pointed to four key strands to the organisation’s approach.

The first is making sure line managers are equipped with the knowledge and wellbeing tools in order to be ready and willing to help. That includes allowing time for regular one-to-ones and getting to know individual personalities in their teams.

Fujitsu has a Mental Health at Work Commitment which people at all levels are invited to sign up to, to focus attention and demonstrate commitment. As part of this, leaders and other staff share their own experiences of mental health issues in order to encourage more open conversations.

An EAP is “highly valued” and made available to all staff, their family members and dependents. Counselling is the most used service from the EAP offering. This is backed up by a group of employee volunteers who are trained Mental Health First Aiders.

Finally, Kelly Metcalf has talked about the importance of making mental health awareness a part of everyday practices. At Fujitsu there is a ‘Work Your Way’ hour. Each week employees are given one hour in their work calendars to use on any kind of activity that improves their wellbeing. Staff have used their free time to go rowing on the river nearby to the HQ, go for walks, read books and bake cakes.

Stay fresh 

“Paying attention to mental health at work has become critical. It’s also become something very ‘normal’, an expected, typical part of HR and management routines – and there’s a danger that mental wellbeing becomes a tick in the box and forgotten,” said EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“HR need to help keep strategies fresh. Fujitsu’s strategy is an example of pro-active efforts, and most importantly, a willingness to get to the core of practice, the value of involving senior management in setting the tone and demonstrating their willingness to get involved with supporting people.”

Are you truly supporting employees ? Eugene Farrell

Do wellbeing initiatives make employees feel worse?

University of Cambridge research has found that stress management classes, apps, coaching and other wellbeing events have no benefits for employee mental health.

Stress management classes, in particular, were found to lead to more stress. The findings come from an analysis of evidence from Britain’s Healthiest Workplace (26,471 employees working for 128 UK employers), comparing the wellbeing levels of those who participated in various wellbeing initiatives with those who had not.

The only staff who benefited were those who took part in volunteering or charity work.

Too convenient?

“These types of interventions appear to be a convenient option for employers concerned with mental health, including the government, which as an employer implements various wellbeing programmes throughout the civil service and NHS,” said researcher William Fleming.

“Merely offering short-term programmes or classes is not satisfactory for solving long-standing problems of worker wellbeing.”

Instead, employers need to be thinking more in terms of the working conditions and the role of management – the responsibility at the top not just the workforce.

“It should not be the role of employees to persistently address their own mental health, but that of management to comprehensively consider and address the structures of work which cause harm through stress, trauma and uncertainty.”

No short-term fixes

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “That can be the problem with one-off classes or digital tools. They focus attention onto problems, make people self-conscious and focused on themselves and their state of mind. Sometimes that is going to mean more problems, not less – a greater sense of another duty and responsibility to do something about.

“We know from so many years of experience that employees are looking for an outlet for their built-up pressures. An independent source of support. Not just more attention to their performance and the need to somehow ‘perfect’ themselves. That means access to professional support and a route to solutions.”

How EAPs are protecting the NHS

The number of referrals to NHS mental health services have hit their highest level for two years, signalling a new surge in cases.

The BBC’s Shared Data Unit figures from 117 Clinical Commissioning Groups and health boards across the UK showed around 300,000 people were referred to NHS mental health services in March 2021. This was a rise of 18% from the month before the pandemic struck. The biggest rises were seen in England. CCGs in Leeds, Redbridge and Greater Preston have seen referrals more than double compared to pre-Covid levels.

In response, the government plans to expand and transform mental health services with £2.3bn annual funding a year by 2023-24.

The need for early intervention

Most worryingly, the number of people actually receiving mental health treatment is lower than before the pandemic, raising concerns over the lack of access to timely interventions. Charities have flagged how people are being one long distances to receive support and care because of a lack of local beds, as well as an “acute rise” in numbers of people experiencing PTSD.

Geoff Heyes, head of health policy at MIND, said: “Had those people been able to get support earlier, be that through community mental health services, through talking therapies in their community, they may well have not got that unwell.”

EAPs step up

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “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.

“An EAPA study last year compared the use and waiting times for NHS services (via the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT)) with EAPs. This 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.”

How EAPs are protecting the NHS – EAPA UK

What is the talent going to stay for?

Around three in five employers expect to see an increase in resignations over the next 12 months, says a new study by XpertHR.

Other work by SD Worx has shown that of the staff who resigned during the pandemic (around one in 20 employees), the leading reason was to find better benefits.

The post-pandemic environment is believed to have created perfect condition for job-switching: a re-evaluation of work/life balance, the potential for WFH and re-location, alongside sudden skills shortages and furloughed staff looking for more security. All of these factors have led to what has become known as the ‘Great Resignation’.

Benefits under scrutiny

The XpertHR research has raised questions over the need for immediate action on benefits. It found that around half of employers only review pay and benefits packages once a year.

“The easing of pandemic restrictions has opened a massive pressure valve in the job market,” said Colette Philp, UK HR Country Lead at SD Worx. “With the ‘Great Resignation’ washing over industries, employers are scrambling to make their roles and organisations more appealing, and offering flexibility is key to ensuring job satisfaction in the current climate.

