Wellbeing | HR now feeling 'greater responsibility' for staff mental health

New research shows that, as a result of COVID, 59% of employers feel a greater responsibility for the mental wellbeing of their staff.

The research was conducted by GRiD, the industry body for the group risk protection sector, and also discovered that 57% of employers feel an increased responsibility towards the physical wellbeing of staff. Similarly, more than half of the employers surveyed were also concerned about the social and financial wellbeing of their staff.

In light of this increased need to take responsibility for staff wellbeing, the research identified that 40% of managers had increased their communication about support available to staff, with over a quarter (27%) stating that they’d increased ability for staff to access support and benefits remotely, such as via apps or online.

The researchers also spoke to 1,212 employees and discovered that 38% felt their mental health had deteriorated as a result of the pandemic, with almost a third (27%) expressing concerns about their physical and financial health too – suggesting that employers were right to identify that mental wellbeing was becoming increasingly problematic during the pandemic.