Organisations may find that returning to the office could cause a drop in mental health absence and positive effects that remote and hybrid working can have on employees, others may see that strategic intervention and change is essential to support the workforce. Either way, leaders must consider the unique requirements of employees, managers, and business circumstances to assess how to take positive steps forward, says Richard Little
Over the course of the past several years, health absence has experienced shifts like never before.
No doubt, a pandemic was likely to cause changes; but the knock-on effects – on organisational design, environment, and culture, for instance – have themselves impacted absence in ways many organisations could not have predicted.
Indeed, during this time, mental health absence rates have surged. On average, 37% of hours now lost to sickness absence are due to mental health related causes – up from 28% before the pandemic.
Indeed, while mental health absence has increased across all sectors, the companies that shifted fully to remote working during the pandemic are more likely to have felt the effects. The financial services sector, for example, experienced a 72% increase in the percentage of mental health-related absences recorded when compared to the months preceding the pandemic.
On the other hand, organisations that did not uproot traditional working environments and transition to remote work were less likely to experience such vast changes. Retail and health sectors, for example, both experienced a 17% increase in the percentage of mental health absences while utilities saw an increase of 25%.
Recognising rising absence as well as its cause is particularly important for employers that want to improve absence rates and increase productivity, while also boost morale and culture. Particularly where mental health is concerned, it’s important to recognise the changes as they take place to support people’s wellbeing and safety at work.
There are five key processes:
1Assess the trends
For organisations experiencing changes in their absence trends, there are several factors that could be having an impact. Understanding which applies to the individualities of a business is essential to form a targeted response.
Mental health absences are rising because mental health is worsening
Many employees have felt isolated or disconnected if they aren’t used to working in a remote or hybrid environment – or if their roles and responsibilities dramatically changed. This disconnect can have damaging consequences on the mental and psychological wellbeing of employees – leading to larger numbers of employees calling in sick.
Employee mental health is the same but remote work increases absence rates
Struggling with mental health is not necessarily a new issue for employees. However, working from home can be psychologically harder to ‘get on with’ like many would in a typical work setting and when surrounded by colleagues. As a result, employees may find it difficult to commit to their work and become more likely to call in sick.
An increase in mental health absence is a positive step forward
While rising mental health related absences are not a preference for any organisation, don’t be too quick to view this as an entirely negative change. In some cases, the rise could signal a more open and transparent culture around a previously taboo topic. Employees may be now more comfortable discussing and dealing with their mental health struggles and are more likely to take time off. In many ways, this could be a positive cultural shift.
Ultimately, organisations could be facing a combination of all three causal factors – but pinpointing the exact issues the business and employees face is vital.
2Look at the makeup of absence data
To uncover root issues, utilise data around sickness absence, capturing both the content and context of absences. Problematically, many organisations struggle to look at the makeup of their absence data due to a lack of analytics tools, or by misusing spreadsheets and technology that don’t work well. Consequently, managers are not aware of how the dynamic of absence is changing or why it is changing.
Aim to expose whether certain areas of the business are disproportionately affected, whether absence cases are being raised and if absence cases are being raised among people who’ve previously called in sick due to their mental health.
Questioning how current absence data compares to pre-pandemic times is also important. Finding these answers tailors the best response for employee needs.
3Recognise your team’s absence capabilities
Managers are crucial. It’s important to understand their team interactions – and whether they feel supported to actively handle absence. If absence is not properly managed, then root causes may go unaddressed. Often, fear of saying or doing the wrong thing prevents managers effectively communicating with their staff and addressing issues before they escalate.
Vitally, formalise the absence management process, closely aligning to geographical employment laws and organisational policies. Clear guidelines increase managers’ confidence to take responsibility for overseeing absence and helps ensure the organisation has the people and capabilities to actively resolve issues.
4Take a proactive or reactive approach to absence management
Once the trends in the organisation have become clear, it’s possible to take better action to support employees. Failing to take an appropriate approach can cost a business so it’s crucial to understand the purpose and outcomes of different routes forward.
Proactive approach to absence management
While managers cannot diagnose mental health conditions and are typically not trained to support complex mental health cases, they still have a responsibility to look out for problems and ask questions in a way that supports employees. A proactive approach to mental health support should help to prevent and identify any problems early on – simultaneously reducing the chance of rising absences.
There are many ways managers can help tackle mental health issues, such as: establishing boundaries between home and work time and setting an example by making wellbeing a priority. Encouraging flexibility in workplace days so employees can interact with different team members is particularly key for those who feel isolated due to remote or hybrid work environments.
As well as this, in all environments – but particularly in remote settings when employees may struggle to reach out – managers must be empowered to create a network of support. Have regular one-to-ones to help spot changes in behaviour or body language and provide clear channels of communication in everyday workflows to encourage conversations around wellbeing.
Reactive approach to absence management
Line managers also require the tools to reactively respond when they recognise that absence trends are changing.
When dealing with rising mental health cases, look for changes following environmental transitions and consider workplace settings accordingly; consider whether remote, hybrid or location-based is best for your workforce.
Beyond this, managers must have clear sickness absence policies to follow, and understand when to signpost individuals to employee assistance programmes for further support. Also ensure the organisation has trained mental health first aiders who can act as a point of contact and reassurance for employees who are experiencing mental health issues or emotional distress.
5Continue to track through more transition
No doubt, organisations are still adjusting to changes they’ve made in the last few years. As transition continues, tracking absence data is key.
In some cases, organisations may find that returning to the office could see a drop in mental health absence; others may notice positive effects that remote and hybrid working can have on employees, others may see that strategic intervention and change is essential to support the workforce. It will be highly individual for every organisation, and perhaps every team.
Either way, consider the unique requirements of employees, managers, and business circumstances to assess how to take positive steps forward.
Richard Little is Analytics Team Manager of AdviserPlus, which offers expertise and technology for employee relations.
