Workplace mental health schemes scrapped as coronavirus restrictions ease

UK businesses are planning to roll back employee wellbeing policies such as mental health support and flexible working as coronavirus restrictions ease.

A survey of more than 750 managers and HR professionals by GoodShape and Ipsos found many of their current employee wellbeing initiatives will not continue once the pandemic is over.

• 56% expect there to be a cut in mental health initiatives.
• 57% say flexible working will be cut
• 63% think their company will withdraw occupational health services

Poor mental health in the workplace

These changes come despite clear evidence which showing the mental health pandemic is continuing, and businesses are feeling its full effects.

In 2021, poor mental health accounted for 17% of all lost working time across the country, with employees taking 56 million days off work at an estimated cost to employers of £7.8 billion.

Listen: The Mental Health Monday Podcast explores workplace wellbeing

During the first two working weeks in February 2022 when WFH guidance was lifted, UK businesses experienced 14 million lost working days due to staff illness at an estimated cost of £2 billion. Of this:

• 495,000 days were lost due to staff suffering from mental health-related issues.
• This came at an estimated cost of £68m.

"Wellbeing paradox"

The findings expose a wellbeing paradox in UK business. Despite plans to roll back wellbeing initiatives, many of those currently used are seen as “much needed”.

Mental health initiatives are top (71%), followed by remote working initiatives (66%), flexible working hours (65%) and occupational health services (64%).

“Employee wellbeing should be for the long-term, not just for the pandemic,” said Alun Baker, CEO of GoodShape.

“It isn’t a boardroom priority today and many wellbeing programmes are simply not fit for purpose.

"A lack of strategy, training, data-led insight and measurement is holding UK business leaders back from reaping the full benefits of employee wellbeing on productivity, financial performance and the overall health of the company.”

Listen to Alun speaking to Senior Correspondent Mick Coyle on this week's Mental Health Monday Podcast

Mental Health training opportunities missed

Forty-five per cent of middle managers, the ‘first line of defence’ in many organisations, said they hadn’t received any training to support their employees’ wellbeing.

Despite poor mental health being the UK’s leading cause of lost working time in 2021, only around a third of managers (36%) have been offered mental health first aid training.

Gill Wetherill, Head of People at Progeny : “Organisations need to make wellbeing a priority and embed it into their culture in order for their employee programme to be successful.

"Otherwise, it is likely to slip into arranging token wellbeing initiatives that will not make any demonstrable difference. Employee wellbeing should always be a priority for businesses and not just within the context of a global pandemic.”

Where's Your Head At? Campaign

Cool FM is part of the Where's Your Head At? campaign to ensure ALL workplaces have trained mental health first aiders working in them.

After securing more than 100,000 signatures on our petition, the issue was debated in Parliament, and is now on a pathway to becoming law.

Find out more about Where's Your Head At?

Get support for you mental health

You can find mental health services where you are by typing your postcode into the Hub of Hope.

Alternatively speak to your GP.

You can also text SHOUT to 85258, or call Samaritans on 116 123.

You are not alone.

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