Mental health in the workplace has and always will be a topic that needs to be tackled head-on especially since the emergence of Covid-19 and introduction of hybrid working environments. Every single person in the UK has had to adapt at a very fast pace in one way or another resulting in mental health issues in the workplace increasing at an exponential rate. This is evidenced by the fact that nearly 85% of UK businesses have felt the impact of the ‘Great Resignation’ with 32% of those also citing negative impacts on the wellbeing of their staff. 31% of the companies surveyed also reported increased team burnout due to increased workload with employees voluntarily resigning from their roles at a historic rate in 2021 (EmployeeBenefits.co.uk). Employers are now starting to recognise the impact mental health issues can have on both productivity and engagement levels and as such are starting to question whether or not their current offering is fit for purpose and is future proof.
The majority of employers will already have a number of different wellbeing initiatives and benefits in place although many will not have a clear cohesive plan in place that pulls them all together in a strategic manner. Furthermore, your employee’s mental health needs will vary across the wide demographic of your working population and as such your strategy will need to be designed in such a way that is as inclusive as possible. A one size fits all approach will not work as your strategy will need to reflect the broad spectrum of needs of your employees.
Tackling the Issue
As an employer you will need to tackle this in a strategic way by first reviewing your existing offering and analysing if and where the gaps are in your mental health strategy. This will help you quantify the problem(s) within your current strategy, review what ‘best practice’ currently looks like in your sector and/or the general market and design a clear plan that builds on your existing offering. It is crucial that the provision you put in place is joined up as too many employers have a fragmented offering that will result in them not only underperforming but you missing out on the opportunity to support your employees during the moments that matter.
Once you have completed this review you will then have to consider how this information will be accessed by employees once it goes live. There is strong evidence to support the idea that this support should be delivered both digitally and remotely alongside the traditional face to face approach. With working from home becoming more prevalent across the UK and the war for talent becoming more aggressive, it is important that any support on offer is accessible to all regardless of where an employee is working on a day to day basis. Doing so will ensure employees can access the support on offer as and when they require it in a time critical manner.
Employer Checklist
- Review your existing offering and identify any gaps
- Gain an understanding of what ‘best practice’ looks like in both your industry sector and general market
- Tailor your existing strategy so that it incorporates some of these ‘best practice elements’
- Consider how your new look strategy will be communicated to your employees. Not just at launch but continually throughout the year as well
- Consider how this support will be accessed by employees throughout the year
Written by Mercer Marsh Benefits
