{"id":1174612,"date":"2023-04-28T14:14:16","date_gmt":"2023-04-28T13:14:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tiger-recruitment.com\/career-and-personal-development-us\/employee-wellbeing-in-the-post-pandemic-world-2\/"},"modified":"2024-08-06T14:49:18","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T13:49:18","slug":"employee-wellbeing-in-the-post-pandemic-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tiger-recruitment.com\/us\/workplace-insights-us\/employee-wellbeing-in-the-post-pandemic-world\/","title":{"rendered":"New attitudes, old challenges: employee wellbeing in the post-pandemic world"},"content":{"rendered":"

Never has there been a time when employee mental health has held such weight in workplace conversation. And with good reason \u2013 such is the extent of worker burnout, depression, and disengagement that, according to the World Health Organization<\/a>, 12 billion working days are lost globally each year due to mental health-related sick leave.<\/p>\n

However, while the COVID-19 pandemic is the main cause of this crisis and subsequent widespread mental health concerns, it also brought the topic of mental health to the fore.<\/p>\n

The post-pandemic landscape<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While it was very welcome, the shift in focus to employee mental wellbeing during the pandemic was in many ways out of necessity. Now, three years on, priorities are inevitably shifting once again, sometimes with mental health slipping off the agenda.<\/p>\n

Health coach Michelle Flynn<\/strong> of Michelle Flynn Coaching<\/a> has seen this first-hand. She explains that some companies have taken the view that, \u201cwe\u2019re just back to normal so we can stop worrying about supporting people\u2019s mental health\u201d. Sadly, however, this means cuts in resources for mental health initiatives: “Due to world economics some companies have had to make to decision to reallocate budgets to other things.”<\/p>\n

Ruth Cooper-Dickson <\/strong>of Champs Consulting<\/a> has also seen companies scale back their mental health focus: \u201cThere are organizations that have the attitude of \u2018we did wellbeing and mental health in 2020, 2021 and 2022\u2026\u2019\u201d, believing that the necessary work has been done. This is despite the fact that \u201cwe’re starting to see the real ripple effect of the pandemic now\u201d, with recent studies from Asana showing that 70% of workers have experienced burnout<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It’s not all negative though \u2013 at the other extreme, some companies are doubling down on employee mental health services. These businesses have seen the benefits that initiatives brought during lockdown and, as Michelle explains, have realized that they \u201cneed to continue to support people in the long term, because happy people make businesses more money.\u201d In fact, studies have shown<\/a> that investment in employee wellbeing raises productivity by up to 5%.<\/p>\n

Clearly, we\u2019re still living in the long shadow of COVID, and one of the most noticeable holdovers is hybrid working.<\/p>\n

The pros and cons of hybrid working<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One of the biggest complicating factors of the post-pandemic working world is the divisive nature of hybrid and remote working arrangements<\/a>. For some, the enforced remote working during lockdown sparked severe work-related stress; Ruth explains how \u201cpeople were working from their bedrooms; not everyone has the luxury of an office space at home\u201d. Michelle adds that the isolation was also a factor: \u201cLoneliness is one of the biggest causes of depression and is one of the reasons why people’s mental health was a challenge during lockdown\u201d.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, working from home was a revelation for some, particularly those who relished the autonomy and found a new level of efficiency, alongside a better work\/life balance. Michelle points to \u201cthe convenience of it, the saving of money, being able to be around your children. Lots of people have seen their kids take their first steps when they never would have had that opportunity before.\u201d For her, \u201cthe hybrid model is a really great sweet spot\u201d.<\/p>\n

However, not all employers agree that hybrid working works; the challenge is finding a balance that keeps productivity high, while offering employees an arrangement that works for their mental health.<\/p>\n

Encouragingly, many innovative businesses are doing their part to develop new ways of remotely managing employees and their wellbeing.<\/p>\n

Adapting for the future<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As employees\u2019 work arrangements become more individualized, full teams may only be in the office together once a week, or not at all. This has given rise to managers scheduling regular team meetings via video calls \u2013 an effective alternative for the team\u2019s work management, but less so for their personal wellbeing. As Michelle observes, \u201cWhen you’re on the phone or when you’re on video, you don’t necessarily spot the warning signs\u201d.<\/p>\n

