Today (2nd November) marks National Stress Awareness Day. HRreview has gathered expert insights into how bespoke policies and a holistic approach to supporting the mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing of employees is essential. 

Critically, as employees are less visible on a day-to-day basis – support must also be appropriate and tailored to the working model.

 

Kelly Metcalf, Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing at Fujitsu:

“Reflecting on National Stress Awareness Day this year will look much different to the last two years. In the past, the focus was on supporting employees’ wellbeing in response to the pandemic, but now the precedent has somewhat changed. We’re living through heightened times of uncertainty, with many concerned about the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. And of course, employees will have their own individual stresses. Although some may ring similar, everyone’s circumstances are different.

“Organisations have a duty of care for their people, and a fundamental part of this means not only embedding wellbeing more formally into their working policy and culture, but offering it on a personal level. This is particularly important in today’s job market. For example, Microsoft’s latest annual Work Trend Index found that 53 percent of employees are more likely to prioritise health and wellbeing above work than before the pandemic. If organisations are committed to the wellbeing of all employees, then bespoke policies and a holistic approach to supporting the mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing of their people will be essential. Critically, as employees are less visible on a day-to-day basis – support must be appropriate and tailored to the working model – whilst recognising the diverse needs of the workforce.

“Insight to where organisations should focus their wellbeing efforts is best derived from a combination of measurable people data and people’s experiences – this ranges from insight such as retention rates, absence, EAP usage, exit feedback, pulse surveys etc. – all of which can uncover patterns and identify workforce needs. From there, personalising offerings then relies on the support and commitment of line managers to know each of their people as people and to engage with education and training that enables them to support their teams on challenging topics and implement tailored individual support. Creating this sense of being cared for by an employer on a case-by-case basis not only results in happy, healthy and productive employees; it helps to retain and attract new talent too.”

David Homer, Managing Partner & Executive Sponsor of the Kyndryl Wellbeing KIN:

“Our mental, physical and social wellbeing all interact and impact one another as we move through life, and while we aim to strike a balance, sometimes the stresses of life can get the better of us. National Stress Awareness Day aims to increase public awareness and help people recognise, manage, and reduce stress in their personal and professional lives, so as we can restore that balance.

“At Kyndryl, we put people at the Heart of Progress by creating and living-out a culture of empathy, empowerment and understanding through clearly expressed values that are defined through The Kyndryl Way. Building a successful workforce starts with an inclusive, safe environment, where all feel that they can bring their authentic selves to work, express themselves without facing stigma.

“At Kyndryl we have our “Kyndryl Inclusive Network” (KIN) for Wellbeing, which is a passionate community of Kyndryls from all areas of the business, all walks of life with a wealth of experiences and stories, who are coming together to drive wellbeing as “everybody’s business”. We have our “Wellbeing Ambassadors” who are open to candid conversations and can signpost to our range of internal and external resources, which are available 24/7. Appointing these in-house advocates and offering tailored resources provides employees with the tools to address stress early, before it becomes chronic”.

Andrew Filev, CEO and founder of Wrike:

“This year’s Stress Awareness Day has never been so relevant, especially given our increasingly hybrid landscape. While some individuals have embraced the flexibility that comes with this, many are finding it increasingly difficult to switch off and restrict working hours. This can lead to feelings of overload and burnout. In fact, new research has revealed that at least 70 percent of knowledge workers are suffering from stress at work.

“Feeling stressed at work can have a huge impact on the mental health of an individual and can quickly become a collective issue, with burnout having a drastic impact on overall productivity and talent retention.

“With the number of full-time, office-based employees continuing to decline, it’s critical that organisations are setting out detailed support strategies to help staff adjust to remote working. At the heart of this will be making mental health a priority through promoting the importance of finding a new normal work-life balance and ensuring that employees are fully aware of the resources available to them. Modern technologies – such as collaborative work management tools – can also help by enabling employees to manage work and time on a daily basis, limiting overtime whilst maintaining transparency and productivity. Research suggests that 94 percent of workers feel that a single source of truth would reduce their stress levels at work”.

Chelsea Coates, Head of People at GWI:

“This year’s Stress Awareness Day has come at a crucial time, whether it’s political turbulence or changes brought on by the pandemic, in recent years everyone has had a lot to deal with. And now with the cost-of-living crisis acting as an extra stressor, it’s critical that mental health support is prioritised in the workplace.

“This means real, action-based support. For companies today, superficial strategies aren’t enough. An important element to any mental health programme is training, both for leaders and managers – recent data from GWI found that 34 percent of employees want to see this type of training across the business. A manager that’s had this training is much more likely to spot when a person is struggling with their mental health and put plans in place to best support them. The right level of understanding and training around mental health is no longer a nice-to-have but necessary.

“We also found that 51 percent of people want employers to provide mental wellbeing leave or days off. As the line between our work and personal lives blurred during covid-19, giving employees this headspace can help to safeguard their mental health and create a positive, productive working environment”.

Alyene Schneidewind, Chief Performance Officer at LogicMonitor:

“We’re fully on board with Stress Awareness Day’s aim to help people recognise, manage, and reduce stress in their personal and professional lives. While there have been significant strides in the last few years, we’re still not there, and protecting the wellbeing of staff is an ongoing process of learning and improvement.

“It is crucial that companies recognise the stressors of the last year. We’ve come out of a global pandemic and into a cost-of-living crisis in the UK, while also facing a looming, global recession. Now, and always, we need team leaders to not shy away from the tough conversations around the myriad of external factors that impact staff at work and can upset work-life balance. Leaders must serve as valuable guides and coaches, who lead by example in promoting self care and create safe and supportive environments that provide a sense of belonging.

“One of our key areas of focus for employee wellbeing is around flexibility, which came to the forefront during the pandemic and is a priority that is here to stay. In order to support flexibility and our remote staff, we are helping teams define new operating rhythms that enable them to collaborate synchronously, while allowing them to unlock their high-performance potential asynchronously. We believe this will play a critical part in reducing stress, preventing team burnout and will go a long way in empowering people to bring their best selves to work.

“We aim to offer a holistic approach to employee wellbeing, that includes access to meditation sessions, fitness reimbursement, and global fitness challenges. But after years of being deprived of human connection, our approach has also focused on ensuring our staff feel connected. These efforts have ranged from creating connections through purpose – doing a trash clean up together in kayaks – to creating connections through humour – doing a “Yes, And…” improv exercise together over Zoom.

“As the modern workplace evolves, what will never change is our culture of belonging and connection. We will always care about each other’s success and win as a team, wherever we are in the world”.

 

 

 

 

 

Amelia Brand
Amelia Brand

Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.