Supporting Employee Mental Health: A Big Opportunity For Employers

A significant proportion of employees say their mental health is worsening. Meanwhile, the majority of employers say they want to better support their employees’ mental health, yet only around a fifth have invested in new employee benefits to provide any such extra support.

It seems a perfect opportunity exists for organisations to highlight how much they care about their staff.

[Related reading: Agile Culture & Mental Health Keys To Boosting Employee Engagement]

Two Out Of Three Employees Say Their Mental Health Is Worsening

Two out of three employees say their mental health has worsened over the last year, new research shows.

Perhaps more concerning is the fact that the poll by team building and virtual events company Wildgoose also found that one in six believe disclosing their mental health problem to their employer could result in them losing their job.

The poll adds further weight to the mounting evidence that employers face significant challenges when it comes to employee mental health as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, despite many other polls of OH practitioners suggesting the overall pandemic experience could result in a mental health reset, this doesn’t seem to be the case.

This is highlighted by the fact the Wildgoose survey found that the overwhelming majority of employees polled (95%) felt their company wasn’t doing enough to identify and support those with mental health problems.

Jonny Edser, Wildgoose managing director, said: "As remote and hybrid working practices become more widespread, companies need to start doing more to ensure that employees are still receiving the same levels of mental health support... With less regular in-person meetings and casual catch-ups in the office, it can be much harder to spot the signs of poor mental health.”

59% Of Employers Want To Support Employee Mental Health

Meanwhile, separate research shows that 59% of employers feel an increased responsibility for supporting their employees’ mental wellbeing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the research by Group Risk Development (GRiD), the industry body for the group risk protection sector, 57% of employers also feel increased responsibility for their employees’ physical wellbeing. Meanwhile, 56% said the same for staff social wellbeing and 50% for employees’ financial wellbeing.

Positively, 40% of companies said they have increased their wellbeing support communication to workers and 34% said they have encouraged engagement and utilisation of said support.

Furthermore, just over a quarter (27%) of companies said that they have facilitated mental health support access with apps and online offerings, while a quarter have actually extended assistance beyond the individual employee to include family members. Just under a quarter (22%) have invested in new employee benefits to provide extra support.

Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for Grid, commented: “Mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing are inextricably linked and so employers must address all four areas when providing post-pandemic support for staff."

[Related reading: What Employee Benefits Do Staff Want In 2022?]

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While it is sad to learn about how many individuals are experiencing mental health issues at present, the fact that many employers are stepping up to offer better support is reassuring. However, with almost 80% of organisations polled by GRiD indicating they haven’t invested in new employee benefits in an attempt to provide better support, there is still plenty of room for improvement.