advogroup.co.uk |wellness divide
e male/female wellness divide
rch challenges gender stereotypes highlighting when it comes to wellbeing e employees have more health and concerns than their male colleagues.
industry body for the group , asked UK employees about th and wellbeing concerns*, d that female employees e concerns than their eagues. The research also ed gender stereotypes.
ey asked employees to ix key areas of health and and identify whether they ersonal concern to them. The w that women have more in three areas, one specific cerned more men than nd they were equal in two
and anxiety relating to work as pressures of overwork, tainty of future) concerned f women vs 18% of men.
and anxiety relating to ces and debt concerned 18% men vs 14% of men.
general lack of fitness caused by a non-active lifestyle. • But neither were particularly concerned about ill-health related to lifestyle such as obesity, smoking and alcohol dependence (5%). Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for GRiD commented “I’m sure that these results will surprise some employers and challenge the stereotypes that can be associated with gender in the workplace, for instance with women being more concerned about finances than men, and men more concerned than women about issues relating to home life. With that in mind, it’s hugely important that employers do not make assumptions about the health and wellbeing needs of their workforce on gender, or of course, any other basis.
“Changes in the law and workplace practices, such as shared parental leave, mean that work and home life are becoming much more balanced and anxiety relating to living across both genders, and that needs to ong-term chronic illness or h conditions (such as diabetes) be reflected in the employee benefits erned 14% of women but only that are offered to all staff.” men. The concerns give a good indication were marginally more of what support both men and women erned than women about will value, and employers that offer and anxiety relating to home such support will be ahead of the ch as caring responsibilities, game. Providing help to alleviate stress ging difficult relationships) at from responsibilities at home; financial s 12% for women. support; assistance with long-term and women were equally health conditions – or to improve any erned (12%) about their area of health and wellbeing – will all
be appreciated particularly as businesses adapt to working models which may be very different from preCovid 19. A holistic and balanced employee benefits package that incorporates support for these areas will clearly be valued by a workforce. Katharine added “Most members of staff will be healthy and well throughout their entire time at work but no-one can predict what is just around the corner in terms of family or work life. An additional project at home, an ill child, sudden responsibilities as a carer, or health problems can all be difficult for an employee to manage at the same time as trying to work. And that’s without adding in any extra work pressures such as vying for a promotion or pay rise, navigating a relocation, or new responsibilities, or of course, new challenges that we’ve seen with Covid-19. “No employer should expect their staff to leave their personal problems at the door any more but employers who have support mechanisms in place for their employees are able to intervene before the situation escalates, which is not only a great support for the individual but also mitigates the likelihood, frequency and length of any absence related to such issues.” * survey of 1,165UK employees
advocate autumn 2020 | advogroup.co.uk | 19
