Within the past year, the pandemic has had a staggering impact on people wellbeing. Around half of the UK have felt anxious within the past two weeks (May 2021), which may not be surprising, but is incredibly worrying. With uncertainty about going back to work and economic situations, this number could very well increase.
Many forward-thinking companies are beginning to question how they can support their staff with back to work anxiety!
So, what is back to work anxiety?
Anxiety is an emotional response that can result in feelings such as; tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure. As a result of the pandemic, people returning back to work may feel high emotions impacting their mental wellbeing and productivity. Therefore, their ability to return to normality decreases. In extreme circumstances returning back to work may not be possible for some increasing company absentees.
How can you alleviate back to work anxiety?
With the right rewards and recognition, you can help your team’s anxiety towards work.
Communication is key!
Communication is vital to helping anxiety of any form. Forming trusting employee relations will develop a support network for your people and allow them to feel less alone. On top of this, positive reinforcement like saying thank you for your hard work and effective employee of the month schemes will allow your team to feel encouraged and excited about their return back to work.
Supporting your people
To help back to work anxiety, companies must understand individuals needs and offer support where necessary. Some team members may not know that support is available and remain silent about their issues, making them worse. Therefore, mental wellbeing will only decrease, causing multiple issues later down the line, such as unproductive behaviour and loss of staff.
Financial Support
Some anxiety may be caused by financial strain. Whilst some companies may believe that salary is enough to support, in some cases, it may not be, and other simple acts of kindness can help. For example, employee vouchers can be rewards and encourage hard work whilst eliminating financial stress.
To conclude, back to work anxiety is prevalent and a real issue for many people in 2021. Companies should develop systems to make the return to work easier and as productive as possible. To find out how Each Person can help make work a better place for your people visit us at eachperson.com and follow us on social media.
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