By Yetunde Ebosele
INCREASE in workplace mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression may have heightened concerns among employers, going by conclusions in a recent report by a resource management centre.
The report explained that over 41 per cent of organisations have seen an increase in reported mental health problems over the last twelve months.
According to the annual Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) Absence Management survey produced in partnership with Simplyhealth, the challenge is also associated with long working hours.
The report explained that in 2009, only 24 per cent of organisations reported seeing an increase in mental health problems during that year; adding that 2015 is now the sixth consecutive year that levels have been over 40%, “showing the problem isn’t going away”.
It explained that reported increases are most likely in large and medium-sized organisations, with 69 per cent and 51 per cent respectively showing increase.
The report explained that the challenge is also associated with long working hours and the extent to which operational demands take precedence over employee wellbeing.
Head of Public Policy at the CIPD, Ben Willmott said: “Unfortunately, this year’s survey shows the number of reported mental health problems has increased for many employers, and after over half a decade at these levels, we can’t afford to let this issue continue to grow any longer. As a nation we’re getting better at opening up the conversation around mental health, but there is still a long way to go.
“So what more can employers do? Manager training is crucial, as they are often employees’ first point of call for reporting an issue, but only 30 per cent of organisations currently provide it. There needs to be a lot more focus on this going forward, as well as tailored support for line managers from HR (Human Resources) and signposting employees to appropriate support. Employers also need to look at how well their corporate culture supports good mental health and employee wellbeing.”
The report also found the private sector particularly lacking in managing and supporting employees with mental health problems, with 28 per cent admitting they weren’t taking any action to support employees. Just 32 per cent currently offer a counselling service, compared to 70 per cent of public sector organisations. Similarly, only 21 per cent said they were increasing awareness of mental health issues across the workforce as a whole, compared to over double that (47per cent) in the public sector.
Head of Human Resources at Simplyhealth, Corinne Williams added: “In this year’s survey organisations that have experienced an increase in reported mental health problems are twice as likely to provide training and support, compared with those that haven’t. This could be due to the fact that employees feel they can speak out about their mental health issues, which is great news as it shows work environments aren’t hostile to the topic of mental health. But if organisations are to reduce reported levels of mental health absence, we need to target the root causes of mental health problems in the workplace, rather than just the signs, and deal with issues as and when they arise. An effective employee wellbeing programme, which should include a confidential employee helpline, can help to ensure there is a positive culture towards mental health, and so this should be a priority going forward.”
Head of Workplace Wellbeing at Mind, Emma Mamo, said: “These figures show just how common mental health problems are in the workplace and highlight why it’s so important that businesses make promoting staff mental wellbeing a priority. Given how prevalent poor mental health is among staff, employers can no longer afford to bury their heads in the sand when it comes to tackling the causes of stress and poor mental health for their employees. It’s positive to see more staff opening up to their employers if they are struggling with their mental health. The stigma surrounding mental health is beginning to dissipate, as awareness increases, with more people coming forward. But we know that many people still don’t feel comfortable disclosing, and sometimes those who do aren’t offered the right support at the right time.
It’s vital that employers proactively promote good wellbeing for all as well as being able to support members of staff experiencing mental health problems. As well as a legal obligation, it makes business sense too – staff are happier, healthier, more productive, engaged and loyal if they work for a company which proactively promotes wellbeing for their entire workforce.
Also, HR professionals in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia have identified lack of analytical skills as major challenges confronting some organisations.
According to CIPD, the increased awareness of the potential of HR analytics across Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia indicates that the regions are following a similar trend to the rest of the globe ‘when it comes to the adoption and evolution of HR analytics’.
The report also shows how organisations view HR analytics as hugely important and potentially transformative, adding that they are at the very early stages of capability and are being held back by a range of factors.
The CIPD’s report reveals that:
•Organisations in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia are growing at such a rapid pace that there is now a real need for people management practices that drive sustainable long-term performance;
•Organisations using HR analytics reported improvements in both culture and performance;
•HR functions that focus on small, discreet but high-value projects are the ones gaining the most traction with the wider business, with investment following the production of robust insights and evidence;
•Investment in HR analytics is expected to continue to increase over the next 12 months for over a third of organisations, with investment remaining steady for the rest – none predict a decrease in investment;
•HR analytics are helping HR professionals to include more long-term concepts in their strategy; for example, developing employee reward strategies, which are in support of longer-term business, needs rather than rewarding short-term outcomes;
•HR professionals across the region are developing balanced scorecards to clearly illustrate high-level insights and the strategic value of human capital and HR data with senior business leaders.
