Nuffield Well being’s 2022 More healthy Nation Index examine revealed one in three adults claims their psychological well being has received worse within the final 12 months. The identical statistic can be true of bodily well being, with a 3rd of UK adults reporting a decline over the past 12 months.
Employers have a accountability to assist people handle their wellbeing. Nonetheless, it’s clear focused assist isn’t generally accessible to trendy employees more and more adopting versatile working approaches.
With this in thoughts, Nuffield Well being suggests six office wellbeing tendencies we are able to anticipate to see as employers look to create related and efficient wellbeing choices…
Managing MSK
The recent rise in remote working has delivered many advantages for workers, together with a larger work-life steadiness and a discount in hectic commutes.
Nevertheless it isn’t with out its challenges – particularly overworking and the bodily influence of unergonomic residence workplaces – with 72,000 individuals not too long ago reporting a musculoskeletal (MSK) dysfunction straight induced or exacerbated by the pandemic.
Regardless of employers’ duties to supply snug residence working set-ups, many aren’t assembly their obligations. Nonetheless, they’re turning into more and more tough to disregard.
Whereas monetary assist ought to proceed to be made accessible to staff for furnishings and tools – and employers ought to signpost to the right way to entry these funds – we at the moment are getting into the age of the company physiotherapist.
Companies can invite musculoskeletal well being consultants to evaluate the present workplace surroundings in addition to provide normal recommendation on posture, train, and diet to keep away from damage at residence.
Employers might also select to contribute monetary assist for personal periods, too, to keep away from the larger monetary burden of the £3.5 billion paid by employers every year to cope with office accidents. Plus, analysis suggests businesses can achieve an ROI of nearly £100 per £1 spent on physiotherapy for musculoskeletal well being.
The new work-life steadiness
Our thought of ‘work-life steadiness’ historically entails unwinding from work stress at residence after leaving the workplace. However what occurs when residence life itself turns into more and more hectic?
Analysis suggests the current cost of living crisis has been linked to a direct increase in stress. And with monetary stresses exhibiting no indicators of letting up, employers have a accountability to assist people keep away from burnout.
This may increasingly embody inviting a monetary specialist to host a webinar for all staff on managing cash, in addition to providing related office advantages – reminiscent of grocery vouchers – that straight deal with some key drivers of monetary anxiousness.
Self-help assist
Regardless of efforts to problem the stigma round ailing well being, Nuffield Well being analysis suggests a 3rd of staff nonetheless wouldn’t really feel snug disclosing a psychological or bodily well being concern to their employer.
So, companies have a accountability to supply tailor-made assist to those that might really feel uncomfortable asking for it.
This may increasingly embody making distant assist choices and self-help platforms accessible to those that would like to work by recommendation and specialist assist at their very own tempo, away from the workplace.
For instance, phone CBT providers and on-line self-help administration applications – such because the Silvercloud platform – permit staff to entry distant assist and steerage on understanding signs of misery and studying related coping mechanisms.
A concentrate on prevention
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all intervention for the distinctive bodily and psychological challenges dealing with staff. Nonetheless, companies can embrace know-how to entry as an alternative of data-led, personalised interventions that make a distinction for the person.
Digital platforms that includes AI know-how can analyze behavioral information offered by the workforce to foretell future challenges, permitting companies to motion interventions earlier than signs turn out to be unmanageable.
For instance, Nuffield Well being’s PATH software gathers information from each a complete bodily well being examination, alongside behavioral information from questionnaires to grasp staff’ distinctive threat elements and suggests related interventions.
Employers in a position to take a proactive method to worker well being not solely nurture a wholesome and engaged workforce however keep away from the influence of presenteeism, which may value companies as much as £4,000 per employee per 12 months in misplaced productiveness.
Worker energy
Current office tendencies, together with ‘the great resignation’ and ‘quiet quitting’ counsel energy is shifting away from the employer, with staff not prepared to go above and past for his or her employers.
So, companies – particularly these responsible of encouraging unhealthy office cultures by which staff are anticipated to be ‘at all times on’ – should rethink their relationships with staff to retain their brightest expertise.
Managers have a accountability to guide by instance relating to widescale cultural change. This implies clearly outlining worker expectations, like working hours and contactable obligations, in addition to being seen to depart the workplace on time every day.
Equally, employers ought to welcome and search common suggestions to grasp higher the challenges dealing with workers and the way the enterprise can tailor its assist. This may be carried out by common one-to-ones with people in addition to nameless suggestions surveys for individuals who might not really feel snug speaking in individual.
Household focus
A shift in direction of versatile and distant working has considerably blurred the strains between work and residential life, with blended outcomes. Among the unfavourable penalties embody staff working longer hours to compensate for not commuting, whereas others have loved the advantages of spending extra time at residence with household.
These way of life adjustments should now be a key consideration for companies. As staff proceed to mould their work lives round private habits – typically familial duties reminiscent of childcare – these challenges have to be mirrored within the assist supplied by companies.
The office should stay versatile when it comes to shift patterns and distant alternatives to satisfy the wants of these with busy household lives. Nonetheless, we will even begin to see companies extending advantages to the household, for instance, personal healthcare and medical advantages for companions and kids and familial psychological well being assist.
This may increasingly embody parental psychological well being recommendation hubs or CBT platforms that present recommendation and assets for folks on managing youngsters’s emotional wellbeing.
By Marc Holl, Head of Major Care at Nuffield Health.