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.”

Why UK employers lead the world on wellbeing practice

Based on data on people practices and policies from across 1,800 organisations certified by Top Employers Institute, the UK is doing substantially more around health and wellbeing.

Almost all UK Top Employers offer an EAP (98% of the 84 that have been certified). That compares with 71% internationally. Meanwhile 80% in the UK have their own wellbeing champion to drive initiatives versus 59% elsewhere. There’s also more breadth of offering: 76% have religious or spiritual facilities (compared with 26%); 89% provide financial education (60%). Activity has stepped in the past year. 96% now promote physical activity, up from 79% in the 2020/21 data.

On/off

Importantly, there’s also evidence that UK businesses are trying to address the fall-out from ‘always on’ working. 58% now guarantee time to “unplug” or take stress-relief breaks (up from 44% in last year’s data); 65% now actively discourage use of email outside normal working hours (up from 48%); 48% offer programmes for coping with information overload (38%). 63% now also offer burnout recovery support (compared with 49%).

Other data provides more context for why UK employers are putting more into employee wellbeing. In terms of business priorities for HR, supporting organisational and cultural change remains top; the need to drive growth has jumped into second place. Health and safety of employees has stayed third.

Necessary action

“The top priorities for HR highlighted by the data are all linked,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“The need for change and growth in the post-pandemic period, to re-build and re-assert market presence, is clear. But all of that is founded on the effort and commitment of people still dealing with the after-effects of the Covid-19 crisis and all it’s meant for their lives and routines. That’s why new and expanded health and wellbeing practices have become so important, not just as a token principe, but for helping build the resilience of people resources.”

Eugene Farrell on UK wellbeing practice.

Will banning out-of-hours contact stop the rise of burnout?

New laws in Portugal mean employers can’t email, phone or message their workers outside of their contracted hours.

The sudden rise in the numbers of Portuguese working remotely has led to a re-think over conditions and the impact on employee health. The legislation also means employers can’t monitor staff activity at home, and they must provide the necessary equipment and pay a star of electricity and Internet bills.

Burnout begins

The move comes at a time as more governments become more aware of the new combinations of pressures facing employees.

New studies suggest that employers are only just beginning to see the consequences of the months of stress, overworking and disruption caused by the pandemic. A Glassdoor analysis of reviews suggests a 128% increase in people talking in terms of ‘burnout’ since April 2021 — most of all in the technology, business and finance sectors. According to Jill Cotton, careers advice expert at Glassdoor: “Many employees have been able to ‘grin and bear’ the impact of Covid-19 through 2020, but the one-year anniversary has proven to be a tipping point. They’re thinking again about their home and work lives, and we’re seeing UK job vacancies reach a record high due to the ‘Great Resignation’.”

Workplace culture specialist O.C. Tanner Europe found the pandemic had contributed to a 15% global rise in burnout, a figure which jumps to 81% among lower-performing company cultures. Its 2020 Global Culture Report claims that even mild burnout causes a 220% decrease in the probability of employees being highly engaged.

Signs of flames

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “Employers need to recognise that in many ways, a year on from the new emergency and peak in problems, the crisis in employee mental health is only just starting. There has to be agreement at top levels over what to do about employee burnout, the need to ensure there’s a sense of collective responsibility, bosses and staff looking out for each other.

“The EAP is an essential in terms of making sure everyone has access to practical support and advice, that no-one has to feel like there’s nowhere to go without having awkward conversations with a line manager.

“But there’s also a need for HR and management attention to workplace cultures: do employees have a sense of control over their workload and practices; are they encouraged to take leave for rest and re-charging; do people feel able to just take a short break away from their screens, have a walk at lunchtimes and get proper breaks?”

Will banning out-of-hours contact stop the rise of burnout? EAPA UK

What’s happened to the cost of absence during the pandemic?

Sickness absence fell to 2.2% during 2020, down from 2.7% in 2019: an average of five days per employee compared with 6.4 days according to the XpertHR online resource.

The combination of staff being furloughed, WFH and people shielding is believed to be the reason for the falling rates – which are expected to continue as more staff opt for hybrid forms of working.

