Mark Fitzgibbon
Commercial Director
The landscape of employee health and wellbeing is ever-changing.
Mental Health Conditions are increasing worldwide. In the last decade, mental health conditions and substance use disorders have risen by 13% worldwide, (2007-2017) according to The World Health Organization.
People are still being left in the dark in a time of need with overburdened resources and time constrained lifestyles. Spectrum.Life help employers provide always on health and wellbeing support to support employees 24/7 regardless of their location or work settings.
In 2023, there were almost 9x as many interactions (83%) with Spectrum.Life’s employee mental health services than in 2022 meaning more employees are needing mental health support and consumer advice.
Providing different communication channels and entry points into a mental health service is essential for breaking down barriers and enhancing accessibility. Spectrum.Life assist individuals in accessing timely care in a way that makes the most sense for them.
57% of people prefer telehealth services over in person for mental health, according to JDPower.
We see this trend continue year after year. In 2023, 12% of all consultations were for Video Counselling marking an increase of 50% from 2022. 8% of all consultations were for Telephone Counselling.
Offering multiple modes of entry into a service means individuals will feel more comfortable using services and can enhance accessibility for individuals that may not typically use services, for example, men.
The cost-of-living crisis continues across all sectors with many employees facing difficulty to meet ends meet or even stay motivated at work. for the past 2 years, Financial Consultations have been in the top 10 of all consultations and increased by 83% between 2022- 2023. These consultations help organisations provide expert advice and assistance so employees can make more informed decisions for their financial health.
Offering financial assistance can help tackle issues such as presenteeism and increased stress/anxiety. In 2023, 64% of workers in the UK had to go to work when they were unwell as they could not afford the time off (CIPHR).
An employee will become disengaged with the business if they feel they are not getting the recognition or pay they deserve or think their well-being is not treated as a priority. Worldwide, employee stress has reached record levels for the past few years. It is estimated that disengaged employees cost the global economy 9% of the global GDP (Gallup)
Stress and anxiety have remained in the top 3 presenting mental health issues for people calling for support through Spectrum.Life they both accounted for 35% of total presenting issues in 2023. Prolonged periods of stress and anxiety lead to burnout which remains a pressing employee wellbeing concern.
Employee burnout can show up in many different ways for those experiencing it- sleep issues, irritability, struggle to focus, no appetite, difficulty finding joy in things.
Spectrum.Life continually strive to improve health outcomes and simplify unique care pathways to support everyone for wherever they are on their wellbeing journey.
After intervening with Spectrum.Life services, in 2023:
- There are 10x less as many individuals reporting as severely distressed.
- There were 50% less people that found their concerns to have a medium to high impact on their lives after intervention.
A healthy organisation values worklife balance, employee wellbeing and open communication. Employees should feel supported and empowered to make better decisions and transform their overall health and wellbeing.
Our anonymous reporting capabilities ensure employers can adapt and continually improve as wellbeing needs evolve to help be agile and adjust offerings to address any emerging challenges and trends, specific to their organisation.