Almost half of UK employees say workplace has negatively impacted wellbeing during pandemic

New research by Edays, who surveyed employees across the UK to determine the impact of the workplace on employee wellbeing, and changes to employee perceptions over the past two years, claim that 41 percent of the workforce feel that their workplace has negatively impacted on their wellbeing during the pandemic.

At a time when the health and wellbeing of employees has never been more important in the workplace, the largest proportion of those surveyed (26 percent) feel worse in terms of wellbeing than they did in 2019. A further 25 percent feel mixed, stating that their wellbeing has been fluctuating.

When it comes to the 2022 outlook, a third (33 percent) of the workforce are expecting to feel tired and burnt-out next year. Alongside this, 27 percent feel they are more likely to take sick days from work over the next 12 months.

Insights into absence

42 percent of respondents reported that their organisation doesn’t encourage them to take time out to recover more since COVID. Similarly, 30 percent say their employer doesn’t check in with them after a sick day or repeat absences. A minimal, but not insignificant, 10 percent of employees reported getting no support for their mental and physical wellbeing in the workplace at all.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”It’s currently make-or-break for UK employers”[/perfectpullquote]

Commenting on these findings, CEO of Edays, Matt Jenkins, reflected: “It is the responsibility of business leaders to implement the right tools and technologies to monitor both physical and mental health of their workforce and manage absence to promote a positive workplace culture and boost business performance. If they don’t, operational, compliance, and reputational risks will ripple rapidly throughout the business.”

Wellbeing trends

The survey also claims that over a fifth (21 percent) of organisations don’t have technology to track employee absences and a further 19 percent have the technology in place, but it is not monitored. In light of this, Edays is calling for businesses to gain a better understanding of wellbeing trends, rigorously monitor absence and spot these trends in advance.

Jenkins continued: “It’s currently make-or-break for UK employers: it has never been so crucial to recognise the importance of a well-supported workforce. To see that a majority of employees find their workplace has negatively impacted their wellbeing during such a difficult time is disheartening to say the least”.

Image:Edays