The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 54: April/May 2021 | Page 30

STRESS AWARENESS MONTH

Mental Wellbeing: Caring for yourself and your staff post-pandemic

As we try to emerge from the pandemic in both a professional and a personal capacity, it is becoming increasingly clear that the psychological effects must not be underestimated.
For some, lockdowns, furlough and remote working may have brought benefits such as more family time, a chance to pause and reflect, and perhaps even an increase in business. For others it has been an extremely challenging time. Some of our readers may have seen clients disappear overnight, debts increase, or their businesses close completely. On top of that, the anxiety and uncertainty for employers and employees is still building; none of us know how the pandemic will affect us in 2021 and beyond. Whatever the future holds, now is the time for employers to take action to ensure that mental health and wellbeing is properly addressed as we all seek out a return to normality.
BE PREPARED According to Mental Health First Aid( MHFA) England, many employers are underprepared for the longer-term effects of the pandemic. The organisation has noted a significant disparity, with some employers doing a lot to support mental wellbeing while others are doing nothing. MHFA’ s survey of 2,000 employees, shows:
• Since the pandemic hit, one in four employees say they’ ve had no wellbeing check-ins from their workplace.
• 29 % of workers never discuss their mental health in line management meetings.
• More than double the number of women( 68 %) than men( 31 %) say their workplace confidence dipped owing to the pandemic.
• More women( 64 %) reported feelings of loneliness and isolation than men( 36 %)
Mental ill health costs employers £ 2.4 billion per year and despite warnings of a mental
health crisis, many employers have failed to increase or even implement support for workers.
MHFA England CEO, Simon Blake, said,“ Covid-19 has increased the need for employers to support the mental health and wellbeing of their staff. As these statistics show, the pandemic has laid bare pre-existing inequalities, gender, race and economic, and in turn it has exacerbated them. This needs serious attention as we start to rebuild.
“ Workplaces are key to creating a society where everyone’ s mental health matters so some employers must play catch up.”
WELLBEING A PRIORITY FOR CANDIDATES There is evidence to suggest that companies which do not prioritise the wellbeing of employees could also find recruitment and retention increasingly difficult.
Global jobs board Zoek surveyed jobseekers regarding their expectations of
potential employers- https:// zoek. uk Managing Director, Diana Campbell pictured above, said,“ We recently surveyed over 1,200 active job seekers to learn more about their sentiment regarding employers and the pandemic. We found job seeker priorities are changing, with 43 per cent of people now seeking work-from-home options and 20 per cent wanting to know if employers take mental health seriously.
“ Our findings also revealed employer reputation has become more important to job seekers, with only 4 per cent of
users surveyed saying they would work for employers who treated their employees poorly during the pandemic.”
STRESS AWARENESS MONTH Throughout Stress Awareness Month this April, The Business Exchange is sharing hints, tips and good practice from Wiltshire businesses in regard to employee wellness.
It is well documented that stress can lead to depression and anxiety alongside physical issues including heart disease, insomnia and digestive problems. In other words, our minds and bodies are connected with one impacting the other.
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