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

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