The report says that the health and well-being of workers must remain a business priority and must not drop as a “nice to have” priority.
Wellbeing and mental health are starting to slip off the business agenda, according to a new report from CIPD and Simplyhealth, even though organizations are still dealing with the fallout from COVID-19 and it remains an ongoing concern for workers. .
The Health and Wellbeing at Work 2022 report reveals that the number of HR professionals who think wellbeing is on the agenda of senior managers has fallen from 75% to 70% in the last year. There has also been a drop in the proportion of HR professionals who think senior leaders foster a focus on mental wellness through their actions and behaviors, falling from 48% in 2021 to 42% in 2022.
Similarly, there has been a decline in respondents who say managers have accepted the importance of wellness, falling from 67% in 2021 to 60% by 2022.
But the report notes that COVID will continue to affect workers for some time to come and needs to be factored into organizational plans, particularly with regard to effective mental health support and helping people with prolonged COVID. . If they don’t, he warns, employers risk losing valuable employees at a time of severe skills shortages.
The research, which surveyed 804 HR professionals, representing more than 4.3 million employees, underlines that COVID-19 still looms large in many organizations. Two-thirds (66%) of HR professionals said they are concerned about the impact of the pandemic on employees’ mental health, and nearly a quarter (24%) of HR professionals also say related anxiety with COVID it is among the top three causes. of work stress in your organization.
Lesley Richards, director of CIPD Wales, the professional body for human resources and people development, said:
“COVID is not only still with us, it has exacerbated existing health and wellness challenges and created new ones, like prolonged COVID. So while the dip may be small at this point, it remains concerning that some senior leaders are beginning to pay less attention to health and wellness, particularly as the last two years have shown how important it is for organizational resilience.
“Senior leaders have a decisive influence on the culture of their organization and it is in their gift to shape an environment in which people feel safe to talk about health problems and seek support.”
The report shows that levels of stress, which organizations have long faced, remain high, with 79% of respondents reporting some form of stress-related absence in their organization in the past year, rising to 90% for large organizations.
Unhealthy trends linked to poor well-being are also common: 67% of respondents are aware of some form of job attrition (such as using annual leave to work) in their organization and 81% say they have observed presenteeism (work when sick) among those who work from home.
Angela Sherwood, Chief People Officer for Simplyhealth, commented:
“Health and wellness are critical to the long-term success of any business and deserve serious attention. Along with senior leaders, managers must embrace the importance of health and wellness as they manage workloads and set deadlines; they are also often the first port of call when someone has a concern. If they are going to have a positive influence on people’s well-being, they need the right training, expert support and guidance, and they need to have enough time and space to dedicate to managing people.”
