John Ryan

Columnist

John Ryan,

Chief Executive Officer, Healthy Place to Work

COVID and the Changed World of Work

John Ryan discusses how businesses must look after the health and wellbeing of employees.

Health and wellbeing in the workplace have been emerging themes in recent times, and many companies believe they have those boxes ticked. A few apples here, a wellbeing session there and, hey presto, employee welfare ticked. However, the reality is far different. Now, my aim here is not to negate the work companies have done to look after their staff. The change in attitudes over recent years has been welcome, but it has merely scratched the surface. However, I recently hosted an event with the Chamber and the engagement by businesses showed clearly that there is a desire to get this right.

It might seem a strange comparison to make, yet less time and attention are given to health and wellbeing than to profit and loss, logistics, or even learning and development. If we’re going to be frank about it, most people wouldn’t even think to compare the two and if they did, I know which would be Goliath. To me, that’s always been a bit of anathema but also counterintuitive to the longer-term commercial interests of a business.

In the UK, the services economy is predominant, something that is mirrored in Ireland. The quality of economic output of the country is therefore dependent on the quality of the work by employees. Logically, retaining and securing business is then built upon maintaining that high level of quality over a period of time. Reliable business partners consistently producing quality on time and to standard are the people we want to work with. How do you get there? Your employees.

To put that another way, in the aviation sector, immense amounts of time and care are devoted to maintaining aircraft. Sure, there is a safety obligation and I don’t think even Mr O’Leary is seeking to make headlines here anytime soon. Yet, if a plane is identified as unfit to fly, there will be a knock-on effect. That impact will include damages to potential profits and an increase in costs while the plane in question is grounded and repaired. To prevent such occurrences, airlines invest heavily in maintaining aircraft to avoid the increased costs and losses in the event one is unable to fly. If thinking in that kind of mindset, that investing in employee wellbeing ahead of time to secure maintained performance makes it easier to understand the value of health and wellbeing, then it is time to think in those terms. The benefit to employers is that staff can work to a higher standard over a longer period and in a more reliable fashion. At the same time, just like aircraft, that support structure must be maintained.

Of course, to ignore the COVID-19 pandemic would be to overlook the herd of elephants sheltering in the corner of the room. Undoubtedly, the effects of the pandemic have thrown a new perspective onto working practices. Although, far from easing the pressure on greater attention to health and wellbeing, it increases it. In Northern Ireland, the Civil Service is considering proposals for remote working, whilst Hughes Insurance and other finance businesses in the UK have already taken that step. Revolut, for example, a global player, is even considering plans to let staff work abroad for two months of the year. Times are changing and greater remote working brings new challenges that need to be accounted for. Stress, bullying, overworking and, believe it or not, underworking, are damaging the health of employees to the point that people die. Now that more and more people are working from home, tracking those symptoms becomes even harder. Gone are those obvious cues when you’re working next to someone, replaced instead with a video call and an instant messaging app. Employees might be commuting less and finding it easier and cheaper to get lunch. However, at the same time, they have lost that personal contact with colleagues, are more isolated and potentially feeling obliged to work longer, unhealthier and less efficient hours.

So, yes, we need to move away from the workplace cultures that have recently made headlines at the likes of Davy and Goldman Sachs. Yes, remote working does offer benefits, but it’s not a panacea. Employers need to be more engaged and more aware of what their workforce thinks and feels. As importantly, they also need to know how they can improve that. Breakfast apples and yoga at lunch are great, but there is more to do. My experience has typically been that most businesses are surprised that with the right data-driven approach, it is easier to identify the issue and then resolve it. They are even more surprised that it really can be a small investment compared with the potential payoffs in terms of fewer sick days, increased efficiencies and lower employee turnover to name but a few benefits. Employees are what drive profits. It’s time we understood that healthier workers can equal a healthier bottom line.

The Health Balance Check

The pandemic has sharpened many businesses’ focus on wellbeing in the workplace, while a future of flexible working will put a spotlight on a growing ageing workforce. Here Nick McClelland, Growth Leader at Mercer Marsh Benefits, discusses why ‘looking at the health balance sheet as much as the bank balance’ is crucial for a thriving business.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many employers to invest in their employees, for some it may be the first time, and it’s a move that is here to stay, Nick says.

“Many businesses we worked with were ahead of the curve prior to the pandemic, but now every sector is focusing on wellbeing,” he begins. Indeed new research from Mercer Marsh Benefits and the Reward & Employee Benefits Association (REBA) shows that employee wellbeing is the top focus for HR teams in 2021, with 85% highlighting this as a priority.

Employers are asking questions about the safety of their staff as well as employee mental health, he adds.

“Every CEO in the country has physical and mental health at the top of their agenda right now and for many this is the first time they’ve looked at this.”