According to CIPD, the report also highlights a number of factors that are limiting the ability of organisations to fully realise the benefit of HR analytics:
• A lack of business investment and HR analytics expertise are two dominant challenges facing HR professionals in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Over half (57%) of HR professionals believe that there is a lack of analytical skills available;
•As with other global markets, the application of HR analytics are fragmented, not just within sectors but within organisations too;
•48.5% of organisations do not have sophisticated HR technology which meets their business needs and less than a quarter (23.4%) are using a fully integrated and combined HR analytics IT programme;
•Constraints such as investment, leadership understanding and overall HR maturity are holding back development at a strategic level while at an operational level; technology and the analytic skill set are inhibiting the development of the function;
•Standardisation is a significant challenge – HR professionals are unsure whether to develop context specific measures for their organisation or standard measures for benchmarking purposes, among others.
Research adviser for the CIPD, Edward Houghton, said: “Many organisations have begun their HR analytics journey but it’s still very early days. Those organisations that are able to use HR analytics to be more strategic are likely to make significant steps towards sustainable, competitive advantage.
“The pace of evolution may be fairly slow, but this study shows that there is real potential for HR analytics to add value across businesses and across the region.
“Small projects that show clear business insights through a balanced scorecard are an essential way to get wider buy-in from the business on the value of HR analytics, and can open the door for greater investment in technology and skills to support this critical activity.”
Meanwhile, a new report from the CIPD and the University of Bath highlights that, just as Chief Executive Officers and business leaders have demonstrated a greater understanding of what is necessary to implement deep and sustainable change in recent years, senior HR professionals have equally enhanced their knowledge and expertise in the design of change techniques.
They have also managed to deploy this knowledge more adeptly with senior managers, middle managers and the wider workforce, thus becoming an integral part of the team responsible for designing and implementing all techniques during periods of transformational change.
The report, ‘Landing transformational change: Closing the gap between theory and practice, from the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, features ‘four change management case studies from BBC Worldwide, HMRC, News UK and Zurich UK Life’.
It explained that all accounts showed HR professionals showcasing greater knowledge around employee engagement and the design of change than has been seen in previous CIPD studies (2005, 2010).
They also revealed that the HR function was most successful when it facilitated action, enabling managers to inject their own customisation to suit the needs of their divisions, rather than dictating centralised, universal approaches to implementing change.
According to the report, at BBC Worldwide, HR was described as ‘horizontal, running throughout’ and ‘part of the senior team’. Similarly, Zurich UK Life talked of HR as a facilitator of change across the organisation, encouraging middle managers to adapt the implementation of change to fit their role rather than behaving as a monitor for senior management.
Ruth Stuart, Lead Consultant – Strategic Projects at the CIPD, said: “In a volatile world of work, change has become one of the few constants.
As organisations evolve and adapt in response to this, we’re seeing a new generation of business leaders emerge that are much better equipped with the knowledge and capability to land transformational change. But what’s also evident from this report is the increasing presence of HR in change management programmes, supporting CEOs and business leaders in putting that change into action. It’s great to see so many have understood the concurrent opportunities available to them in times of transformational change, and adapted accordingly to make themselves indispensable to the process.”
The report also found that HR professionals are using a variety of skills to assist senior leaders and CEOs in times of transformational change. In the design stage for example, HR professionals used their analytical skills to interpret data and read the context through the interpretation of data sets, and pass that knowledge on to senior teams. Similarly, in the implementation stage of change, HR professionals have demonstrated leadership skills in engaging managers through active listening and dialogue.
Subsequently, the case studies show evidence of new career paths being carved out for talented HR professionals, as a result of the strategic roles played during times of change.
Stuart said: “Our research into what the HR profession of the future looks like shows that building up expert knowledge to create value is crucial. Case study evidence of HR professionals using their skills to great use in change management seems a strong validation of the importance of Organisational Development (OD) as a core HR role and the profession being valued as a critical function by senior business leaders. With increasing demand for tools such as ‘big data’, the future is certain to show greater demand for HR and OD professionals to use these skills in order to influence important business decisions. It’s these skills and capabilities that will keep HR professionals integral in times of significant change.”
In order to be successful expert initiators and facilitators of transformational change, HR, OD and L&D professionals need to:
Be willing to work with CEOs/business leaders and their executive team as the ‘hidden hand’ of change, highly relevant to its success yet not highly visible
Identify and change entrenched systems that support the old culture and ways of doing things
Facilitate translation of the new vision into tangible actions, filtering down through the organisation and disseminate through mass communication initiatives events to engage all levels
Create change advocates through training to support the communication and translation of change
Identify and remove obstacles and provide relevant tools as change progresses
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