Health & Wellbeing Trends In UK Charities

Workplaces have been dealing with huge cultural shifts lately. In a recent webinar our CEO LEANNE MAREGA, Occupational Health Physician SIMON CLIFT and Psychosocial & Wellbeing Lead BEN PORTER unpacked some of these trends with our UK clients. Here’s a summary of what was discussed.

1. Neurodiversity has become a big issue for clients

In many cases, individuals self-diagnose as neurodivergent and are now seeking support from their employer. But HR, managers and leaders should be less concerned with this label and more concerned with understanding and responding to the specific challenges that a person describes. They should also bear in mind that neurodiversity – a different way of seeing and engaging with the world — is often a strength too. Regularly asking your team questions like “what would help” or “what’s getting in the way” is a good starting point.

2. It’s harder to see a UK doctor, which has knock-on effects at work

This means it’s harder to seek reassurance or access treatment in a timely way. Take migraines for example: it can take several trips to the doctors to get the right treatment, which in the past may have taken a matter of weeks, but could now take many months. Similarly, someone may now have to wait up to two years for a hip replacement, and so will live with chronic pain in the meantime. More people may therefore be struggling with a health issue that could impact their work and require Occupational Health support.

3. It’s become harder to seek a diagnosis for some health concerns

This is true for ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) as well as other neurodiverse conditions. But with or without a formal assessment, you can still work with a person’s insights on how they best function in order to take sensible action. The binary way people sometimes think about labels can be unhelpful: it’s better to see it as a spectrum. If you are seeking an ADHD assessment for someone, then this centre can offer assessments within weeks.

4. Rates of mental health difficulties are still very high

They skyrocketed during the pandemic, and are still about twice as high as 2019. The past three years have seen a steady growth in workplace burnout rates too. And we’ve noticed a rise in chronic fatigue as well, linked to long COVID. One thing to consider as well though: people’s awareness and understanding of mental health has grown too – they better understand what can be done about it.

5. Working from home is adding to many people’s loneliness

Recent studies show that 20% of the world’s employees experience daily loneliness, but this rises to 30% for people who only work from home. One role of the workplace in all of this – as well as offering hybrid working – can be to foster a sense of belonging, which our CEO writes about here.

6. Vicarious trauma is more prevalent

This is the emotional and psychological harm that can happen when someone is exposed to the suffering of others. One key reason is 24/7 news coverage via smartphones and social media, which means distressing material is reaching people perpetually, in high definition and with clear sound. But organisational understanding of vicarious trauma has not kept pace with its rise, which is why we run training courses to help managers mitigate it and equip teams to understand and act on it. 

7. Running a multigenerational workplace isn’t always easy

The different expectations and preferences of different generations is increasingly a cause for friction. But we encourage people to see the opportunities too: if we each can bring curiosity, generosity and humility in how we explore these differences, then the strengths of a multigenerational workforce will become more apparent, and the challenges become easier to address. In fact we’re currently developing a resource on the subject – sign up here to make sure you receive it. 

8. Working from home is causing some people to overwork

Many people work even when they’re unwell; they see unplanned interactions as an inconvenience; the boundary between their work and personal life is more blurred than ever; and the idea of commuting has become an unacceptable inconvenience. But as we’ve written about before, there are positives to the ebb and flow of work, to unplanned, unstructured interactions, and to travelling for work.

9. It pays to seek help for a health issue sooner rather than later

Organisations often refer people to our Occupational Health team at a late stage of someone’s illness. But earlier referrals are much better. It often means the adjustments required are easier to make, and the costs incurred to the organisation are smaller. Read more about how an Occupational Health Assessment works here.

10. We’d like to see managers and leaders develop their abilities to respond to mental health issues with staff

If they feel uncomfortable or ill-equipped about an issue someone in their team is facing, then they are more likely to make unhelpful assumptions and to focus only on one response when there may be many. However, proper ongoing investment in their knowledge and skills on mental health issues can help reduce sickness absence, burnout and staff turnover. Our courses for managers are a great starting point on this journey.

11. We all need to take responsibility for our own self-care

We’d love to see more of our clients find time for a richer life outside of their work. This could mean finding a new hobby; spending less time with their smartphones; connecting more with friends and family; or caring for others (something important and powerful happens in us when we do this).

12. In the past, some organisations have been rigid in expecting staff to fit into their way of doing things

The pendulum has now swung, with much more concern over an individual’s preferences. But there is a healthy middle ground. If organisations clearly define and live out their identity and values, then when an individual comes with a preference for how they want to work, it is easier to discuss what changes ought to be made, and by whom. We can help your organisation think through this.

Would you like to learn more about how we can support you? Explore our Occupational Health services and psychosocial support. Or better still, get in touch and we can chat.