Workplace Mental Health issues abound due to the Covid-19 pandemic

Perhaps the biggest elephant in boardrooms around the world is the question of mental health in the workplace. It is a statement of fact that employees, globally, have experienced far more stress and have suffered far more anxiety and depression in the past two years as a direct result of the pandemic.

According to Alexander Forbes Health Management Solutions, 60% of South African companies surveyed had experienced an increase in disability claims for mental and behavioural medical conditions.

It is common cause that the majority of employees in South Africa do not have membership to medical aid schemes. This, together with a constrained mental healthcare system, has resulted in many employees not having access to optimal mental health treatment.

A recent report published by The South African Society of Psychiatrists stated that mental health had been the biggest threat in 2021 and that the high level of stress associated with the pandemic had led to people becoming more vulnerable to depression and anxiety.

As many as one in six (16,67%) of South Africans had presented with anxiety, depression and/or substance abuse according to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group.

Contrasting sharply with the South African mental health scenario are the outcomes of a recently published Allianz Partners report Supporting Mental Health in the Workplace. The report revealed that only one in 10 (10%) of employees had made use of counselling services offered by their employers during the pandemic. This low percentage had demonstrated a disconnect in comfort levels between talking about mental health and the active accessing of mental health support services.

The research, conducted amongst expat and local employees in Singapore, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and the UAE, aimed at measuring the impact of Covid-19 on the respondents’ mental health and to assist employers to understand how best to support the mental health of their employees.

In the turbulent, challenging, and uncertain times of the pandemic, it is not surprising that more emphasis has had to be placed on the importance of the mental health of employees at workplaces, globally.

According to the survey, a third (33%) of employees indicated that they felt more comfortable talking about mental health issues over the past 12 months than ever before. Six in 10 (60%) also believed people would be more comfortable talking about their mental health in the future.

Many employers have adapted to these changed mindsets and have increased their mental health support for employees accordingly. These efforts are likely to continue post-pandemic.

Notwithstanding the above, only two in five (40%) employees surveyed felt that resources provided by their employers were sufficient to support their mental health concerns. When viewed against the backdrop of depression and anxiety costing the global economy around $ 1 trillion a year in lost productivity, it becomes a no brainer for employers around the world to step up and meet the challenges of providing the requisite mental health infrastructure and support to their employees within their organisations.

The survey further revealed that there was no panacea when it came to addressing mental health issues at the workplace. Whilst some employees preferred the services provided by professional councillors, others preferred the role of technology in aiding and assisting them with their mental health issues. Research reveals that smartphone apps were the preferred method of monitoring mental health concerns in instances where employees chose technology over face-to-face sessions with professionals.

Having a varied approach to addressing mental health issues at the workplace is obviously important. Apart from digital or in-person interventions, efforts by the employer could also include a combination of HR sponsored activities. These could include wellness talks, and talks based around personal relationships - as many employees only feel comfortable talking about their mental health issues with friends and/or loved ones.

Now, more than ever, employers have the opportunity to add tangible value to their employees’ lives and contribute to a society more open to discussing mental health and wellbeing issues. By providing employees with the right mix of mental health support services and solutions at the workplace, employers can help reduce the stigma that has long been associated with mental health.

Employers are urged to remove the elephant from the room in respect of mental health issues at the workplace. Furthermore, employers are urged to take ownership of looking after their employees’ overall health and wellbeing, thus creating a dynamic work culture, promoting and sustaining optimum productivity levels, reducing absenteeism, whilst at the same time, striving to be an employer of choice.

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