At the same time, however, there are concerns about how Covid-19 has made it more difficult for HR to record and understand the real impact of sickness absence on businesses. Fewer than two-thirds of businesses record the impact of absence, says new research from group risk protection body GRiD among 505 HR leaders in the UK. What’s been the real cost of disrupted teams on productivity and performance?

What’s being measured

The most common method for recording absence (among 44% if businesses) is simply to account for the number of lost hours or days. 40% calculate the cost of sick pay provision (statutory and salary). 36% look at lost productivity; 36% direct costs of temp or agency staff; 33% the indirect costs of colleagues covering work and management time.

The problem is, without a strong grasp on the full extent of the costs of sickness absence, how can HR make an informed case for investing at the right levels into wellbeing, early intervention support and other related benefits?

EAP ROI

“The headline figure for absence might be falling – but what is this hiding in terms of the range of costs from disruption, increased stress in the workplace, pressures and bullying?” asks EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“The need for more attention to the ROI from HR’s wellbeing initiatives led EAPA UK to compile the biggest ever data set on EAP usage, impact and financial returns in the UK (Financial Return on EAPs 2020: How Does Your Organisation Compare?). Based on 2,000 calculations made via the EAPA UK ROI calculator, we found that for every £1 spent on an EAP in the UK, employers see an average return on investment (ROI) of £7.27.”

What’s happened to the cost of absence during the pandemic?

Are managers ready for the strains of the ‘hokey cokey’ work model?

The coming months are expected to see the birth of the hybrid office – the constant ins and outs of staff mixing remote working with key meetings and team building.

The Prime Minister has again confirmed recently that 21st June should see the end to the ‘work from home wherever possible’ advice. A BBC poll has indicated that around 80% of employers expect to offer a hybrid working model.

Tough transition

Transition is going to cause more work and increased pressures for both leaders and line managers trying to juggle competing demands from staff and the need to ensure ongoing delivery in difficult economic conditions. New, more people-centred leadership styles are expected to be needed; more attention to how time in offices should be used; an ability to engage and motivate teams working in diverse ways; to monitor performance in more flexible ways; and, deal with any fall-out or tensions with staff who don’t want to be working in the office or vice-versa.

These are real challenges for leaders and managers already stressed from the pandemic period and feeling “Zoomed out” by management meetings. A survey by IDC and Unisys has suggested that four in 10 business leaders have concerns about the lack of management oversight with hybrid working approaches.

There is also growing debate over the motivations of people preferring to work from home. The CEO of office rental firm WeWork stirred up controversy by claiming that “those who are least engaged are very comfortable working from home.”

Caring for the carers

“Hybrid working is going to be a fact of working life for the foreseeable future. It’s a reasonable response to the uncertainties and concerns around Covid-19 — and offer the kind of flexibility that fits well with a pre-pandemic desire for more flexibility and work/life balance,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“But hybrid also brings a host of management issues. Make-do attitudes were fine during the crisis periods, but employers will increasingly expect high levels of performance and delivery. And that all puts intense pressure onto the management chain.

“There needs to be recognition of what this all means for leaders and managers and how they can best be supported. Their workload isn’t going to be settling down in the coming months. EAP offerings are ideal for more senior staff looking for immediate access to professional advice and reassurance.” 

work model, Eugene Farrell

If GPs aren’t – who is helping employees with symptoms of depression?

The winter lockdown of 2021 led to 19% of employed adults experiencing some form of depression, according to ONS figures from a survey of 26,000 people in the UK.

Less well-off adults were also worst affected: a third of those who couldn’t afford an unexpected but necessary expense of £850 experienced depression. Women (four in 10) and younger adults (aged between 16 and 29) were also more likely to be affected by symptoms such as sleeping problems, poor appetite and feelings of hopelessness. This situation compares with overall levels in the population of around 10% before Covid-19.

Avoiding GPs

At the same time, GP-diagnosed cases of adult depression have fallen during the pandemic. This indicates that fewer people are going to their GP for help due to lack of appointment availability, concerns about exposure to people with Covid-19 in surgeries, as well as worries about distracting GPs from their pandemic roles.

