Why organisations must support post-pandemic mental health

The pandemic has exacerbated a pre-existing mental health crisis. Fear over coronavirus, financial strain, social isolation, and limited access to support networks and resources have caused anxiety and depression to skyrocket. Regardless of age, gender, racial identity, or industry, providing the proper mental health support to your employees is crucial. With varying personal needs and engagement styles, employees must have access to a personalised wellbeing solution that spans digital engagement to connect members to the right intervention at the right time.

A global health concern

Before Covid-19, The Standard conducted its Behavioural Health Impact Study (2019) which found that two in five workers suffered from mental health issues.
Nine in 10 employees report that workplace stress affects their mental wellbeing.
Of the known mental health issues impacting employees today, depression and anxiety lead across all industries.
Mental health issues often exist simultaneously with preventable chronic conditions, exacerbating the health issues, and increasing costs of absenteeism and lost productivity.

Everyone felt the mental health burden of Covid, but some individuals faced different stressors that heightened their risk of mental health issues. While some industries shifted to fully remote work, others maintained full, or partial on-site staff throughout the pandemic.

Industries like healthcare and manufacturing were deemed essential, forcing many employees to face the virus head-on from the front lines. Employees in the public sector faced budget cuts, abrupt and drastic changes to how they worked (especially for those in education), lost revenue, and more. The fear of unemployment and a rapid shift to remote work added pressure to employees in the finance field, an industry that was already coping with severe levels of work-related stress.

Addressing mental health on a personal level

Addressing the prevalence and impact of mental health in the workplace is the first step in creating a healthier, happier, more productive workforce. By exploring the unique mental health concerns of some key industries, your organisation can better understand how to support the holistic wellbeing of your employees.

We advocate building employee resilience through a personalised experience that leverages a whole-person approach, acknowledging the interplay between physical, social, financial, emotional, mental, and workplace health and happiness. Whether your employees are on-site or remote, high-tech, high-touch digital platforms can address the full range of mental wellbeing issues your employees face today – stress, anxiety, depression, sleep – for a healthier, happier, more productive tomorrow.

For more tips, access our free Mental Wellbeing Toolkit and learn how you can boost your employees’ mental health.

The author is Jordan Dunne from the marketing team at Virgin Pulse.

This article is provided by Virgin Pulse.