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Social media presents opportunities for satirical portrayals of every subject under the sun, and workplace issues have become an increasingly frequent topic, with the pandemic putting more emphasis than ever before on the matter of employee-employer relations.
While many have generated plenty of likes, shares and viral fame for their creators, certain clips have started genuine debates about the responsibilities that companies have to support staff wellbeing.
In March, a US worker posted a series of TikToks revealing that he had moved into his office cubicle due to the cost of living crisis – raising questions about HR support for employees’ financial wellbeing. Weeks later, an HR professional found online fame with his takes on TikTok about how HR issues should be handled – rather than how they often are in real life.
The latest lampooning comes from English comic Ali Woods, whose video has sparked an online discussion about the efficacy of HR when it comes to issues such as employee health and wellbeing.
Titled “HR in 2022” the short sketch depicts an HR professional addressing a stressed and overwhelmed workforce.
“Now I know a lot of you are stressed right now with your workload”, the fictional HR rep begins.
“And I want you to know that mental health and wellbeing is very important to us at this company”, the character continues, while Woods portrays several employees looking visibly stressed.
When the HR worker announces the company is going to support staff with their wellbeing, the employees interrupt, chiming in with several suggestions such as implementing a four day work week, reduced workloads, pay rises and hiring more staff to ease the burden.
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However, they are stunned when the HR member announces that, in fact, they will be taking part in a webinar on mental health. With one final tongue-in-cheek jibe, Woods’ character concludes by stating that staff will be allowed to skip the session and work through lunch if they’ve “got a lot on.”
Over on LinkedIn, mental health and wellbeing strategist Amy McKeown shared the TikTok clip, stating the clip “made me laugh a lot but it is sadly very reflective of where we are right now.”
Many others also opined that there was much truth behind the comedy sketch.
Terence Robson, Deputy Head of the COVID-19 Team at the Ministry of Defence, commented: “I am struck by how often managers offer every support possible… with the exception of anything that will actually solve the problem.”
Adam Hindley Co-founder of health and wellbeing platform A-Game Consultancy, commented: “It's a massive shame that a lot of companies have this attitude. I love building partnerships with companies and getting to know a bit more about their culture and offering a hand to help people thrive in their working life.
“But too many companies want to just take a box and say we've done something for mental health.
“We have had a shift in the right direction but it's not big enough I'm looking forward to being a part of the bigger shift that is needed around mental health within the workplace.”
Mike Caughey, Director of Carpathia Operational Consultants, said: “For me too many businesses jump on the band wagon because they feel they can't be seen not to be engaging in this rather than leaders understanding how important it is and taking the time to understand their people and the risks this presents before then formulating a robust and sustained approach to address.
Is it accurate?
The contents of the sketch, and the opinions of those who viewed it, appear to be backed up by recent data which suggests British businesses are missing the mark on employee mental health.
Headspace Health discovered that, despite a quarter of British workers having missed a full week of work in the past year due to stress, anxiety or other mental health challenges, two-thirds feel their employer isn’t doing enough to support them
And whilst 71% of workers in the UK say their company increased focus on mental health post-COVID, only 25% say that focus has remained in 2022.
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A further 30% said ‘poor management and leadership’ contributes to their stress, higher than the global average of 1 in 4.
Ellie Green, jobs expert at Totaljobs, said: “Crisis-mode of the pandemic may be over, but with job vacancies at all-time high employees are feeling the strain of a depleted workforce. In fact, Totaljobs’ latest Hiring Trends Index found that almost two fifths (38%) of workers are reporting ‘unmanageable’ workloads, with 78% experiencing at least one burnout symptom this year. These burnout symptoms are set against a backdrop of increased financial anxiety amongst the cost-of-living crisis – which has reached a 30-year high. 57% of workers agree that they are worried their salary won’t go far enough to cover basic needs, such as household bills.
“Under these circumstances it’s easy to understand how many feel isolated and alone, which is why the theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is loneliness. With this is mind we’ve developed some tips if you’re concerned about a colleague.”
Is it fair?
So, while it’s clear many believe firms are failing their workers when it comes to mental wellbeing support, is it a fair reflection to suggest that HR teams are simply 'jumping on the bandwagon'? Perhaps not. After all, HR leaders have not been immune to the ill effects of the pandemic, and recent research confirmed that many within the people function are struggling to look after their staff due to tackling burnout among themselves.
The study from Wellbeing Partners showed that the most cited issue preventing HR from providing better burnout support to employees is their own workload, with 32% of HR managers saying this is a problem. 31% also struggle to recognise signs of burnout in employees.
The survey of 200 UK HR managers also found that while six in ten (59%) said they’ve seen an increase in employee burnout in the last six months, 26% admitted to having limited understanding of how to deal with it, and more than one in five (23%) don’t understand the exact protocols to take when employees show deteriorating signs of mental health.
The extra pressure on HR managers to deal with burnout and mental health presents many concerns in the workplace.
Many HR teams are expected to handle employee burnout and mental health issues, essentially becoming counsellors to support employees with any number of problems. But HR is unlikely to be professionally trained to navigate employee mental health issues, plus too many people professionals are simply overwhelmed with so many priorities.
Sadly, this presents a vicious circle that, without proper support from those higher than HR, shows no sign of ending soon.
