Who’s afraid of the ‘Sunday scaries’?

Research linked to this month’s World Mental Health Day has suggested that 67% of UK employees regularly experience the Sunday scaries, an anxiety at the thought of Mondays. Among 18 to 24 year-olds the figure rises to 74%.

The main causes, says the research, are the thought of the ‘to-do’ list waiting for people, along with a lack of sleep. And typical Sunday evening behaviours, the distractions like bingeing on TV programmes or social media, only make things worse, say psychologists.

Soothing scaries

Other factors are important in creating Sunday night anxieties. Like what’s happening at home and feelings of weekends not providing the sense of restfulness and security that they should. And the return of the stresses of Monday morning commuting into the office, what the roads and railways are going to be like.

In response to the study, wellbeing experts have recommended ways in which employers can help counter the Sunday scaries, such as ‘safe spaces’ where staff can talk about their work worries rather than bottle them up; try not to hold too many high pressure review or catch-up meetings on Monday mornings; making people more aware of the mental health support on offer, such as EAPs; and, even mixing-up the working week so that Monday isn’t always the first working day, breaking the routine.

Normal life

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “The Sunday scaries is just another buzzword — but anything that keeps mental wellbeing on the agenda for employers isn’t such a bad thing. It can help make sure people keep thinking about the effects work has on them, and getting early support from services like an EAP.

“At the same time, this kind of term raises issues of balance. Where do HR — and employees themselves — draw the line between ongoing levels of stress and anxiety that can lead to issues with mental health, and ordinary experiences of apprehension. It’s only normal to have feelings of nerves ahead of days when we’re going to be tested and challenged, expected to be producing our best. Often it’s only a sign that we care about our work, and that’s a healthy thing, it’s where we also get the positive sense of fulfilment and achievement from. The Friday night glow.”

Who’s afraid of the ‘Sunday scaries’? – EAPA UK

Is wellbeing becoming a top manager perk again?

A survey among 10,000 workers internationally by the Future Forum research group has signalled a “troubling double standard”: a steady decline in the stress experienced by senior staff, but an increase in anxiety among the majority of workers.

The researchers point to a basic divide in terms of work flexibility and conditions post-pandemic. Exec-utives have been given more freedom to work from home and flexibly, while workers have been ex-pected to get back to the office. As a result, the average employee’s work-life balance score was found to be 40% lower than executives. Full-time office workers were found to have markedly lower mental health scores.

The back-to-the-office effect

After a period of more easy-going attitudes to wfh and flexible working hours, the desire among boss-es to see staff back in the workplace is having disproportionate effects. A Microsoft study has suggest-ed that 50% of organisations want to re-instate full-time office working routines.

Future Forum Vice President, Sheela Subramanian, explained the problem: “Executives are embracing flexibility while they’re telling everybody else to come back to the office. What we’re seeing is just a lot more rigidity, more top-down mandates happening and executives are not necessarily setting that model from the top.”

Keep it clear on wellbeing

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “Wellbeing among staff is the foundation for productivity and performance across the entirety of organisations, not something that can be seen as a perk. It’s going to be important for HR teams to ensure there’s not a quiet drift in attitudes to seeing work/life balance and flexible routines as something that can only work for the few — the few who are typically in the senior ranks.

“The danger is not so much now, while employers are having to compete for skills, but what happens when there is less competition? Support for wellbeing has to be even-handed.”

Is wellbeing becoming a top manager perk again? – EAPA UK

Are your managers ready to talk about the menopause

MPs in the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) are urging government to include the menopause as a protected characteristic — requiring employers to make reasonable adjustments to work condi-tions.

This, they say, will be crucial for dealing with negative attitudes towards women dealing with issues relating to the menopause, and making sure more women are able to stay in employment. “Menopau-sal women have been mocked and maligned for too long,” said the WEC chair.

Going to tribunals

In 2019, 900,000 women decided to leave their job because of a mismatch between their role and menopausal symptoms according to CIPD/Bupa research. More cases are starting to end up in court as people start to see that maybe it’s not their ‘fault’ — an employer is being unreasonable and uncaring.