“Employers that don’t offer employees what they need are now in danger of losing ground in the war for talent. Senior leaders and HR teams will need to redouble efforts to make roles more attractive and competitive if they want to retain and develop their talent benches.”

Good work

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “The pandemic experience has changed attitudes to work and working – and, as a result, to what makes for a ‘good’ employer and good working conditions and environment.

“Top of the list in terms of essential needs is support and understanding of wellbeing. Rather than a nice-to-have it’s become a basic requirement. HR should be looking again at their physical and mental wellbeing offerings and how they are perceived and communicated to staff, as part of recruitment and onboarding, as well as everyday awareness.”

Do you suffer from ‘pleasanteeism’?

More than half of UK employees say they feel under pressure to smile and hide their worries and concerns at work. According to Lime, authors of a new report Keeping up Appearances: How ‘Pleasanteeism’ is Eroding Resilience, the result is a ‘hidden mental health crisis’. Pleasanteeism just means a false sense of resilience and problems not being dealt with.

The report says 25% are concerned about whether they will be the ‘best version’ of themselves back in the workplace; 20% about whether their stress will be visible.

Mental health first

The survey also suggests that 26% of employees ‘aren’t coping’ with work; a third with everyday life in general. The research found that  just 16% feel their mental health is ‘well supported at work’. 81% want more. 40% said they would look for a new job if more help wasn’t offered around mental wellbeing.

“The long-term repercussions of the pandemic are likely to be felt for years to come, and it’s important we act now to be aware of and prioritise both our own mental health and that of those around us,” said Shaun Williams, CEO and Founder, Lime Global. “We know that employers have a lot on their plates and each workforce will require unique approaches for tackling mental health challenges. It’s only by drawing attention to and prioritising mental health in the workplace that we can support one another to be as healthy, resilient, happy and productive as possible.”

Open up to EAP

EAPA UK chair [https://www.eapa.org.uk/] Eugene Farrell said: “Inevitably employees put on a front at work. We step through the door and take on our professional persona. But as the Lime report points out, that’s no basis for resilience – particularly the level of resilience needed by organisations in the post-pandemic environment.

“EAP services needed to be front and centre of HR thinking and activity in this period. Because we know that while EAPs are listed as a benefit, there isn’t always the level of awareness and understanding of what an EAP is for – that it’s not just for people dealing with a personal crisis. EAP counsellors are an important outlet for staff with worries at all levels, a means of addressing small concerns early before they can turn into a major cause of stress.”

EAPs in the frontline of dealing with return to work anxiety

New figures from Towergate Health & Protection’s EAP show a 145% surge in the number of counselling calls in March 2021 compared with the previous year and the start of lockdown.

The rise in contact from the workforce was seen in both telephone and online access. Most calls were from employees worried about symptoms of anxiety, followed by low mood and then depression itself.

Towergate dealt with more than 33,000 calls and delivered 23,000 structured therapy sessions during April 2021.

Rush and tumult

“There may be many reasons for this, including the anxiety of returning to work and the stresses of resuming the rush and tumult of everyday life,” said Brett Hill, distribution director for Towergate Health & Protection.

“As a population, we have had to cope with a great deal over the last year or so. It should perhaps not be surprising that this has had a knock-on effect. We have been conditioned to become socially distant, and the return to busy offices, a hectic commute, and a gear-change in life in general are all likely to bring with them stress and anxiety. The good news is, there’s a lot that employers can do to make sure these problems do not escalate and affect working life. Support is available and employers should make use of it to ensure the wellbeing of their workforce.”

EAPs take the strain

“The figures from Towergate back up the anecdotal evidence we’ve been seeing from across EAP providers,” said EAPA UK board member Paul Roberts.

“Lockdowns led to different kinds of stress for employees from the disruption, the threat of losing jobs, taking on new ways of working or being furloughed. But there was also a break from routine, novelty, opportunities for home working and a better work/life balance. For some people that meant an escape from smaller worries, an easing of the usual work pressures and problems.

“The return to work period has seen a combination of ongoing concerns about job security and exposure to the virus along with a return to ordinary working life and expectations of productivity and performance.

“Again, EAPs have been up to the challenge. Counsellors have been able to provide professional support to the new waves of employees making use of services that will help them restore a sense of control and focus on their wellbeing.”

EAPs in the frontline of dealing with return to work anxiety

Do hybrid workspaces = better mental health?

More companies are transforming office spaces to suit their plans for hybrid working. A BBC survey of the UK’s 50 biggest employers earlier this year found that 43 planned to encourage working from home for two to three days a week going forward. A Leadership IQ survey has suggested that 91% of employees want at least some WFH.

Besides the potential for cost savings from smaller office facilities, there is the argument that an office space strategy needs to be ‘realigned’ with changing employees’ needs, leading to happier, more productive staff. A report from Envoy recently (UK return to the workplace) included the statistic that 70% of employees believe a hybrid working model results in personal benefits, with 34% saying it would improve their mental health.

