Will Employers Phase Out Mental Health Support Post-Pandemic?

The pandemic and the stressors that it created in the form of heightened anxieties, fears, grief, and the resultant hybrid work arrangements led to a surge in mental health issues globally.

- Deepa A Agarwal

Organisations and leaders were in agreement on the need to prioritise mental health services offered to their employees. However, with signs of the pandemic starting to wind down, leaders may also begin to phase out efforts. New research by Forrester Consulting suggests that many of the surveyed senior leaders plan to revert to their pre-pandemic mental health strategy. But this would be a detrimental approach. At one level, different coping mechanisms are required to adapt to the ‘normalcy’. And at another level, employees are evaluating job opportunities on different parameters now.

An organisation that continues to up its game on the ‘beyond career value proposition’ it offers will not only be able to attract better talent but also drive better engagement and productivity in its existing employee base.

Here again, it is critical to recognise that merely instituting an EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) service will not translate to the employees feeling engaged. Rather, the need is to instill a sense of emotional safety. Here are some ways in which this can be done.

Putting therapy in perspective