2 in 5 workers don't feel as supported by their employer compared to early into the pandemic, finds report
It seems employers are easing up on the gas pedal when it comes to supporting their workers’ mental health, according to a recent report.
Overall, nearly two in five workers say that they are either not feeling as supported (20%) or have never felt supported (18%) by their employer in terms of mental health and wellbeing compared to early in the pandemic, reports TELUS Health.
Employer support is crucial in workers’ mental state: those who do not feel supported have a mental health index score of 54.7 for the month of May 2023 while those who have never felt supported have a score of 56.2.
In comparison, workers who are feeling as supported by their employer as they did early in the pandemic (63%) have a mental health score of 70.2 – more than five points higher than the national average (64.6).
Two-thirds (68%) of HR professionals view their CEO as empathetic, a 16-point decline from 2022 and the lowest levels ever reported, according to a previous report from Businessolver, which creates benefits solutions to serve HR teams.
Changes to mental health support
And while 77% of workers say that the level of their employer-provided mental health support has remained the same through the same period, 15% say that it has increased while 8% claim it has decreased, according to TELUS Health’s survey of 3,000 people in Canada.
Managers are twice as likely as non-managers to indicate their employer has improved the level of mental health and wellbeing support.
This is the case even though employee mental health concerns (34%) are the top challenge that managers encounter in the workplace. Other challenges that they face include:
- Team conflict (26%)
- Change management challenges (25%)
- Concern about possible substance use (13%)
- Harassment/bullying (12%)
- Challenges with an employee’s return to work from disability leave (12%)
Nearly three in five (58%) managers have sought advice or support for workplace challenges within their team, but 42% have not.
A previous report found that while 94% of employers say they’re available to help staff who are struggling with mental health concerns, just 12% of employees have confided in their bosses. And one in seven of those who did speak to their boss said nothing was done.