Hybrid Work And Mental Health: Challenges And Opportunities

Strategies companies can employ to prioritize wellbeing in the workplace in a new hybrid world

Throughout history, several watershed moments defined the modern workplace. While Covid-19 continues to drive shutdowns across the globe, the US has mostly re-opened. Organizations are entering the next evolution of the workplace – where no playbook exists – defined by monumental shifts in employee needs and executive priorities. 
 

Outside of major outliers in the financial services world, many organizations are aiming for some form of a hybrid-work scenario, where employees spend part of their week in the office and part working remotely. However, many hybrid workplace policies were adopted with minimal input from employees. We know from research and real-world experience that, without input and two-way dialogue, employees are less likely to embrace change. As well, employees have just gone through a period of unprecedented change and uncertainty. There is continued anxiety and a heightened sensitivity to imposed change.  

As businesses look ahead to the rest of 2021 and beyond, executives, CHROs and HR business partners need to clearly identify and understand the challenges employees and managers face entering a post-pandemic workplace, while also prioritizing support for their holistic employee wellbeing. Time is of the essence.

The Burnout Is Real

Employees today are dealing with unparalleled levels of stress. According to the most recent study from the employment website Indeed, more than half (52%) of respondents are feeling burned out, and more than two-thirds (67%) believe the feeling has worsened over the course of the pandemic. 

There’s also been a major rise in the portion of the population at high risk of mental health issues, and an increase in workers who have reported having suicidal ideation. According to the American Psychological Association, Gen Z adults are doing worse mentally and physically than other generations. The CDC reports that one in four 18-to-24-year-olds have said that they have thought about self-harm during the pandemic.

There are other troubling behaviors that have emerged. High-risk drinking, defined by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as consuming more than 4 drinks on any day or more than 14 drinks per week (for men) and consuming more than 3 drinks on any day or more than 7 drinks per week (for women), is on the rise. According to a RAND Corporation study, women have increased their heavy drinking by 41% compared to before the pandemic.

Post-Pandemic Leaders and Managers: Where Do They Fit in?

It’s not just young adults who are being hit hard. Our most recent LifeWorks survey, in partnership with Deloitte Canada, found that 82% of senior workers surveyed, finish work feeling mentally or physically exhausted, and 23% report considering resignation. Adding those who have plans of retirement, downshifting or part-time work to those considering resignation and 51% of senior leaders are considering some type of exit from their current role. 

Like senior leadership, managers are also at risk. In addition to being more likely to resign, many managers are dealing with unprecedented levels of stress and burnout. Much of this burnout can be traced back to the increased expectations required of them during the pandemic without a corresponding increase in support. Managers are expected to be infallible – adapting to multiple unprecedented changes, delivering business outcomes, and managing and supporting the needs of their direct reports. Our research found that managers in the US are dealing with even greater mental health issues than their employees.

Hybrid Work: Greater Flexibility or Greater Burden?

Prior to the global pandemic, remote work was primarily reserved for people in a select number of industries and job levels. A recent study from Pew Research found that only 20% of workers surveyed worked from home prior to the pandemic. During Covid, many of these employees recognized the freedom and versatility that working remotely has afforded. In the same study, 54% of survey respondents said they’d like to continue working all or some of the time from home. 

While many employers would like to return to a pre-pandemic work norm, to do so would ignore the fact that work is not the same as when we left it, and neither are employees. The population has gone through a lot; people have been fighting and adjusting and now they want some calm.

Is hybrid work the answer? In theory, it sounds reasonable. The problem is, moving to a hybrid model represents another significant change for employees. It can also represent inequality as the working day will likely look different for each employee, depending on their department or team. This can cause workplace friction and even strife.  

Change creates stress because it removes much-needed control from people’s lives. Employees are going from one out-of-control situation (pandemic) to another unknown (hybrid work), and employers need to be sensitive to that. Where possible, it’s important to give employees as much control as is reasonably possible. Clarity of message, two-way dialogue and compassion are key.

With Challenge Comes Opportunity

While it might seem like there are just too many challenges to overcome, there are numerous strategies companies can employ to prioritize wellbeing in the workplace in a new hybrid world: 
 

• Think holistic and long-term: Have a comprehensive wellbeing strategy in place that considers the individual’s health at all stages of the continuum of care – not just in times of crisis. The strategy should include convenient personalized online wellbeing services, including 24-hour remote access to counselors. The services should also address holistic needs such as social, financial, physical and mental health. Younger employees tend to have the widest range of needs so both digital and in-person accessibility and availability in an EAP is critical. 

 

• Help employees feel in control: What people crave more than anything is choice and control. It is one of the biggest drivers of workplace satisfaction and engagement and the fight against burnout. It’s essential to encourage employees to offer input (and ensure they feel safe and confident to do so) on how they can work most effectively with their teams and managers and within the broader organization.  

 

• Be clear: Researcher Brené Brown has a terrific saying from her book, Dare to Lead, “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.” Clarity and compassion are key elements to any business’s long-term success. Now more than ever employers need to ensure that policies are clear, and employees understand what is expected of them. When in doubt, keep things simple and overcommunicate. Being clear really is kind and will go a long way to reduce stress and confusion.

 

• Help employees get a ‘balanced diet’ for their brains: The pandemic forced many people to artificially limit their experiences – work and yoga, work and a walk, work and kids, or even kids all day – as many were simply holding on for dear life. A healthy balanced lifestyle in more normal circumstances should not be limited to a few activities.  Encourage employees to get a ‘balanced diet’ for their brains by incorporating different activities and stimuli – contact and connection with others, laughter, play, sleep and rest, a mix of physical activities, wholesome food, hobbies, etc.

 

• Support and train managers: It’s important to recognize that the manager’s role has changed; much of your organization’s success rests on their shoulders. Leadership must prioritize equipping them with the tools they need to effectively manage their own work and support their direct reports. Their health and wellbeing also need to be a key priority. If neglected, they won’t be able to support their team – and then it becomes a house of cards.

 

• Measure and adjust: Wellbeing programs are established to impact the workforce positively – impact being the operative word. Therefore, it is critical to understand what needs the greatest focus and measure the success of your wellbeing program at various intervals. Moving to a hybrid work model makes this particularly important. Define your objectives, audit current support structures, identify potential areas of change (eg., what do you need more of/less of in this new environment), evaluate support and investigating the impact (eg., is there a reduction in stress, increased physical activity, improvement in workplace collaboration, etc.). What’s good for employees is good for the business.

• The silver lining: If you keep wellbeing at the heart of your corporate strategy you can have a positive impact on your employees’ lives and the business overall.  

Paula Allen is the Global Leader, Research and Total Wellbeing and a Senior Vice President at LifeWorks. In this role, she manages the research agenda for LifeWorks, which includes primary research, exploratory data science, research collaborations and meta-analyses. She designed and led the most comprehensive employer response to the H1N1 pandemic and is currently LifeWorks’s business response and resource lead for the Covid-19 pandemic.   Visit www.lifeworks.com Connect Paula Allen Follow @LifeWorks