COVID-19 & Preparing for a positive workplace.
Business leaders must act urgently to support employee mental health during lockdown and on return to the workplace. Employee wellbeing is no longer just a matter for the HR department. We must act now to set up a workforce that puts wellbeing at the core of its processes making a commitment to improve mental health for future generations. The direct link between mental health and performance at work means businesses can no longer ignore the workforce mental health challenge: a challenge exacerbated by Coronavirus, critical for economic survival. Business leaders must work to support employees with ongoing assessment to support the drastic changes to the structure of our work life as we know it. A simple ‘how are you’ however effective will no longer suffice alone. We must check in on co-workers' mental state periodically as lockdown eases. We must work collectively on our return to work, creating an environment free from exhaustion, depletion and extraction.
We are yet to fully consider the impact of the current crisis on the workforce and its effect on our mental health. The impact of the coronavirus lockdown on employee’s mental health is starting to show as we go into the eighth week of measures to curb the spread of the virus. Many workers will be working remotely in isolation for the first time, which can be difficult, especially if they are used to working in a busy office environment. Couple this with fears of catching the virus and job insecurity and this can amplify feelings of stress, anxiety and depression.
New research shows that home working is causing a rise in employee burnout and disillusionment. Research that surveyed adults working from home found that 86% of individuals said remote working was having a negative impact on their health, with a third of workers saying they were experiencing increased anxiety, and a similar number reporting disturbed sleep. Employees are not fully functioning with almost three in five HR managers fearing losing staff to sick leave as a result of the mental health impact of working in lockdown. It is important to remember we are not simply expecting employees to work from home but to juggle homeschooling, client demands and a myriad of tasks during a global crisis taking its daily toll on our mental health. Research conducted by the Mental Health Foundation and LinkedIn amongst HR professionals found that more than half said that mental health issues such as stress, burnout, isolation and loneliness had increased in their workforce since the coronavirus crisis hit.
Technology has played a vital facilitating role helping businesses stay operational, with video conferencing software like Zoom keeping a number of organisations afloat. These technologies have some benefits to employees, such as flexibility around working hours, allowing them to focus on childcare or personal chores, easing stress and anxiety. Technology can never replace the value and support of human connection. We must act now with a combination of technology, face to face and individual support programmes. As we return to our working lives we should take a phased approach in rolling out technology to promote a better balance for employees.
After the lockdown passes, we must reconsider work life balance across all roles including key workers who have been stretched between normal human limits. It is important to re-assess the view that the health of company balance sheets should take precedence over our own mental state. If we are unable to support ourselves mentally and physically we are unable to support others. In a number of industries exhausting our workforce has contributed to a lasting strain on the public health system and a mental health crisis, with 54% of sick days due to stress, depression, or anxiety.
Over three-quarters of individuals said that implementation of home working encouraged so-called ‘e-presenteeism’ where workers feel obliged to be online and available, even if feeling unwell or already having worked their contracted hours. Simply put, this costs employers money. While an employee may think they are doing well by still showing up for work despite being stressed or ill, that is not always the case. In fact, the opposite is usually true. That's because they may end up being less productive or, even worse, make many mistakes while on the job, all of which can cost the company much more than if they were to seek mental health support. We must constantly monitor the effects of this fractured working environment and plan for the structured return to work.
This is a worrying time both for employees and employers. Now more than ever businesses need to be looking after their staff and supporting their mental health at what is a very challenging time. Uncovering the root causes and working with people to address any concerns they may be having whilst working from home could really help reduce absenteeism, manage the remote workforce and keep track of what is happening to ensure their employees are mentally fit and well.
We must not return to our pre-corona existence which was not " normal " other than we normalized greed, exhaustion, depletion and extraction. We have the opportunity to sculpt a new framework that empowers our mental health to thrive and our economy to recover.
Next week we will showcase the major enabling companies promoting a solution focused approach to mental health in the workplace.
We have the opportunity to sculpt a new framework that empowers our mental health to thrive and our economy to recover.
Call our consultants today: 02039 504 259 Or email us at: hello@rjvn8.co.uk
