Mental health | Why employers need to be alert to burnout

By Tracey Ward, Head of Business Development and Marketing, Generali UK Employee Benefits

At a time when three quarters (75%) of HR leaders think the risk of employee burnout is increased potentially as a result of a new culture of “e-presenteeism” brought about by mass homeworking during the Covid-19 pandemic, Partner at law firm BLM Vanessa Latham says it would be wise for employers to be alert to the signs of burnout and take preventative, supportive - and ideally individually tailored - action where required.

HR Grapevine recently reported on researchⁱ findings commissioned by LinkedIn in partnership with the Mental Health Foundation, which found that three in five (58%) HR leaders think long-term homeworking may have unearthed a culture of ‘e-presenteeism’, whereby workers feel obliged to be online as much as possible, even outside of work hours, and when they are feeling unwell.

The survey as a whole, which also included employee respondents, showed that individuals are working an average of 28 hours a month more since being required to work from home due to lockdown. It should be noted that the survey was taken early on and at the height of the uncertainty due to Covid-19.