Mental health benefits are essential in recruiting new talent to an organisation, according to 86% of employers.
Data from Headspace’s Fifth Annual Workforce Attitudes Toward Mental Health Report also showed that 82% of HR leaders believe their company could do more support the mental health of its workforce.
The meditation and mindfulness app’s survey of 107 chief executives and more than 1,012 employees in the UK found that around nine in 10 (92%) of HR professionals and CEOs believe it is important for employers to do more to help staff, while a similar number (89%) of employees said the same.
According to Headspace, employees are still feeling unsettled at work post-pandemic and employers should continue to do more to establish a positive working environment and company culture.
The research revealed that if there is another recession both CEOs and HR leaders will likely increase their mental health benefits, while most (94%) HR leaders feel a greater responsibility to improve company culture to support mental health.
Nearly three-quarters (73%) of individuals surveyed regularly use workplace mental health benefits more than HR leaders and CEOs. This is despite more than a quarter (26%) of HR managers feeling a sense of dread at work at least once a week and two in five (40%) of those who are 50 or younger being much more likely to say they feel dread on a weekly basis.
Russell Glass, CEO at Headspace, said: “Workplace mental health continues to be a top three business priority, with employees and CEOs experiencing frequent levels of stress due to market uncertainty and growing workplace pressures. In response, companies must not only ensure they have robust mental health and wellbeing programmes in place, but that their leaders are tending to their own mental health, fostering open conversations with their teams, and helping to reduce stigma in the workplace.”