HM Courts and Tribunal Service figures show a steady increase: 10 menopause-related employment tribunals in first six months of 2021 compared with 5 in 2018. Law firm Linklaters predicts 20 cases will go to tribunal in this coming year based on initial claims.

Listening first

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “The WEC’s Menopause and the Work-place report is an important milestone in terms of changing attitudes to women in the workplace. More than ever, organisations need to find ways to keep their talent.

“Legislation provides a backbone — making sure employers have to take notice. But when it comes to the day-to-day experience of women with menopausal symptoms, what matters most is what goes on behind the ‘official’ HR processes and whether there is a feeling of trust and safety when it comes to being themselves. Do women feel they are really being listened to and understood or are they being dealt with in a mechanical way, sticking to the legal requirements?

“EAPs are so important when it comes to making sure people have someone to talk to about their tangles of work and health-related issues.”

Who struggles with wellbeing most — staff or bosses?

A survey of more than 2,000 C-suite business leaders in the UK, US, Canada and Australia has revealed how almost 70% would like to leave their job for one that was better for their wellbeing.

The report by Deloitte and Workplace Intelligence (The C-suite’s role in well-being: How health-savvy executives can go beyond workplace wellness to workplace well-being) highlights the negative impact of the recent pandemic years on the wellbeing of top execs. 36% said that they were feeling exhausted, leading to ill-health; 24% were ‘lonely’, and 23% ‘depressed’.

Disconnected experiences

Figures also point to very different perspectives on who the pandemic affected most, whose wellbeing has come under the most pressure. More than 80% of the C-suite thought their employees were ‘thriving’ in terms of their wellbeing; 90% believed they understood entirely how difficult the Covid-19 years had been for their staff.

At the same time, fewer than half of the workforces themselves thought that their bosses understood the challenges. Just 56% believed that the C-suite cared about them and their wellbeing.

Early interventions

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “It’s true that the leadership and employees have been under different kinds of pressures in the Covid-19 age. Rapid adaptation and strategic re-working on one side, delivery and adaptability on the other. But both have affected wellbeing in serious ways.

“What matters is that C-suite executives take wellbeing seriously for themselves — and appreciate that less obvious responsibility really doesn’t mean there’s a carefree existence among their staff. No one is more deserving than anyone else, and ultimately a holistic approach to wellbeing, one where everyone is aware of its importance and understands different needs for support, is the healthiest environment for organisations and their performance.

“And if top execs are feeling isolated and removed from the rest of the business, coming together to share in wellbeing activities, whatever form they take, could be the best way to re-connect.”

Who struggles with wellbeing most — staff or bosses? – EAPA UK

Can the four day week put an end to burnout and poor mental health at work?

A six month project will see more than 3,300 employees at 70 companies work a four day week with no loss of pay.

The pilot runs from this month until the end of the year among a variety of employers, ranging from a seaside fish and chip shop to finance, construction, education and IT businesses. The organiser, 4 Day Week Global, is running the scheme alongside Cambridge and Oxford universities, Boston College, Autonomy and the 4 Day Week Campaign.

New frontiers for quality of life

The UK is leading the way in testing the potential of new ways of working, said 4 Day Week Global’s CEO Joe O’Connor. “As we emerge from the pandemic, more and more companies are recognising that the new frontier for competition is quality of life, and that reduced-hour, output-focused working is the vehicle to give them a competitive edge.”

Researchers will be tracking the progress of participants in terms of their wellbeing (stress and burnout), productivity, the changes in environmental footprint (travel and energy use) and issues like gender equality.

“The 20th-century concept of a five-day working week is no longer the best fit for 21st-century business,” said the chief executive of one participant, the Charity Bank. “We firmly believe that a four-day week with no change to salary or benefits will create a happier workforce and will have an equally positive impact on business productivity, customer experience and our social mission.”

