If we’ve learned one thing from the recent global Covid-19 pandemic, it’s the importance of looking after our health and wellbeing – something that, with today’s fast-paced, always-on lifestyle, is often taken for granted. The reality of just how quickly a little known virus could sweep in and change our lives irrevocably is something that has been hard to ignore, and a growing number of us are placing a greater emphasis on a nutrient dense diet, regular exercise and quality sleep – as well as investing more time in wellbeing practices like mindfulness and meditation.
But while looking after ourselves a little better is essential, the onus isn’t solely on the individual, and with many of us spending more than 40 hours a week at work, businesses, too, have come increasingly under pressure to do better. According to a 2021 study by Aetna International, three in five business owners now feel more responsible for their employees’ health than pre-pandemic, as it seems that the world of work is finally waking up to the fact that poor health and wellbeing ultimately equals poorer productivity.
According to the study, UK business leaders now feel they must do better when it comes to supporting the health and wellbeing of their staff, with 60 per cent also admitting that expectations of companies to do so have changed dramatically since before the pandemic.
With millions forced to work from home during lockdowns with limited access to the outside world for more than two years, the Covid-19 surge didn’t just shine a spotlight on the importance of physical health, but mental health, too – with the situation quickly beginning to take its toll on many employees and manifesting itself in stress, anxiety and depression.
With many required to continue working throughout and adjust quickly to remote working and ever-changing circumstances, as well as juggling home schooling and other life challenges, it was certainly a trying time, and it’s easy to see why such a large number of professional adults struggled under the weight of such pressure.
But on the flip side, it also provided workers with some insight into what greater work/life balance could feel like. Those working from home suddenly found themselves with more free time thanks to no longer having to get up early to begin their day or commute to and from the office, and more opportunity to squeeze in workouts, cook healthy meals from scratch, spend time with family and even indulge in some much-needed self care.
Aetna’s survey, which polled 4,000 office workers from across the country – many of whom were working remotely at the time – as well as 1,000 businesses spanning four markets including the UK, US, UAE and Singapore – revealed that as a direct result of the events of the past three years, firms now have an improved understanding of employee health overall, and many have spent 2022 taking action in a bid to do better, and be better.
Simply providing a work first-aid kit is no longer enough, and nearly two thirds of employees who participated in the study said that they’d like to see businesses taking greater responsibility for supporting their mental health needs, too. In fact, the same number of participants also said that they would now specifically look for an employer who did so when looking for a new job – and encouragingly, more than 54 per cent of businesses now say they have improved the provision of mental health support available to employees.
Interestingly, though, the poll also provided some insight into the understanding gap between companies and their employees when it comes to the impact and effectiveness of what they offer in terms of health and wellness benefits, with four in ten rating this as ‘good’ when compared with just 23 per cent of staff working remotely and 32 per cent of those who are now back in the office.
It highlights the fact that, while many businesses have genuine intentions to do better, the moves that have been made so far still might not be enough. Around a fifth of UK remote workers who participated in the study said that the measures put in place to support stress management at work were still ‘poor’ – although the level of mental health support for issues like anxiety fared a little better and is now considered ‘good’.
It certainly seems that steps are being made in the right direction, and compared to 2019 – before the global pandemic took hold – the landscape has changed dramatically. But now, it’s up to businesses and their leaders to keep evolving and moving forward to support their staff. As the understanding between doing so and the positive impact this appears to have on a business’ bottom line continues to grow, the future certainly looks brighter – and over the next few years, with many companies moving to a permanent four-day week in a bit to make a permanent change, we could be about to enjoy the best level of work/life balance we’ve ever had.
