Recent reports indicate that mental health and wellbeing have slipped back onto the corporate agenda, despite workplace stress levels remaining high in the wake of the pandemic.

A recent report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that many employers are failing to keep mental health and wellbeing at the forefront of their business agenda despite the lingering impact of the pandemic. It’s crucial that organizations don’t become complacent just because the COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions seem like a thing of the past.

Prioritizing employee well-being should remain a non-negotiable item, not just something “nice to have”. This, in turn, will increase employee efficiency and ensure that staff are less inclined to move organizations to a place where they feel more valued.

The CIPD found that the number of HR professionals who believe wellbeing is a priority has decreased by 5% over the past year. The survey also indicates that there has been a decrease in the number of senior executives who recognize the importance of wellbeing – with this figure dropping from 67% in 2021 to 60% in 2022.

Yet 66% of respondents also said they were concerned about the lasting impact of the pandemic on employee mental health and, further still, 24% said COVID-19 was one of the main causes of continuous stress at work. While it may seem like we’ve ridden the tide of the pandemic, the aftereffects are still being felt for many – whether in the form of long-standing financial uncertainty or having to live with the grief of losing a loved one to COVID-19.

According to the Office of National Statistics, around 1.8 million people in the UK have long-lasting symptoms of Covid, demonstrating that it is a widespread problem and will affect a considerable proportion of the work force.

Therefore, it is important to remember the lessons learned during the height of the pandemic regarding the importance of employee well-being. It is easy to fall back into bad habits and resume pre-pandemic practices, but the momentum gained in this area should not be lost. It is well known that happy employees perform better and that well-being is the key to organizational resilience and staff loyalty.

With current staffing shortages, many organizations cannot afford to take a “business as usual” approach and reduce the support they provide to their employees. This attitude will not only create a burnt-out workforce, but also risks encouraging staff to vote with their feet and take their skills elsewhere.

To ensure that they always make mental health and well-being a priority, employers should:

• conduct regular check-ins and communication with employees, not only regarding their professional workloads, but also regarding any personal pressures that may impact staff performance;
• creating a safe space for discussion and encouraging employees to reach out when they are having difficulty;
• listening to staff suggestions so that the organization can understand and mitigate workplace stressors where possible;
• encourage senior managers to lead by example and prioritize mental well-being;
• stay alert when setting deadlines and ensure that all goals are realistic and achievable; and
• establish a network of mental health and wellbeing champions to provide a support system for staff and raise awareness about mental health in the workplace.

We’re all used to hearing about the “new normal,” but employers need to ensure that their new normal consistently emphasizes employee mental health and wellbeing. Failure to do so risks creating adverse consequences for both organizations and their staff members.