(Source: https://employernews.co.uk/) UK businesses are planning to roll back employee wellbeing policies such as mental health support and flexible working despite an urgent need for them. Most managers and HR professionals expect that many of their current employee wellbeing initiatives will not continue once the pandemic is over. Almost two thirds (66%) think remote working will be rolled back, with 57% saying the same for flexible working. More than half (56%) believe mental health initiatives will be cut and 63% think their company will withdraw occupational health services.
This is despite the significant impact of mental health-related absences on the UK workforce. In 2021, poor mental health accounted for 17% of all lost working time across the country, with employees taking 56 million days off work at an estimated cost to employers of £7.8 billion. During the first two working weeks in February 2022 when WFH guidance was lifted, UK businesses experienced 14 million lost working days due to staff illness at an estimated cost of £2 billion.
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