CIPD warns of deteriorating staff mental wellbeing amid pandemic

The CIPD’s latest research on employee wellbeing has revealed that staff mental wellbeing has worsened during the pandemic. According to the UK’s professional body for HR and people development, work-related stress and exhaustion amid COVID-19 is taking a severe toll on employee wellbeing.

The CIPD’s latest Good Work Index Report highlights that there were already red flags around the impact that work was having on employee wellbeing before the COVID-19 crisis. As well as the downward trend in work-related health, staff say they are often exhausted (22%), under excessive pressure (21%) or simply miserable (11%) while at work, according to the CIPD report.

A third of staff (32%) say their workload “is too much in a normal week” and a quarter (24%) say they “find it hard to relax in their personal time because of work”.  The report reveals that people’s jobs are not just affecting their work-life balance, but it is having a serious impact on their mental health. Of those who’ve experienced anxiety in the last year, 69% say their job was a contributing factor.

BLEAK OUTLOOK

According to the CIPD’s Senior Research Adviser Jonny Gifford, “work was becoming worse for our health even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck”. This is the complete opposite of how it should be  – work can and should have a positive impact on people’s lives,” stated Gifford.

“As the full scale of the economic crisis unfolds, the outlook looks even bleaker. We’ll likely see employers trying to do more with less, which will only increase people’s workload and the pressure they are already under,” he added. “Many people will also be worried about losing their job or living on a reduced income.”  

DETERIORATING STAFF WELLBEING

The CIPD is warning that the COVID-19 crisis is only likely to heighten all these issues, as staff wellbeing has deteriorated amid the pandemic. Its recent snapshot survey of 1,001 workers confirms this. It revealed that:

• 22% said it was likely they would lose their job in the next 12 months. 

• 43% of those with a mental health condition say the pandemic has contributed to or worsened their condition.

• 29% of those with anxiety say the pandemic has contributed to or worsened their condition.  

Under the current circumstances, the CIPD is reminding employers of their “moral” duty to help improve staff wellbeing, whether in the office or working remotely. “While the Government is right to focus on protecting as many jobs as possible, it should also be encouraging employers to look at job quality. Not only is there a moral imperative to do so, but if people are happy and healthy in their jobs they also perform better, take less time off and are less likely to drop out of the workforce. In the long run, this will help us get on the road to economic recovery sooner,” added Gifford.

PROMOTING HEALTHY WORKING PRACTICES

The CIPD recommends that employers should promote healthy working practices, such as:

• Ask about workloads and ensure employees are not under excessive pressure.
• Ensure managers are well trained in having supportive, sensitive discussions on wellbeing – and that they recognise the importance of regular communication in a world of remote working. 
• Promote existing health and wellbeing benefits, such as their counselling helpline. 
• Give workers more autonomy or control over how, when and where they work, to help them manage work pressures.  

Click here to access the report.