Author : Nicola Hemmings – Head of Workplace Psychology at Koa Health – Employee Mental Health and Wellbeing Solutions
Organisational wellbeing is no longer a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’. With an estimated annual total cost for mental health-related employee absenteeism, presenteeism and turnover of £53-56 billion[1] in 2020-2021, a 25% increase from 2019, it certainly is time to take workforce mental wellbeing seriously. As of 2021, 68% of senior HR leaders[2] agree—employee mental health and wellbeing is their companies’ #1 priority.
But these changes, while occurring on a grand scale, haven’t hit the benchmark, yet. Roughly 34% of managers[3] aren’t sure what to do for employees struggling with mental health issues. For companies that are ready to improve their existing offerings or take the first steps to offer well-being tools and resources for their employees, here are 3 questions to help guide your approach.
Do your wellness benefits cover the full continuum of mental health?
Looking at how poor mental health negatively affects a company, it is no wonder HR teams are moving employee mental health to the top of their list of company objectives. But how can employers better support people across the full range of mental health? Many companies offer emergency support for mental health crises and traditional in-person care for people with a diagnosed mental health condition.
Far fewer organisations focus on preventative measures, ie, changes that can be made to prevent further employee strain. They also typically fail to address the needs of the missing middle—those individuals who may not need clinical services but would benefit from self-guided support based on clinically validated techniques from CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), positive psychology and ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy).
All employees—especially new hires and the newly promoted, need systems in place to help prevent burnout and stress. Work deadlines and changes are factors that usually catalyse stress. If procedures and resources are included within strategies and planning, a far more sustainable outcome can be achieved.
Are the resources and tools inclusive?
Peoples’ needs vary. The support that a LGBTQ+ person in a partnership would benefit from could be very different from what would be useful to a single mum who is caring for her child and an ageing parent. Research shows that young people, key workers, people with caring responsibilities and ethnic minorities have been more adversely affected by the pandemic–and in very different ways[4].
Again, incorporating as much first-hand data as possible about what your team needs can give line managers and HR leads clarity on what tools are most resourceful and for whom. When more of your workforce feels included in your wellbeing program, they’ll be more likely to use the resources provided to improve their mental health and wellbeing.
What are the numbers saying, and how are you responding?
Surveying employees to know how they feel about their workload, company environment and resources can be a great way to understand what is helping and what isn’t. Getting feedback from your team is also a way to know if your messaging and rollout are working. Surprisingly, nearly half of employees don’t understand their employee benefits[5]. If your staff are periodically asked what they think about a resource the company provides, and some of them weren’t already aware of this resource, being asked the question might spark their interest in actually exploring some of their benefits. It could also help you find better ways to keep them informed of new and existing benefits.
Once you do have clear indications of what staff want and need to work more effectively, it’s equally important to make changes necessary to achieve organisational
wellbeing. If there is a service that your organisation is providing for employees, and it is hardly used, not practical or isn’t inclusive, then it could become time and money better used elsewhere. Creating and fine-tuning organisational wellbeing takes time, a mindful approach and fundamental changes, but is well worth the gains—in individual and organisational resilience.
To find out more about organisational resilience, download our whitepaper: Building organisational wellbeing: The business case
You’ll learn:
- The role of mental health in organisational wellbeing
- How to ensure coverage for all employees despite widening gaps in care
- How to leverage past learnings to move your goals for organisational resilience forward
- Which mental health investments have the best ROI (return on investment)
- How to embed mental wellbeing into your company culture