The impact of the pandemic has led to many individuals struggling with their mental health.

The Health Foundation found that 69% of individuals reported feeling very worried about the impact COVID-19 is having on their life. The most common factors affecting wellbeing are worries about the future (63%), feeling stressed or anxious (56%) and feeling bored (49%).

Many of these issues are now intertwined with individuals’ working lives.

A combination of a lack of job security, employees being put on furlough, employees being made redundant and employees having to juggle both childcare and work, has made a significant negative impact on the mental health of individuals.

This article identifies two ways organisations and employees can help to improve the mental health of the workforce.

Communication

An important factor underpinning the mental health of individuals is communication.

In a time of such uncertainty, consistent and transparent communication from the top will go a long way. It is important to note that communication within a business does not have to be something of significant information – it is ok to not have the answers yet, but just communicating this can be pivotal.

From an employee’s point of view, anxiety is relieved by just knowing that the organisation is trying to act. Such transparency will enhance employee trust and engagement, resulting in a happier and more cooperative workforce.

Simple communications such as signposting mental health support can go a long way. Some employees who are experiencing poor mental health may not want to disclose to their organisation that they are struggling in fear that they will be treated differently, or even fear that they will be sacked or forced out. The latter is even more prevalent at the moment when employees are doing everything in their power to avoid facing redundancy.

So, by signposting mental health charities such as Mind UK, employees can seek the help they need without feeling uncomfortable disclosing the information to the employer, whilst at the same time, the employer is seen to be considering and acting upon the wellbeing of its workforce.

Finally, experience has shown that when Senior Management open up about their struggles with mental health, this sets a tone for the rest of the organisation and employees feel more open to reach out for support.

Work-life balance

With a considerable proportion of the workforce continuing to work remotely, it is even more important for employees to set boundaries in order to maintain a good work-life-balance. This in turn can support good mental health among employees.

We have found the following points helpful in achieving this:

• Try to stick to your typical working hours. When you log off for the day, either shut the door to your ‘office’ or put your laptop out of sight to avoid temptations to check emails or ‘just quickly finish something off’;
• Turn email notifications off on your personal phone. When you’re facetiming friends or family and the notification bar drops down at the top of the screen with a work email, it’s too tempting to just open it and alas – you’re back into work mode;
• Use your annual leave! Many of us have fallen victim to saving all of our leave in case there is the opportunity for travel – but you still need a break. It’s important to use your leave for exactly that – leave. A relatively new term has been coined ‘leavism’ where employees use their leave to work, which totally misses the point;
• Avoid presenteeism. The CIPD have found that the number of sick days recorded by employers has dropped – but presenteeism (where employees feel the need to work when unwell) is now widespread; and
• Finally, and in line with the nature theme for this years’ Mental Health Awareness week, get outside! Whether it’s for a short walk, some exercise, to run an errand or have a picnic. Getting outside, being around nature and away from your screens has been proven to improve mental wellbeing. The Mental Health Foundation found that spending time outdoors has been one of the key factors enabling people to cope with the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to this, with the imminent return to the workplace individuals are likely to feel stressed and anxious. Organisations should take this into consideration when planning the return to the workplace, and ensure employees are ready for the return with appropriate measures in place.

Employees should continue to set boundaries between work and their personal lives and make sure they take time to switch off and get outside.

Contact beth@qcg.co.uk to explore how you can support your employees’ wellbeing by having a compelling employee value proposition and improving the employee experience.