“Mental health issues have become a worrying feature of the modern workplace, especially in the years since the pandemic. However, its rise has been matched by growing recognition among senior leaders of the duty of care they have for employees. XpertHR research found 53% of companies now conduct internal employee surveys to collect data that can be used to cater for individual employee needs and demands. This tailored approach enables organisations to deliver more meaningful and specific support, unlike the one-size-fits-all approach of the past. Equipped with employee data, senior leaders can build a wellbeing strategy with confidence.“Mental health issues are not only jeopardising employee wellbeing – they can impact a company’s bottom line, too. Poor mental wellbeing has an impact on staff retention and can significantly reduce productivity among employees. With that, companies should see offering support as having the potential to better the position of both the individual employee and the ‘health’ of the organisation as a whole.”

---

Related reading to support World Mental Health Day – 10 October 2023

• Young expats struggling the most with mental health – is social media the cause?
• Wellbeing revolution: Over eight in ten businesses seeing increased employee demand for more work wellbeing benefits
• Data shows what organisations can learn from leaders’ wellbeing to support other employees
• Wellbeing webinars

---

XpertHR – insights for World Mental Health Day:

• Following the pandemic and the ongoing cost of living crisis, many employers are looking into how they can better support employees with mental health issues. The latest XpertHR benefits and allowances survey shows an employee assistance programme (EAP), or counselling service, is the most commonly provided health and wellbeing benefit, offered by more than eight in 10 organisations (84%). Mental health support is offered by 60% of organisations.

• Whilst counselling or an EAP has been the most common health-related benefit offered by employers since 2020, there has been a greater shift to a holistic approach to wellbeing in the past year. In order to encompass mental wellbeing into existing health packages, more than half (53%) of organisations now provide digital wellbeing resources, allowing employees to access support whenever they need it.

• The cost-of-living crisis has placed a significant financial strain on many employees, with the subsequent stress and anxiety of this resulting in mental health issues. Employers are increasingly recognising the need to accommodate for these needs, with almost a third (30%) of organisations offering financial wellbeing programmes tailored to help employees navigate financial hardship and achieve their financial goals.

• Although these statistics are encouraging, further support is needed as we look to the future. For instance, only 40% of smaller organisations offer digital wellbeing resources in comparison to 71% of larger employers.

---

Read more global mobility news in the Autumn issue of Think Global People magazine. Available here.

Find out more about the Think Global People community.

---

Subscribe to Relocate Extra, our monthly newsletter, to get all the latest international assignments and global mobility news.Relocate’s new Global Mobility Toolkit provides free information, practical advice and support for HR, global mobility managers and global teams operating overseas.

---

©2024 Re:locate magazine, published by Profile Locations, Spray Hill, Hastings Road, Lamberhurst, Kent TN3 8JB. All rights reserved. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of Profile Locations. Profile Locations accepts no liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed herein.