Dive Brief:
- Employees are stressed and it’s costing some of them up to two hours of work per day, according to the results of a recent Headspace survey.
- Of the 2,500 respondents — employed adults in the U.S. and U.K. — roughly a quarter said they lose about an hour of work per day to stress. Twenty-one percent said they lose up to two hours.
- "The emotional toll the pandemic has taken on workers who were fortunate enough to keep their jobs — while watching their colleagues be furloughed or let go — is creating global worry about long-term mental health concerns. So, too, is the ongoing racial injustice witnessed in current events shaking the U.S. and other countries," according to the report. "The line between work stress and life stress has been dissolved. Stress in any area of someone’s life contributes to, or is exacerbated by, stress at work."
Dive Insight:
More than a third of workers responding to an Axios poll during the early weeks of the pandemic reported a decline in mental health.
Employers can provide some support, William Kassler, chief medical officer of government health and human services at IBM Watson Health, previously told HR Dive, but they must remember that HR professionals are not counselors. Instead, HR should develop policies and practices, provide resources and connect employees with providers.
Needs may shift as employers begin to re-open, too. Individuals with stress or anxiety disorders may need a disability accommodation, experts say, which could include plexiglass dividers or permission to work from home.
Whatever employers offer, clear communication is key, Renee Schneider, vice president of clinical quality at mental health benefits provider Lyra Health, previously told HR Dive; "We have the opportunity now to really hone the message to let people know that mental health help is available."
