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10 Nov 2021

How employees’ changing attitudes to mental wellbeing are impacting communications

Since Covid-19 first began, mental and emotional wellbeing have come even more to the forefront of the world of work

 

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Since Covid-19 first began, mental and emotional wellbeing have come even more to the forefront of the world of work. While in recent years many organisations have improved their approach to mental health and begun focussing on mental wellbeing, it seems, just as organisations began tackling mental health, the pandemic arrived to shift the ground beneath our feet.

Mental health ≠ mental illness

Before we can consider the part communications play in the conversation, let’s talk about mental health versus mental illness. It’s important to remember that mental wellbeing and mental illness are not the same: we all have mental health – our wider mental and emotional wellbeing, which is affected by various factors, such as work stress or relationship issues. But only some of us will experience mental illness – a specific condition such as anxiety, personality or mood disorder.

During lockdown and Covid-19, everyone’s mental and emotional wellbeing was affected, regardless of whether you had a pre-existing mental health struggle. Some of the biggest challenges included:

  • Balancing work and home life within the same environment – particularly for those working from home for the first time.
  • Less time outdoors and in nature.
  • Disruption of routines.
  • Struggling with less socialisation – especially difficult for those who are more sociable or extroverted.
  • Those in abusive or unsupportive homes are isolated, and in many cases must now also work within that environment.

But for those struggling with mental illness, the impact may have been especially prominent. For example:

  • Those with existing mental health conditions that are exacerbated by the anxiety, isolation or uncertainty of Covid-19.
  • Those with underlying mental health issues that may be triggered into relapse by the situation.
  • Those who may be experiencing mental illness for the first time – particularly with common mental health issues like depression or anxiety.

Attitudes are changing

Recent years have shown attitudes towards mental health and wellbeing changing; while there is still significant stigma surrounding mental illness – particularly certain kinds of mental illness, such as personality disorders – mental health is generally far more understood and accepted than even five years ago.

One positive outcome of the pandemic is that employees are opening up about their mental health more – our research showed 87% of HR leaders report increased numbers of employees disclosing mental health issues throughout the pandemic. This may be a result of increased numbers of employees struggling (and thus the average for disclosing increased), or it may be down to the work many organisations did to normalise mental health difficulties. Whatever the reason, it’s a change for the better – and one employers should encourage to stay.

Communications and mental wellbeing

We know the attitudes towards mental wellbeing are changing, so how can communications facilitate the continuation of this? We suggest taking a three-fold approach:

1. Communicate your benefits: employee benefits have truly come into their own throughout the pandemic, with health and wellbeing benefits at the top of everyone’s list. As employees realise the value of these benefits in the wake of Covid-19, the research finds that benefits which protect and enhance mental health and emotional wellbeing are regarded as the most important and impactful to overall employee experience – with 66% of HR leaders reporting these are their most valued benefits.

This means now is the time for your benefits to shine! From cancer cover to PMI, interest in physical and mental wellbeing benefits has skyrocketed. Use communications to highlight the range of wellbeing benefits you offer, and utilise real employee stories to bring home the impact that these can have.

2. Provide education and boost awareness: when we think ‘workplace education’, we think communications. While remote working certainly emphasised email fatigue, in the new world of hybrid working, employees are adapting to fast-paced, full-inbox workdays. Using communications to provide much-needed education on mental health and wellbeing may not be a revolutionary idea, but off the back of the pandemic, employees’ willingness to have open dialogues about mental health has increased. Employers can take this as an opportunity to share the content they’ve been building up, reuse old resources which had little engagement, or embark on new training. Your employees are hungry for this information – oblige them!

3. Keep the conversation going: whether you’re advertising your EAP, training mental health first aiders, or launching an internal mental health drop-in club, keep communicating. Organisations cannot afford to think that mental health challenges are gone, even once the pandemic is over – employees struggles may change but they will remain, so the support should too. Communicate often and openly with your people, and remind them that a listening ear and professional support where needed is available.

Looking ahead

One of the few positives to come out of the pandemic is the candidness of employees when disclosing mental health struggles, and this has in part been thanks to the openness of business leaders and the emphasis placed on looking after our mental health in hard times. Just because the worst of the pandemic may be behind us, doesn’t mean this should end. Employers have an opportunity to use this openness as a launchpad for continuing the conversation and improving mental wellbeing in their organisations.

This article is provided by Benefex.  

In partnership with Benefex

The home of award-winning employee benefits, reward, recognition, & communications.

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