The CIPD has called for employers to make sure line managers are trained to support wellbeing, can have empathetic conversations and identify early signs of issues with mental ill-health.

Filling the gaps

“It’s critical that early signs of mental ill-health aren’t ignored and left to develop into more serious conditions,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“For different reasons relating to the pandemic many people haven’t felt able to approach their GP, the usual source of anonymous, independent advice when it comes to mental wellbeing. Inevitably that has meant employees who have tried to cope on their own, who have kept worries bottled up or downplayed the symptoms they’ve been experiencing.

“The immediate access to advice provided by EAPs is invaluable in this situation – and as we know, the numbers of people using EAPs has been rising throughout the past year. Not only do EAPs offer round the clock support, but also a faster route to GPs and talking therapies such as CBT. In a situation where the long-term fall-out from the effects of Covid-19 is yet to be fully understood, employers need to make sure that all staff are aware of how their EAP will help them and family members with early signs of depression.”

who is helping employees with symptoms of depression, Eugene Farrell.

Mental Health Awareness Week: What can pan-European collaboration do for mental health?

Mental Health Awareness Week #EuropeanMentalHealthWeek is running across Europe from 10-16 May 2021 [https://www.mhe-sme.org/emhw/].

The programme of events has been set up by Mental Health Europe, a network of 73 member organisations across 30 countries, including the British Psychological Society in the UK, EU-wide groups like Clubhouse Europe, charities and NGOs.

This year’s theme is ‘Mental Health Matters’ #MoreThanEver and how “we are all experiencing a different pandemic”, with different kinds of strains on our wellbeing: “The week is a chance for people to talk about all aspects of mental health, share personal stories of how people are coping with difficulties during the coronavirus crisis and highlight the need for action focusing on advice and support.”

What’s happening

Online events include today’s launch event for Mental Health Europe’s Mental Health Advocacy Platform – advocating a comprehensive EU Mental Health Strategy as a means of bringing about sustainable change across Europe; and a series of conversations about mental health and recovery.

“Mental health is in the spotlight as one of the biggest social issues of our time,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“Awareness is growing alongside levels of understanding among business leaders. But what’s needed now is more understanding about the best forms of support for different people and issues, and how to provide access to them. In other words, there’s a great deal of diversity involved, how do we know what really works?

“It’s more important than ever that we come together and collaborate as a body of committed professionals, with so much experience to share, in order to broaden our perspective and to ensure best practice and new insights are being shared.”

What does the year’s stress hangover mean for HR?

Levels of absence from stress have risen by 113% since March 2019, according to a study of data from absence management platform e-days, relating to 1,500 employees. The average number of people taking leave because of stress is up by 74%.

At the same time, the recovery time for staff dealing the stress-related issues has grown longer. e-days research has also shown that 58% of employees ‘feel exhausted’.

Money or health?

The study provides more supporting evidence for how staff attitudes to benefits have changed. Wellbeing has shot to the top of the list of priorities. Asked whether they would prefer extra money or time for themselves, 62% of employees said they would take an additional day off each year.

The Stress Management Society, in its analysis, has concluded that the pandemic has led to three main strands of stress that HR need to be aware of: a sense of disconnection with work, uncertainty and loss of control. It has advised that all staff need to be able to openly discuss stress and its effects on them, talk about their coping mechanisms, and be allowed to take time out when needed.

Road back to normal

“While the UK continues to make strong progress along the road back to normality, workplaces have to be aware of the aftershocks from prolonged periods of heightened anxieties and uncertainty,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“The risks are clear: exhaustion and burnout for people who have needed to battle through increased workloads and constant change, bottling up stress in ways that lead to threats to mental wellbeing. More people looking to make major changes to their way of life. More people wanting to change jobs, change their routines. Evidence from Aviva this month has suggested that three in five UK staff intend to make change to their career in some way.

“EAPs will help people through this period of psychological fallout from the pandemic, when we’re struggling with the big questions about what we want from our jobs and lives more generally. EAPs help people open up and make sure they’re addressing issues with stress – but with the range of advice available, they can also ensure employees aren’t making knee-jerk decisions about their future.”