Not just productivity

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “The Covid-19 experience in itself was a huge experiment in the impact of home working and more time for friends and family. What was clear from that was how differently people reacted. For some, more free time was a golden opportunity; for others it only heightened their sense of isolation.

“The four day week will certainly improve satisfaction levels for a proportion of the workforce, provide more of a release valve for pressures. But more time off is not going to be the simple answer to the UK’s challenges around stress and mental ill-health.

“It’s very clear in the trial that employers expect to maintain, and believe they can raise, levels of productivity. In other words many staff will find they’re under more pressure to deliver outputs and results in the four days. As we all know, holidays can be a welcome relief, but they don’t mean anything has changed when we’re back to our routines. A healthy balance for employees happens when organisations understand the pressures, are willing to listen to individual concerns and be flexible in everyday ways, when there’s a culture of trust and support.”

How financial stress is changing employee priorities

The 2022 Wellness Barometer Survey by BrightPlan shows that 72% of staff report being stressed about their finances, affecting their mental and physical health — up 11% on 2021. Top causes of worry are rising inflation, retirement planning and market volatility.

In terms of benefits, the survey claims that finance-related benefits are now the most sought after, leaping ahead of mental health and flexible time off since last year. 88% expect their employer to be actively helping them deal with the cost of living crisis.

Package up

UK software firm IRIS is an example of how some employers are stepping up with a new package of support.

The company has ensured a broad range of benefits to meet the diversity of situations. At the core of the offering is an EAP, alongside a team of mental health first aiders and new web pages giving advice on financial awareness. This is backed up with new offers such as one-to-one financial coaching with an external consultant, and workplace individual savings accounts (ISAs). IRIS has also boosted attention to health cash plans and discount schemes on offer.

Financial times

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “A sense of financial insecurity is so often a root cause for mental and physical ill-health, they are all bound up together in ways that can create a vicious circle.

“The first job for employers, and in some ways the most important, is making sure people are paying attention to their finances and not sleepwalking into serious problems with debt. That can mean fundamental changes to lifestyle with implications for partners and families, what happens to expectations of treats and luxuries. And that can affect relationships and sense of self-worth.

“This is why the EAP is important versus any temporary offers or even increases in pay — it’s a way for employees to look at the big picture of money, relationships and their health, how their life might have to change and what’s going to work and how.”

Don’t become the next social media wellbeing lampoon

A new trend has seen more staff using satirical posts to highlight what they see as feeble attempts to support employee wellbeing.

In one viral post on TikTok, ‘HR in 2022’ an English comic pretends to be an HR professional explaining how important mental health is for the company, inter-cut with shots of struggling employees. Staff come up with ideas around reducing workloads and four-day working weeks, but are instead signposted to a take part in a lunchtime webinar.

Another series of viral posts came from a US employee forced to live in their office cubicle because of the cost of living crisis and lack of practical support.

Box ticked

The concerns about box-ticking approaches to mental health have showed themselves in a number of research studies. A survey by Headspace Health showed that while 25% of UK staff had missed at least a week of work due to mental health issues, two-thirds still felt their employer wasn’t taking steps to give them support. Just 25% said the additional focus on mental health brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic had led to anything long-term.

“I am struck by how often managers offer every support possible, with the exception of anything that will actually solve the problem,” said Terence Robson, Deputy Head of the COVID-19 Team at the Ministry of Defence.

Fair focus

“With the combination of the cost of living crisis and more staff having to on extra workloads due to cost-cutting and staff changes, this is no time for letting slip the focus on workplace wellbeing,” says EAPA UK chair, Eugene Farrell.

“At the same time there’s a need to understand that HR themselves aren’t immune to the difficult context we’re all living through. They’re obviously facing their own issues with workload and levels of change.

“All of this means there’s more need than ever for access to practical support, professionals who provide personalised advice on what to do next, counselling when it’s needed, and take some of the pressure away from HR.”

Don’t become the next social media wellbeing lampoon – 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.”

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