So, how can managers keep on top of the team\u2019s wellbeing remotely<\/a>? For Ruth, general wellbeing catch-up calls with remote workers are a must, but it\u2019s also about effective time management and avoiding \u201cback-to-back Zoom meetings\u201d that disrupt workflow and pile on stress. For hybrid workers, it\u2019s important to ensure that they don\u2019t bring the isolated mindset to their in-office days: \u201cAre they actually doing that connecting work rather than just sitting at a desk and working in silos?\u201d<\/p>\n

It can be hard for us to leave our working-from-home habits at the door when we enter the office; both Michelle and Ruth advise employers to encourage a collaborative atmosphere on days when teams are in the office. They note several proactive companies that are continuing the positive mental health spirit of the pandemic with initiatives such as wellbeing talks, breathwork events, and yoga sessions. These function as enticements to return to the office, opportunities for staff to socialize and, of course, offer beneficial mental health workouts.<\/p>\n

Finding the balance<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The need for a better work\/life balance had topped the mental health agenda for many years pre-pandemic, but 2020 brought its importance into stark relief. As we all became more reliant on technology, so we became used to being able to reach each other at any time, from anywhere. This blurring of personal and work time is an ongoing issue, as Ruth has found: \u201cThose boundaries aren’t necessarily respected around evening work, evening emails, weekends, holidays, or vacation time. People stay online because it’s easier than having to come back to an inbox full of emails\u201d.<\/p>\n

Michelle agrees: \u201cI talked to some people in customer service who are working from their kitchen and dealing with difficult customer services calls and have no separation between their kitchen and what\u2019s happening at work.\u201d For some, it\u2019s bleak: \u201cNow, it’s not working from home; we are living at work\u201d.<\/p>\n

While such a lifestyle is certainly not sustainable, thankfully it hasn\u2019t gone unnoticed by attentive employers. Ruth works with companies who are taking steps to firm up those boundaries: \u201cI’ve seen some organizations that have quite clear strategies and policies for managers to consider when they’re contacting their teams\u201d. Michelle relates: There are \u201ccompanies who are putting in times in the day that you cannot book any meetings\u201d, and who are training managers to use email scheduling to send emails within work hours, rather than out-of-hours when the thought occurs. Another of her clients has implemented a rule that, \u201cevery Friday morning everyone starts work an hour later and you’re meant to use that hour to go for a walk\u201d.<\/p>\n

The financial benefits of change<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The silver lining of the COVID cloud reveals an increased willingness by employers to listen to employee concerns. Many more business leaders are realizing that employee mental health must be prioritized: It doesn\u2019t come at the expense of profits and productivity because the long-term benefits far outweigh the short-term costs.<\/p>\n

This is exemplified by staff retention. In fact, employees struggling with work-related mental health issues are nearly twice as likely to change jobs<\/a> compared to those whose wellbeing is prioritized.<\/p>\n

Employer brand also sees a boost when wellbeing initiatives are front and center. Ruth can attest to this: \u201cGallup have proven that the number one requirement for millennials and Gen Z is wellbeing\u201d.<\/a><\/p>\n

The financial benefits of investing in employee wellbeing are clear: businesses stand to lose up to $340 per day from mental health-related sick leave<\/a>. Weighed against the cost of initiatives like hybrid working, flexible hours and management training, the decision to set aside time and resources for a healthy team is an easy one.<\/p>\n

Growing pains are inevitable when making changes from within, but you need only look at the increasing millennial and Gen Z demographic in the workforce to see where the future lies. These younger employees, as Ruth observes, are \u201cable to talk about feelings to be able to be open about how they feel\u201d, and \u2013 in the process \u2013 are de-stigmatizing the topic of mental health. As their voices inevitably become louder, the best businesses will strive to get ahead of the curve, creating a more adaptable working life that empowers and invigorates employees, to everyone\u2019s benefit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Never has there been a time when employee mental health has held such weight in workplace conversation. And with good reason \u2013 such is the extent of worker burnout, depression, and disengagement that, according to the World Health Organization, 12 billion working days are lost globally each year due to mental health-related sick leave. However,<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":273222,"featured_media":1064461,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[101,74],"insight-type":[72],"class_list":["post-1174612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hr-us","category-workplace-insights-us","insight-type-article-us"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEmployee wellbeing in the post-pandemic world<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mental health at work has never been a bigger topic - how has the pandemic affected workplace wellbeing and mental health initiatives?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tiger-recruitment.com\/us\/workplace-insights-us\/employee-wellbeing-in-the-post-pandemic-world\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Employee wellbeing in the post-pandemic world\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mental health at work has never been a bigger topic - 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