Stress hangover mean for HR

How Reckitt Benckiser made wellbeing a prime mover for transformation.

Health, hygiene and home product manufacturer Reckitt Benckiser (RB) put employee wellbeing at the centre of its thinking to deliver a major global change programme to drive sustainable growth.

Keeping production facilities open and supplies still running, making sure staff jobs were protected, was a severe challenge for the business through 2020. Health, safety and wellbeing was made paramount across the global operations. The EAP service was extended to be available to all 37,000 employees wherever they worked.

Other resources provided included leader-led wellbeing podcasts, training and tips on working from home and how to maintain hygiene standards through the pandemic. Staff were given an extra two days’ holiday and extraordinary work was rewarded with special hampers. The Sir James Reckitt Award was introduced to recognise and celebrate employee work: the first award going to the team at an RB factory near Wuhan who kept disinfection production running through the first frightening weeks of lockdown in China.

Wellbeing benefits

RB has seen an uplift in engagement among staff, with an increased number of people taking part in the organisation’s survey, in those who recommended RB as a place to work and sense of pride of being an RB employee. Despite the pandemic operating and trading conditions, the net revenue increased by more than 8%; net income improved from a loss of £3.68 billion in 2019 to a gain of £1.19 billion in 2020.

In 2021, RB launched its £3.5 million global wellbeing programme to ensure that wellbeings stays at the heart of the company’s employee experience.This includes an online wellbeing hub and ongoing digital conversation platform.

Model-making

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “Awareness of the importance of employee wellbeing to employer brand and workplace culture has been growing at pace over the past five years or more.

“But Covid-19 has brought about a step change. Not only in terms of wellbeing support as an attractive benefit but in the essential value of physical and psychological wellbeing to organisational performance, as the foundation to resilience for the future. The approach being taken by RB will provide useful lessons to many other employers.”

What will ‘ long-Covid ’ mean for HR?

More than 300,000 people in the UK are believed to be suffering from ‘long Covid’ – the longer-term affects of Covid-19.

Conditions vary widely and in terms of medical classification is still unknown. People have suffered commonly from ongoing loss of taste and smell and problems with breathing – but also dizziness, anxiety, blood clots and heart damage. Long-Covid is often seen to manifest itself around three months after the original virus.

Long-term issue for HR

Evidence of the impact of the condition has been seen in the explosion in numbers of people joining Long-Covid support groups. In June 2020, the Long Covid Support and Campaign had just a few hundred members – now it has 33,000.

HR bodies now fear that every employer will have a percentage of staff who will either be on long-term sick leave or need to be supported in managing their condition alongside working. Anecdotal evidence shows that people with long-Covid will want to return to work but find the effort and pressure involved causes a relapse – causing frustration and demoralisation. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Coronavirus is calling for it to be officially recognised as an occupational disease.

Rachel Suff, senior policy adviser at the CIPD, said: “We need to get across that long Covid is not just post-virus fatigue. The employer and the manager need to have a really sensitive conversation with someone who has been diagnosed with long Covid to understand how the illness affects them personally, and the impact on them in terms of work. It must be on a case-by-case basis.” 

Ensuring psychological wellbeing

“If contracting Covid-19 wasn’t enough, believing you’ve recovered and then facing ill-health that won’t seem to go away is even more frightening,“ said EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“For HR there are a host of practical issues. Are the usual sickness processes relevant? In many organisations, taking regular short spells of sickness absence can lead to hard questions and disciplinary action. And how do you manage the usual phased return from long-term sickness? With most conditions it’s possible to know or at least talk about what the likely recovery period will involve. With long-Covid everyone is working in the dark.

“Long-Covid means the need for ongoing support, and not just in terms of physical health. EAPs will be an important resource and reassurance for HR – knowing that their people will always have access to professional support whenever they need it, to help them deal with the inevitable negative effects of long-Covid on emotional and psychological wellbeing, to see them through whatever setbacks the condition brings and allow them to make working part of their balance and recovery.”