23 April 2019 | Herpreet Kaur Grewal
Stress can be caused by numerous factors, but work often is not the main culprit, according to research by the Health Insurance Group.
Long hours, work overload, pressures of meeting sales targets, tight deadlines and challenging managers are all well-known contributors to stress at work, and when looking to support mental well-being, it may be tempting for employers to focus on managing these areas.
But the company's research, which is based on collating information from regular forums it runs for their staff to discuss their mental well-being, states that life outside work consistently ranks as the biggest cause of stress.
The group states that as businesses look to support the mental well-being of their staff, it's important that they recognise that this needs to extend to home life too.
The Health Insurance Group states that personal circumstances can often be the biggest cause of stress. Breakdown of relationships, challenging dependants, falling behind in financial obligations or suffering ill health, can all be major causes of stress, and also affect employees in the workplace. It adds that "rather than just focus on minimising workplace pressures, if businesses really want to look after the mental wellbeing of their employees, they need to remember to support employees through personal difficulties too".
Even though such issues may be 'personal', there is a lot that employers can do to provide support in the workplace to help staff through difficult times. It encouraged businesses to create "a culture where employees feel able to discuss private concerns is vital, without fear of being reprimanded".
Employee mental health forums, for example, can provide a valuable opportunity for employees to discuss concerns in a safe and compassionate environment, and this can help to alleviate stress.
More comprehensive support can include mental health training, equipping managers with the knowledge about how to spot the signs of mental ill health and understand how they can help or signpost employees to find more support. If an employee is struggling with the death of a loved one, a manager can point them in the direction of an employee assistance programme (EAP) that may offer bereavement counselling, for example.
Or if an employee is going through a divorce, the business may provide legal and financial advice as part of a benefits package, to help them manage the process.
Brett Hill, managing director at The Health Insurance Group, said: "Stress can be triggered by multiple life events, and just because not all of them are created by the workplace, doesn't mean that employers shouldn't offer support. Research finds that nearly three-quarters of UK adults have felt so stressed over the past year they have been overwhelmed or unable to cope, so providing support to employees going through difficult times can be a lifeline.
"Personal stress can often spill over into the workplace, so it makes business sense to ensure that employees are supported and put back on track. Knowing that an employer has helped through a difficult time - be it with emotional, legal or financial support - has a knock-on effect with employer branding and loyalty too, as employees remember they were supported, rather than being left to fend for themselves."