Half of companies ill-equipped to support employee mental health

by Startacus Admin

Businesses ill-equipped to support employee mental health according to new survey

A new survey from workforce intelligence platform e-days has revealed that half of all companies don’t have the resources to properly support employee mental health.

The survey results from over 100 HR leaders found that over 53% of businesses felt they had inadequate resources to support mental health issues in their business.

On a webinar co-hosted by e-days and Doctor Care Anywhere, the digital healthcare company, 100 HR leaders and decision makers shared their preparedness for tackling the growing issue of poor mental health in the workplace, which is reported to cost the UK economy £99 billion each year. 

With the impact of lockdown on employee mental health well-documented, over half of businesses still lack the capability to see which of their staff has been affected by Covid-19.

As UK businesses begin preparations to return to ‘business as usual’, the survey reinforces the importance of tracking who might be suffering from poor mental health as a result of the UK’s lockdown measures. The findings show that occupational health and extensive support should be a prerequisite for any business looking to re-open their place of work.

CEO of e-days, Steve Arnold, commented:

“It’s never been more important for employees and employers to be having open and honest conversations about mental health in the workplace. Promoting good employee mental health now will also offer wider benefits that outlast the Covid-19 crisis. If relationships are strong and there is a strong sense of trust between employer and employee, then businesses will be far more resilient to whatever the future holds.”

Dr Lia Ali, head of mental health strategy at Doctor Care Anywhere, added:

“Unfortunately, when it comes to mental health, there is still a stigma around discussions. We don’t have these thoughts when we consider physical health, so why would any employer allow mental health to impact an employee’s performance? 

“Early intervention can make all the difference- and as we adjust to life after lockdown, we can do this by looking at patterns in data and understanding our employees. When we know our employees well, then we can spot warning signs sooner.”

You might also want to read Half of UK employees would return to work IF right safety processes in place.

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Published on: 19th May 2020