But it’s not a quick fix solution, Nick says, as Mercer Marsh Benefits anticipates a wellbeing fallout from the pandemic – one that has yet to be fully assessed.

Some reports have gone as far as stating that for up to 15% of the population life will not return to normal, such will be the mental health legacy of the pandemic.

And Australia’s Black Dog Institute, a leading independent mental-health research organisation, suggests “a significant minority will be affected by long-term anxiety”. In the UK, a group of leading public health specialists recently warned in the British Medical Journal that “the mental health impact of the pandemic is likely to last much longer than the physical health impact”.

“We’re not through the woods yet,” Nick continues. “There will be all sorts of ramifications around the pandemic, including that mental health impact but also around the delay of many medical treatments. Organisations need to be on the front foot of dealing with this. They need to be equipped to identify issues and support staff.

“There is a prediction that we’ve yet to see the longer term impact of the pandemic on people’s mental health. Even in the short term, returning to the workplace and the daily commute will be a different experience. There will be a higher level of anxiety being in close proximity to others and organisations need to make sure people feel okay going into the workplace.

“The other area is financial wellbeing and despite lots of stimulus from the Government, the economic outlook is somewhat uncertain. The financial wellbeing of employees is yet to be really understood. In some cases people have benefitted from not commuting and

have been saving, while others have been very negatively affected.”

When looking at the latter issues, Nick says employers must be vigilant to not just implement services as a tick box exercise, but make sure they are beneficial to staff.

He adds: “We must focus on services and solutions that employees engage with and understand rather than launching things to tick a box, which some businesses have been guilty of. And there needs to be extra effort embedded within these services and solutions so we can truly get preventative.

“In our report with Britain’s Healthiest Workplace in 2019, it found that one in seven workplace wellbeing solutions aren’t actually being used by employees and that needs attention. We need to ensure employees are engaging with what’s on offer and more frequently.”

Looking after staff wellbeing is an obligation for employers but also one that can reap rewards. From better productivity to lower insurance costs, less absenteeism and more.

“The statistics show that you can create a more productive workforce from investing in staff wellbeing. I’d go further to say that if staff are engaged and feel they have a strong purpose in the organisation then the impact on engagement and productivity is significant.

“The bottom line is, there is an investment to be made and whenever looking at that investment - there is a cost associated with that. Much like personal finances, when there are uncertain times, and economic uncertainty ahead, we look at the bank account. Now we need to look at the health balance sheet too. While we understand it can be difficult for organisations to justify investment at the moment, in the grand scale, there will be savings and that can help create a positive culture.”

Practising what it preaches, Mercer Marsh Benefits has implemented new wellbeing solutions for its own staff.

The business has 800 people across the UK, a proportion of which are based in Belfast supporting clients here.

It has put a “huge amount of effort into making sure our people’s wellbeing is at the front and centre of what we do”.

“We can’t be talking a good game and not looking after our own,” says Nick.

The company launched its Ondo app, which is similar to social media for the workplace. It takes “a fresh, human-centric approach to wellbeing” and promotes “employee engagement to deliver authentic and sustainable wellbeing change”.

The app also encourages employees to develop healthy habits to thrive at home and at work and covers all aspects of wellbeing – physical, mental, social and financial.

It also provides insights into workforce wellbeing to allow employers to make informed decisions on managing their wellbeing strategies and “truly build a culture of health within”.

“It created a community environment online and we’ve seen incredible engagement statistics,” Nick continues. “That tech has created a single community with no regions or borders and allowed the whole business to interact. Bonds have been formed too and that has been fascinating. People who don’t normally connect are coming together and supporting one another, which in turn has driven good business results.”

“I’m very proud of how we’ve looked after our people during the pandemic,” he adds.

Beyond the pandemic, an immediate health issue that many employers should also consider, Nick says, is an ageing workforce.

“This is going to be an issue going forward. We’re seeing retirement age rise and people making the decision to work longer, which raises questions about the impact on the workforce and what employers need to do.

“We’re at a real inflection point for that. It was an issue pre-pandemic and it will be an issue in the future, as working conditions change and more flexibility comes in.

“There is an ongoing consideration for organisations to think about not just how they help and save for that period but also how they’re going to support the health and wellness of an ageing population.”

Locally, Mercer Marsh Benefits is working on projects with two large NI employers seeking to ensure they have the right cultural foundations in place.

Nick says the topic of diversity, equality and inclusion is another big area of focus for many and was cited as the top business challenge facing organisations in 2021 in the recent study by REBA and Mercer Marsh Benefits.

“We’ve seen lots of accelerations in this area as well as in flexibility, wellbeing and digitisation. It will be those foundations that are going to be important for any relevant business in the next 20 years.”

“The statistics show that you can create a more productive workforce from investing in staff wellbeing. I’d go further to say that if staff are engaged and feel they have a strong purpose in the organisation then the impact on engagement and productivity is significant.”