HR market revealed: What are the top health topics for HR right now?
Context is key when it comes to positioning your HR brand. With this in mind, understanding top HR concerns and what the HR media are currently talking about is vital knowledge for those seeking to grow awareness of their services and establish themselves within the HR niche. In our new series, we’ll be uncovering the key trends that HR brands must take note of right now.
Health and wellbeing is, unsurprisingly, a hot topic for HR. Though in recent years, HR teams and occupational health professionals have found themselves increasingly supporting the physical, mental and financial health of their workforces, the pandemic has truly pushed these issues to the forefront.
Now, as the UK navigates its way through COVID-19 peaks and lockdowns lifting, what are the biggest health topics for HR and what wellbeing issues are top priority?
Vaccines - Encouraging uptake and remaining compliant
How to handle the implications of ‘long Covid’ among staff
Burnout & fatigue: the pandemic’s hidden side effects
Rising alcohol misuse among workforces
The financial burdens of a pandemic on employee health
The risks of an aging population
HR Health concern #1
Vaccines - Encouraging uptake and remaining compliant
Vaccine uptake among workforces is crucial for employers who wish to see the safety of their staff - especially for those seeking a return to the office or a traditional work setup.
According to Aon’s seventh global COVID-19 pulse survey, 55% of UK employers are, or are actively considering educating employees on the benefits of getting vaccinated and 41% are, or are actively considering assisting employees in procuring a vaccine. Meanwhile, just 4% of employers are implementing mandatory vaccination programmes where allowed.
Despite this, talk around the legalities and ethics of mandatory vaccination has been huge - particularly in the care sector where employees, by law, are now required to have two doses of the vaccine or could risk losing their jobs.
The decision on whether to implement vaccine mandates has been an issue for many HR professionals who wish to stop the spread of the COVID-19 among employees and customers but who also risk retention and recruitment problems if staff refuse to be vaccinated.
HR Health concern #2
How to handle the implications of ‘long Covid’ among staff
As time goes on, the issue of ‘long Covid’ is growing more prominent among workforces as employers try to handle staff members who, months after contracting the virus, are still facing side effects.
How employers should care for these employees and what policies are in place to help staff throughout the illness is a pressing issue and has resulted in turbulent relations for some organisations.
In fact, a recent TUC survey shows that 52% of employees with ‘long Covid’ feel they have been discriminated against by their employers because of the illness, with 22% fearing judgment from managers due to Covid’s effects on poor performance, 18% worrying that they will be overlooked for future promotions and 9% stating their employers had threatened consequences if they took more sick leave. As well as this, the study revealed that 13% had an employer who questioned whether they even had ‘long Covid’ at all.
HR Health concern #3
Burnout & fatigue: the pandemic’s hidden side effects
For HR, mental health has been top of mind for much of the pandemic as employees have dealt with the stress and confusion that accompanied remote working, increased workloads, furlough, redundancy and other turbulent events that have not been the norm at scale.
Increasingly of note for HR right now, however, is the impact of burnout and fatigue in workforces. While many employees are noting an improved work-life balance due to remote working, others are worried about their inability to ‘switch off’ when working from home.
According to Gartner, 42% of employees state they are drained from remote working and women are 39% more likely than men to feel drained.
Meanwhile, data from Inpulse shows that employee happiness has dropped by 75% and anxiety has risen by 78% since 2019, prior to the pandemic. Commitment to employers has subsequently dropped by nearly a third (32.5%), stressing to HR the need for better employee support regarding mental health issues, burnout and fatigue.
HR Health concern #4
Rising alcohol misuse among workforces
A progressing issue of note for HR which has gained steady traction among HR publications throughout the pandemic is rising alcohol misuse among workforces.
Stats from Drinkaware show that redundancy and furlough have been a cause of increased alcohol abuse as nearly half of adults that have been made redundant (49%) are drinking more as a result. As well as this, in December of last year, studies revealed that 9 in 10 employees were drinking alcohol while working from home and a recent report has now highlighted that alcohol-related deaths in 2020 were higher than any other year on record.
Behavioural analysis from Tictrac earlier this year also showed that its users were looking for content on reducing alcohol intake and some expressed interest in having a couple of alcohol free days - this was particularly the case for men.
This rising issue has led experts to call for HR’s help, not only with providing improved alcohol-related advice and support, but also in identifying and targeting the fundamental issues that are causing alcohol abuse among workers - likely work-related stress or inadequate redundancy and furlough support.
HR Health concern #5
The financial burdens of a pandemic on employee health
New data shows that 39% of employees feel their current financial state is negatively affecting their mental health and that, due to events in the past 12-18 months, nearly 3 in ten employees had to borrow money to make up for lost income. Thirty percent also fear that their money will run out.
With HR at the realm of pay strategy, pensions and financial education, the financial burdens of the pandemic are seen as an area that HR can offer further support within - not least to offer ways to create better financial wellbeing for employees but also to ensure staff remain focused, productive and engaged while working.
HR Health concern #6
The risks of an aging population
Aging populations and longer working lives have been of note to employers for some time - how this will affect retirement, pensions as well learning and development among older employees have been key questions. But how this is impacting health and caring responsibilities has more recently become of interest in the HR media.
Reports show that 1 in 7 employees now balance work with caring duties and as the average life expectancy increases, this stat is expected to rise to 1 in 6 employees by 2040.
Aon’s report, The aging population: why it’s time to take notice, highlights why, for HR, the implications of this for employee health are huge. In particular, nearly half of employees with caring responsibilities say they are stressed, resulting in 20% falling ill themselves. This is an even more problematic situation for women who are more likely to give up work to balance caring duties.
The effects of an aging population on health are evidently long term and will remain a HR concern if adequate assistance is not put in place.
Find out more about positioning your HR brand among top HR interests; check out how we can help, here.