PEOPLE AND CULTURE

NEWS

‘COVID fatigue’ must be addressed in the return to work

8 Sept 2021

    • Employers need to address COVID fatigue to ease the return to work, health and wellbeing adviser Towergate Health and Protection has said.

    Explains Brett Hill, distribution director:

    “‘COVID fatigue’ is a phrase we’ve coined to explain the way many of us are currently feeling. It covers the feeling of exhaustion and exasperation from constantly having to keep up with changing regulations and demands brought about by the pandemic. Both employers and employees are likely to currently be suffering the effects of COVID fatigue but this manifests itself in different ways.”

    Employees suffering from COVID fatigue
    There are many ways in which employees may be suffering from COVID fatigue. This could be in their home life, with unwell friends and family, self-isolation, cancelled plans and social remoteness, or in their working life, with working from home, furlough, and the anxiety of returning to the office.

    Employers suffering from COVID fatigue
    Employers face all the same difficulties in their home lives as their employees, but they are also shouldering a great deal of responsibility, having to provide moral support to struggling staff, and dealing with the business and economic fall-out of the pandemic. It should not be forgotten that employers too may find working from home a strain and may also have apprehension over the return to the office.

    Steps employers can take to minimise COVID fatigue

    • Be aware of COVID fatigue and the strain it may have put on employees.
    • Understand employee needs – ask them how they are feeling and what support they would find useful.
    • Be aware that COVID fatigue can impact employers as much as it affects staff.
    • Make the return to work a gradual transition.
    • Offer mental health support.
    • Deliver mental health training so that individuals can help themselves and support colleagues.
    • Make use of the wealth of support available from existing employee benefits provision. Employee assistance programmes (EAPs), private medical insurance (PMI) and group risk policies can provide support for physical, mental and financial health.
    • Take advantage of new support that has been developed and enhanced since the pandemic – keep on top of advances in wellbeing, such as virtual counselling and physio.
    • Create physical and/or virtual social occasions to restore morale.
    • Be open and available to talk and listen.

    Brett Hill concludes:

    “It has been a long and difficult path throughout the pandemic. Everyone talks about 2020 being a terrible year, but we are now three-quarters of the way through 2021 and have certainly not seen the back of COVID-19 yet. Employers need to be understanding of their employees’ concerns and recognise COVID fatigue among staff but also go easy on themselves. Mental and physical health issues do not differentiate between management levels and we all need to look after ourselves to be able to look after others around us.”

    Employers can help put mental health at the centre of their organisation by:

    • Developing an approach to mental health at work that supports mental health for everyone, allocating responsibility for mental health within the workplace.
    • Reviewing everyday working culture to ensure it is as mentally healthy as possible, including making positive approaches such as exercise and mindfulness available to all staff.
    • Carrying out regular staff surveys to inform their approach to and policies on mental health.