3-minute read

A common concern

With Covid-19 causing all governments and devolved assemblies across the UK to increase restrictions once again this year, anxiety over health and possible redundancy implications are weighing heavily on the minds of millions of employees. A lot of organisations have realised this and are sharing stories of common homeworking nuisances and of resilience to show that management is aware of the concerns of their colleagues. However, what usually follows is a conclusion demonstrating a successful outcome, especially when the story involves senior management.

Given the long-standing mantra of management needing to appear infallible to the ‘troops’, the real nitty-gritty of how a manager may have struggled to get themselves to a successful resolution of the problems faced may be glossed over, if even mentioned at all. There is also a disconnect between a manager who may share their homeworking environment as being ‘a quiet office setup in the spare room’, while a junior employee taps away on a laptop balanced on their knees, while sat on their bed in a multi-person flat-share.

This creates an unrealistic expectation or ‘hero story’ of leaders achieving results that ‘mere mortals’ of the rest of the organisation’s staff could never hope to emulate. A hero story minimises the concerns of employees and instead presents a narrative of ‘if I can manage to succeed in this environment, why can’t you?’ This in turn creates feelings of failure and/or fosters resentment due to a perceived lack of understanding of an employee’s personal circumstances, fuelling yet more anxiety.

What can be done?

• Finding appropriate stories

It takes courage for anyone to share their stories of struggle, perceived weakness, or even failure. The best source material comes from people who can share the fact that the pandemic and current economic situation is having a significant impact on their lives. Encouraging anyone who feels comfortable to share such perspectives can do a lot for employees’ well-being.

•  Sharing the stories

Connectivity in these times of remote working and lack of socialising can be improved by sharing stories from all levels of an organisation. They promote feelings of togetherness, where stories of difficulties can become discussion points where employees can realise that others in the firm are having similar experiences and may be willing to share their own examples.

•  Encouraging social interactions

Some organisations have encouraged video conference calls for employees in the same department or of similar grades to have a Friday afternoon social call for at least half an hour. This can boost morale and subsequently the working environment.

For some employees, however, that may not be enough. The isolation from a lack of social interaction with colleagues, family and friends is proving too difficult to deal with on a continued basis. For such employees, mental health support needs to take a different form and become as accessible as possible.

One proven method of improving mental health is the Peer Support model. Employees trained to use their own personal experiences of mental health challenges provide practical and social help to one another. This offers a level of understanding, empathy and sense of hope that professional medical treatment alone may not.

Why do anything?

• Mental health is now the most common reason for people to take time off work, costing UK businesses an average of £1,500 per employee (across the entire business) in absence and decreased productivity[1]. Additionally, replacing talent is expensive, especially after a valued employee takes a period of sickness absence.

• On the other hand, creating and implementing a well-thought-out mental health policy can produce benefits which amount up to a 9:1 return on investment[2].

• After implementing a Peer Support programme, organisations report happier and more engaged teams, increased productivity, higher levels of job satisfaction and greater employee retention rates. In turn, this changes the workplace culture, removing any barriers to inclusion for employees with mental health issues, improves manager comfort in addressing employee issues with the assistance of a Peer Supporter and reduces absenteeism[3], all of which equips the organisation for future success.

The real heroes of the mental health story are the people who give the support to those who need it. Organising and facilitating the process is the vital first step on the journey. Create the environment that could improve the mental health of your employees, talk to us about peer support.

Habitus specialises in providing practical, lasting solutions to mental health issues. For more information on how Habitus can help your organisation develop comprehensive support for your employees, click on the button below.

Alternatively, send us a message by clicking here or contact us by phone on 020 7207 3186.

[1] Stevenson D, Farmer, P. ‘Thriving at Work: The Independent Review of Mental Health and Employers.’ 2017

[2] Deloitte. ‘Mental health and employers: The case for investment.’ 2017

[3] Linnan L, Fisher E, Hood S. ‘The power and potential of peer support in workplace interventions.’ American Journal of Health Promotion, 2013;28(1)