Mental health is a growing concern for employees — especially during a pandemic

In the past few months, our immediate priority was to shield ourselves from COVID-19 and keep ourselves physically healthy. We’ve kept our distance from friends and family, adapted to new ways of working and stayed in our homes as much as we can.

These measures were necessary and drastic. But now we’re also starting to understand the impact this pandemic is set to have on the mind. Some of us are still working from home following lockdown guidance, while others may be going back to the office. This constant, shifting anxiety is taking a toll on our mental health.

When the World Health Organisation was founded in 1948, its Director-General Dr Brock Chisholm believed that physical and mental health were intrinsically connected — and that global health could not be achieved if we only focus on the ailments afflicting the body.

“Without mental health there can be no true physical health,” he noted in a speech given in Geneva. Almost 80 years later, Chisholm’s words have never felt more apt. Health is more than just physical wellbeing; it also encompasses mental, emotional, psychosocial and financial wellbeing. These are factors that cannot and must not be forgotten, now and in the world post-pandemic.

Just last week, this sentiment was echoed by WHO once more. Devora Kestel, Director of WHO’s Mental Health Department, said: “The isolation, the fear, the uncertainty, the economic turmoil — they all cause or could cause psychological distress. The mental health and wellbeing of whole societies have been severely impacted by this crisis and are a priority to be addressed urgently.”

Our mental and physical wellbeing may be top of mind right now — but it’s already a concern among employees globally. In our recent Employee Expectations 2020 report, we found that even before COVID-19 turned the world of work on its head, employees globally expected their organisation to look after their wellbeing — and that over the past year alone, this expectation grew 17%.

Here’s what we found out.

Younger employees are most concerned about their wellbeing

Current research suggests that when it comes to their health, the younger generations place a higher value on this topic than their older peers.

While all generations experienced a year-on-year increase in comments on wellbeing-related topics, we found that this expectation grew the most among Gen Z employees, who saw a 28% rise in discussion on the topic. This growth is more than twice that of the Generation X cohort at 13%, and more than four times that of the Baby Boomer group, which saw an increase of 6%.

Meanwhile, the Millennial generation saw a 22% increase in wellbeing-related comments — and proving that wellbeing is not just a concern for the young, the Silent Generation saw a 19% increase in comments on this topic.

This generational data tells us that employees expect their company to care about their wellbeing on an individual level — and that what works for one cohort may alienate another. 

Businesses that don’t respond to this expectation not only risk failing to attract a new generation of talent, but also losing their employees. Businesses must focus on providing a holistic approach to wellbeing that encompasses physical, emotional, mental, and financial health. 

Concern for wellbeing has grown most among employees in the Finance sector

The majority of industry sectors saw a year-on-year increase in employee discussion on wellbeing, but some were more vocal on this topic than others. 

The Finance sector saw the biggest increase in comments featuring terms relating to wellness and wellbeing, with a 51% year-on-year rise. The Government and Consumer sectors follow, with increases of 40% and 35%, respectively.

Industry analysis consistently places the Finance sector among the worst for employee stress and mental health support. With a work-life balance a continuing concern among this cohort alongside a turbulent economic and political climate and a multi-sector skills shortage, employees in this sector are making their voices heard and demanding more support. 

How to support your employees’ mental health during a pandemic

As our data shows, employee expectations on wellbeing have been growing across different generations, regions and industries. As the pandemic has continued to unfold and we teeter on the edge of a mental health crisis, this expectation has only accelerated — and has highlighted a very real need for a sustained effort with regards to employee mental and physical wellbeing.

So what does wellbeing look like in the post-COVID workplace?

Addressing employee wellbeing needs as we transition back to work must become a top priority of every business. We now know that the likelihood of businesses operating either partially or fully remotely in the post-pandemic world is high. 

Organisations will need to make sure that they take steps to understand the experience of every employee and support their wellbeing needs will be equally important as taking care of their health and safety in this new working environment. Ensuring that you are modelling healthy behaviours from an organisational level will be critical to supporting this goal and helping your employees prioritise self-care in the ways that work for them on an individual level. 

This might mean ensuring that team members are not working beyond their working hours, being more understanding on productivity and ensuring that employees take the holidays they normally would in order to avoid burnout.

Above all, you need to listen to what your employees are telling you, and foster a culture that is based on mutual trust and psychological safety. Creating a culture of two-way communication will mean your employees feel safe sharing their challenges during this time, and that you can better support them.

This finding is just one of four trends we expect to impact businesses in 2020. You can download the full report here for free.

• Have you noticed more demand for wellbeing-related initiatives among your employees?
• How are you supporting employee mental wellbeing from a distance during the COVID-19 pandemic?
• How are you prioritising your own mental wellbeing during this time?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you see employee expectations for wellbeing evolving in your organisation — leave a comment below.

#pandemic #employeeengagment #mentalhealthatwork #covid19 #hrprofessionals  #hrcommunity