UK businesses report wellbeing measures, including flexible working are at risk of being rolled back post pandemic – with alarming consequences for employee health and company performance.
As covid restrictions lifted in England, the majority (66%) of managers and HR professionals, plan to roll back remote working and other wellbeing initiatives, even though 65% claim they are ‘much needed’. This action is not just short sighted, it will have a detrimental impact on the health and productivity of organisations around the country.
Earlier last month the Covid restrictions in England ended. Measures withdrawn included staff entitlement to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for self-isolation, (unless individuals were unwell). But the lifting of the last remaining Covid measures should not mean the lifting of employee wellbeing initiatives implemented during the pandemic. Employee wellbeing should be for the long-term, not just for the pandemic.
Likewise wellbeing strategies should not be considered a benefit that only big businesses can afford to give their employees. Companies of all sizes need to make adjustments that will support their staff, ensuring better productivity and company performance.
‘Why wellbeing doesn’t work and what you can do about it’, written in conjunction with IPSOS, highlights that UK businesses do not expect their current employee wellbeing initiatives to continue once the pandemic is over, despite an urgent demand for them. Lost working time due to poor mental health has increased by 40% since 2015, and it’s clear the mental health crisis is only increasing with employees taking 56m days off in 2021 alone.
There’s a clear “wellbeing paradox” in UK PLC. 71% of businesses believe that mental health initiatives are much needed, yet more than half (56%) believe these initiatives will be cut. The cost of ignoring employee wellbeing is significant. Mental health absence in 2021 cost employers £7.8bn – and yet it simply isn’t viewed as a boardroom priority today.
And that’s not all. There is a clear line being drawn between staff health and business performance with 75% of respondents saying employee wellbeing is at least very important, if not critical, to attracting and retaining talent (75%) and increasing operational efficiency (74%).
Employee wellbeing is now firmly in the sphere of corporate responsibility, rather than a nice-to-have initiative, and it must be treated as such by companies both big and small. With current, serious talent shortages, employers who join the dots between better wellbeing support, attracting and retaining the best talent, and ultimately higher productivity will stand to get ahead.
