More than half (55%) of workers say they’re kinder to colleagues than they were pre-pandemic, but many are still not getting the mental health support they need at work, finds a poll of 1,000 British workers by AXA.
Some 29% said they were now more open about their mental health with their colleagues, and more than half (57%) felt that the stigma around mental health was declining as a result of the pandemic. Some 49% of UK workers said they feel better able to acknowledge when they may need support, while 46% reported feeling more compassionate to others compared to pre-pandemic.
However, just 40% of UK workers said they had enough mental health support at work. Where employees had been provided with well-being initiatives and flexible working, 45% reported being more motivated, 38% more productive, 32% that they performed better, and 28% that they were happier in their jobs.
Claudio Gienal, CEO of AXA UK & Ireland, said that while UK workplaces were becoming “kinder and more empathetic”, many businesses still needed to do more to provide mental health support to their workforce and make them aware of what support is available.
“The pandemic has posed many challenges, but one positive is that it has allowed us to have more open conversations about mental health at work. Leaders should be using this opportunity to look at the support they’re providing and where gaps may be,” Gienal said.
Another poll by AXA, of 2,000 UK adults, found that 70% of respondents felt they coped well at work during the pandemic.
Nearly a third (30%) said they felt more confident talking to their employer about their mental well-being issues, while 42% said the pandemic had showed them that having strong connections with people at work was important for their mental health.