Employers are being urged to step up their mental health support for employees during the Covid-19 crisis lockdown.
Research from People Management shows that managers lack confidence in this area and are finding that staff anxiety about Covid-19 is HR’s biggest challenge.
The CIPD and Simplyhealth has released figures showing that the majority of managers were falling short on this even before the crisis began and they are stating that immediate action is required if employees are to avoid being at risk from poor mental health both during and after the coronavirus pandemic.
Between October and mid-November, a poll of 1,018 HR professionals across the UK was conducted. It found that 25 per cent of HR professionals were of the opinion that managers were able to recognise the early warning signs of mental ill- health, but only 31 per cent thought that managers were confident enough to deal with these problems in a sensitive manner. This figure of 31 per cent is not specifically related to the coronavirus, as that figure has remained at this level for the past four years.
The CIPD, Simplyhealth Health and Well-being Survey at Work 2020 report stated that concern over job security and income loss, added to fear of infection and feelings of isolation is likely to increase the anxiety, pressure and stress that is affecting many people.
Rachel Suff, Advisor - ER & Diversity (Europe) for CIPD, stated:
“With so many people working at home, it can be even harder for managers to pick up on cues that their colleagues might be struggling. It’s really important that managers are regularly checking in with their team and making use of video calls, so interactions can be as personal as possible.”
She added:
“Employers also need to remember that their duty of care for people’s health and safety carries on no matter where staff are based. These findings show that whilst more managers are being trained to help colleagues with their mental health, it doesn’t always seem to be translating into better support for staff.”
Respondents to the survey were also asked about their biggest challenges in relation to staff working remotely and 70 per cent cited ensuring employees’ physical and mental wellbeing.
Richard Gillies - Chief Operating Officer at Simplyhealth - remarked:
“Organisations who have already adopted a proactive approach to supporting their employees’ wellbeing will be well positioned during the coronavirus crisis. By making good use of initiatives like employee assistance programmes that offer counselling and 24/7 remote access to a GP, employees will benefit from additional support for their health at such a difficult time.”
When businesses were asked about their methods for checking how staff were feeling about new working arrangements - and the coronavirus situation generally - 66 per cent reported that they relied on line manager feedback; 56 per cent direct employee feedback and only 9 per cent had utilised staff surveys.
Stephen Bevan - head of HR research development at the Institute of Employment Studies - said that the move to remote working made it harder for HR and managers to pick up on the fact that their colleagues might be struggling.
He stated:
“The fact that people are so distant means that even the most empathetic manager can't really spot signs of staff’s behaviour, disposition or even physical signs of people being in trouble of some kind.”
He added that employers could support employees, trust them to do their jobs and offer the flexibility for staff to work around other responsibilities such as childcare – saying:
“In the current circumstances, I think there are some lessons in getting people to psychologically segment their day where logistically possible, to communicate that to people and be trusted by their employer and to offer the flexibility for staff to work around other responsibilities such as childcare. There’s nothing worse than people thinking they have to be sending emails at 6pm just to show that they’re active online, otherwise people will think they’ve skived off early.”