WeWork campaign

The American commercial real estate company, WeWork, is promoting the idea of the need for flexible shared workspaces – not just for tech startups but for the mainstream of employers. In this way, they argue, HR is delivering more benefits to its workforce. Ashley Cope, Head of People Partners for WeWork in the UK, said: “Office visits are becoming more intentional – with employees coming in for specific reasons, and therefore office must fulfil a specific purpose. It must facilitate the in-person teamwork that has stagnated during working from home by being both collaborative and convenient.”

Cope adds: “Hybrid working can empower employees with more choice over how, where and when they work, allowing them to tailor their working days to their own personal schedules. This is something that employees have always wanted, and sustained periods of working from home and the trust built between employers and employees has shown how effective it can be.”

WeWork, with 1,200 employees across 24 countries, has introduced ‘collaboration hubs’ into workspaces to encourage “better in-work connection” along with the All Access scheme that allows employees to work from any office location in either the UK or Ireland.

Homeless?

“The move to hybrid work arrangements comes with a mixed bag of implications for employees,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“It means revolutionary change to traditional practices. For all the potential benefits from incensed flexibility and work/life balance it has to be recognised that change is always unsettling. For many staff not having a fixed workspace, their own desk and chair, their things in one place, will be difficult. Not knowing when they will next see colleagues. The change in atmosphere. The need for more independence and self-reliance. Even a sense of isolation.

“For managers there will also be all the challenges of dealing with dispersed teams and all their different situations and needs. As the pandemic experience has shown, more flex can also lead to higher risk of the blurring of work and home life and more burnout. For HR in general there will be issues with engagement and loyalty among staff whose attachments to the workplaces are weakened.

“In this context, where there will inevitably be feelings of disorientation, support for mental wellbeing and an all-round sense of ‘belonging’ will be critical, and HR will need to be looking hard at how problems can be dealt with and relationships can be preserved.”

Do hybrid workspaces = better mental health? EAPA UK

Is return to work anxiety being taken seriously?

After 16 months of working from home, 55% of UK professionals are reporting anxiety about going back to the office routine. But the survey by CV-Library among 1,100 people highlights how the roots of the concerns are less to do with the risks of Covid-19 than mental wellbeing.

73% didn’t want to lose the flexibility of WFH and all the benefits they’d experienced in terms of work/life balance and more time for family and friends. 44% felt they were more productive when they were not in the office. 33% were worried in particular about a return to office politics. Just a third flagged uncomfortable feelings around the risks from Covid-19.

Who’s helping?

In terms of support from employers the survey found a very mixed picture: a lack of awareness of what’s on offer (if anything), and an unwillingness among staff to speak with their manager about their concerns.

74% of the UK professionals said there was no mental health support on offer to help with the transition back into the office. Only 23% said they would feel comfortable with speaking with their manager.

Of those organisations that did have support available, 46% provided a staggered return to work and regular check-ins with managers; 40% offered access to an EAP; 29% to a ‘how to guide’ for preparing for the return.

The clash

“The lifting of coronavirus restrictions hasn’t meant a simple return to work and return to normal. Far from it,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“And it has to be recognised that there’s a basic tension between the needs of businesses looking to maximise efficiency and productivity within its operations and the preferences of office-based employees who found WFH a boon to their wellbeing.

“It’s not a tension that employers can afford to ignore when it comes to engagement and retention. Particularly given the sudden opening up of the jobs market and more people looking for a move and better conditions. Employers need to make sure they are listening, keeping some levels of flexibility in mind – and make sure all staff are aware of the EAP services to help them find their own new normal.”

Is return to work anxiety being taken seriously? EAPA UK

Parliament EAP provides early warning system

The number of calls made to a 24/7 helpline, known by Parliament staff as the ‘harassment hotline’, have increased by 10% during the pandemic period.

The hotline has been available since 2014 as part of the EAP. Between 2019 and 2020 there were around 973 calls to the hotline, the great majority from House of Commons staff and a smaller number from the staff of MPs. In the most recent year this has risen to 1,073 calls. The actual figures are believed to be higher as the official figures do not include calls from other types of Parliament staff, including those involved with the House of Lords or MPs themselves.

Mental health signals

Rather than cases of harassment or conflict in particular, around half of calls have been from staff with worries about their mental health. A quarter were to do with legal queries.

Jenny Symmons, chairwoman of GMB’s branch for MPs’ staff, said: “Parliament has made huge headway in supporting MPs’ staff pastorally. As more effort has been made to publicise the EAP during the pandemic, more staff have made use of it. However, services offering mental health support are only treating the symptoms of cultural issues in Parliament – not the cause.”

Treating causes

“In a pressured, rough and tumble environment like the Houses of Parliament, access to mental wellbeing services is hugely important,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“Yes the role of an EAP in this context is in treating symptoms – making sure people get immediate advice and help early on in situations. But it’s also only this kind of evidence of usage, and types of usage, that provides the necessary evidence for HR to plan a targeted response. In turn it’s the EAP that highlights the problems that exist and what can be done: allowing for steps towards culture change based on recognised realities.”

Parliament EAP provides early warning system EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell