- Half of Companies Report Lack of Resources to Support Mental Health Issues in Their Business
- 45% of Businesses Report Rise in Mental Health Issues for Workforce During Lockdown
- 1 in 5 Companies Have Zero Oversight of Employee Mental Health Issues
Half of all companies don’t have the resources to properly support employee mental health, according to a new survey from workforce intelligence platform e-days.
Released during Mental Health Awareness Week (18th-24th May), the survey results from more than 100 HR leaders found that over 53% of businesses felt that had inadequate resources to support mental health issues in their business.
On a webinar co-hosted by e-days and Doctor Care Anywhere, the digital healthcare company, 100 HR leaders and decision makers shared their preparedness for tackling the growing issue of poor mental health in the workplace, which is reported to cost the UK economy £99 billion each year. 45% of respondents confirmed that they had seen a rise in mental health-related illness in their business in the last month. Only 15% said that there had been no rise.
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With the impact of lockdown on employee mental health well-documented, over half of businesses still lack the capability to see which of their staff has been affected by Covid-19 either mentally or physically. Worryingly, one in every five companies are completely blind to issues with employee mental health, and 40% of respondents only receive updates monthly or even more rarely.
As UK businesses begin preparations to return to ‘business as usual’, e-days’ survey reinforces the importance of tracking who might be suffering from poor mental health as a result of the UK’s lockdown measures. The findings show that occupational health and extensive support should be a prerequisite for any business looking to re-open their place of work.
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Steve Arnold, CEO of e-days, commented: “It’s never been more important for employees and employers to be having open and honest conversations about mental health in the workplace. Poor mental health is a growing problem, and many businesses find themselves without adequate resources to help their staff. Promoting good employee mental health now will also offer wider benefits that outlast the Covid-19 crisis. If relationships are strong and there is a strong sense of trust between employer and employee, then businesses will be far more resilient to whatever the future holds.”
Dr Lia Ali, head of mental health strategy at Doctor Care Anywhere, commented: “Unfortunately, when it comes to mental health, there is still a stigma around discussions. People are not sure whether they should be addressing issues when they see them. We don’t have these thoughts when we consider physical health, so why would any employer allow mental health to impact an employee’s performance?
“Early intervention can make all the difference- and as we adjust to life after lockdown, we can do this by looking at patterns in data and understanding our employees. When we know our employees well, then we can spot warning signs sooner.”
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