The prospects of support for staff with mental health issues appear slim following a report that revealed almost half of employers feel they don’t have budgets available to cope with it.
And a third of bosses admitted they simply don’t know how to support employees with those issues.
More than four in ten believe that mental health stigma is something they worry about in the workplace, with a similar number of employees admitting that they do feel worried about their mental health.
The research was carried out by people management platform Employment Hero who questioned more than 500 employers and 500 employees in March ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week.
Do not make assumptions about employees’ mental health and ensure that resources are put in place to help
Their findings show that only 48 per cent of employees agree that their organisation was supportive of Mental Health and 46 per cent reported that their organisation did not have the tools to measure it.
Despite this, 65 per cent of employers do believe that they are supportive, and when questioned, most agreed that Covid had affected their anxiety levels and with remote working, employers were finding it hard to discuss and manage mental health.
Ben Thompson, CEO, and co-founder of Employment Hero, said: “The past year has presented new anxieties and stresses for many employers and employees and as we look to the next steps in 2021 there are many positives for businesses worldwide despite the challenges we are currently facing.
“It is important employers provide ‘total employment care’ and listen to their employees, offering mental health support where possible. Do not make assumptions about employees’ mental health and ensure that resources are put in place to help support employees when they are in the workplace.
“A full return to the office might not happen for the foreseeable future, however, making remote mental health support available is something all employers should be preparing for.
“One of the few silver linings of the pandemic was the realisation that workers can still thrive productively while working outside the office parameters, this does not necessarily suggest that they are thriving mentally.”
More on Employment Hero here
