Covid-19 drives 21% increase in demand for employee counselling
Spectrum Feelings Managers To Have Since And Life Of Reported Increased At March, Emotional Confusion Employees Case Insecurity, Isolation
Ireland’s largest corporate health and wellbeing provider has recorded a 21% increase in demand for employee counselling during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Spectrum.Life case managers received over 17,000 employee calls between September 2019 and September 2020, compared to 14,000 in the same period the previous year. Over half of these calls were made by employees during traditional working hours, with 11am-12pm the busiest time during the traditional work day.
During the pandemic, the group also recorded an 80% increase in the volume of calls from employees relating to bereavement during the pandemic compared to pre-Covid figures.
There was also a 24% increase in employees and their dependent family members presenting with anxiety difficulties to the service. Work-related stress accounted for 8% of all calls pre-Covid, and 7% during the pandemic.
An analysis of the demographics using the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) reveals women (59%) are more likely to reach out for help than men (41%), with 36-40 year olds the most frequent users of EAP services.
Prior to Covid-19, face to face counselling was the most preferred method of counselling modality, however, since the onset of the pandemic employees are now engaging with Case Managers via phone, video chat, SMS and Whatsapp, the company said.
Dr Emelina Ellis, Clinical Excellence Lead at Spectrum.Life said the statistics highlight the type of difficulties employees are facing, many of which are not strictly work-related, but impact an individual’s ability to concentrate and perform at work.
"Since March, employees have reported increased feelings of insecurity, confusion and emotional isolation which can result in a variety of reactions such as distress and unhealthy behaviours."
Before contacting the EAP team, 11.9% of users reported experiencing ‘severe distress’. However, after addressing difficulties with the support of qualified psychotherapists, 93% of people experiencing severe distress reported a decrease in distress levels.
Dr Ellis said employers should encourage employees to engage with preventative support and services to maintain a "healthy state of mental wellbeing", as their data shows the benefits of early intervention services.