Almost nine in 10 home workers have or would like employers to offer access to mental health support, research from Canada Life has found.
Research from the provider found that 54 per cent of people working from home would like their employer to introduce mental wellness days, increasing to 59 per cent among women working from home.
Employees are also feeling the strain from video meetings, with 51 per cent preferring fewer meetings/spending less time on video calls to help their mental wellbeing.
The poll of workers found staff are concerned about presenteeism, with 54 per cent of home workers believing their employer should address the feeling of needing to be present and online. This is a 17 per cent jump from May 2020, when similar research conducted by Canada Life found that 46 per cent of workers felt under pressure from presenteeism.
Canada Life protection sales director Dan Crook says: “As we close in on twelve months of working from home, it is imperative that employers recognise and focus on the mental wellbeing of their employees. Whether it is continuing working from home or helping employees readjust to working in the office again, mental wellbeing and support should be a central focus of employers’ people management plans. Mental health and wellbeing support is now commonplace within group protection schemes and employers should help employees access and utilise such support systems.”