Supporting our care workforce Why wellbeing must take a preventative and proactive approach
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Care England
If the wellbeing of care workers is a contributing factor to the current care sector workforce crisis, how can a preventative and proactive approach to wellbeing stop the care sector from reaching crisis point? Karl Bennett, Wellbeing Director at Vivup and Chair of the Employee Assistance Programme Association (EAPA), tells us more. Over the last three years, the UK care sector has faced several challenges that have placed an unprecedented amount of pressure on its workforce. Low wages, a cost-of-living crisis, and post-COVID burnout have together impacted on employee morale, productivity and presenteeism. Cumulatively, these factors have contributed to the current 152,000 sector-wide vacancies identified by Skills for Care in its July 2023 workforce report. With over 800,000 people drawing on social care in England (according to the National Audit Office [NAO]), HR and business leaders must address wellbeing to deliver the standard of care that so many depend on. To achieve this, the most pressing concerns within the sector must be identified to deliver an all-encompassing support system that champions the mental, physical and financial wellbeing of the 1.6 million care workers currently employed in the UK.
Soaring absence rates Staff absence is costing the UK economy around £18bn annually and 12.7% of all sickness days in the UK can be attributed to poor mental health. With workers in care experiencing the highest absence rates (3.8%), it’s important to offer support options that help tackle absenteeism before it becomes a problem. Without support in place, employers can expect to pay higher
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overhead costs in agency reliance and/or overtime cover, while also experiencing reduced performance and service levels, workplace disruption and low morale. However, as the Mental Health Foundation confirms, a business investment in employee wellbeing is key to keeping absenteeism under control. The foundation estimates that, for every £1 invested in wellbeing, £8 is saved due to reduced absenteeism.
Low wages The issue of low pay is longstanding within the care sector. A report conducted by the Resolution Foundation confirms that the average care worker earns less than 80% of the wider workforce. With the cost of living increasing above the National Living Wage over the last two years, care staff are struggling to afford the things they want and need. Low wages also present wider issues with morale, productivity and retaining talent. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) states that employers who pay the UK’s voluntary Real Living Wage experience enhanced reputation, easier recruitment, better labour relations, improved employee commitment and higher levels of motivation. However, with pay rises not always possible in the care sector due to years of underfunding, social care workers are identified as the
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worst affected by insecure jobs. As such, employers must provide financial wellbeing support to help keep their people on track; this can be done by: 1. Supplying staff with forums which promote open dialogue on financial concerns. Providing staff with financial seminars/ meetings within the workplace enables their people to gain useful information and muchneeded support. By encouraging regular and open communication, employers can help reduce any stigma around financial struggles. 2. Providing employees with a financial wellbeing benefit that offers debt advice as well as a variety of easy-to-access financial wellbeing tools and resources, such as financial calculators, information sheets, blogs and videos. 3. Using marketing materials to promote awareness of what financial support is available to staff and how they can access it. The Care Workers’ Charity has produced several resources to support registered managers and care workers in managing their finances, including how to budget and a savings calculator. The charity also offers advice on energy and money-saving advice for social care.
Recruitment and retention roadblocks With staff turnover rates exceeding 28%, according to the Skills for Care Workforce Intelligence report, the UK care sector is double the 15% national average. During 2022-23, 390,000 staff members left their jobs and 130,000 of those left adult social care altogether. Multiple reasons may account for high turnover rates, including low pay, the challenging nature of the role and better opportunities elsewhere. Despite national recruitment campaigns, 42% of providers noted a decline in the number of applications for care staff positions during 2022, making it difficult to fill workforce gaps and attract new people to the sector.
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Unless employers, decisionmakers and governmental bodies act to resolve high turnover with meaningful benefits and solid wellbeing support, the challenges associated with poor retention will only worsen as the population ages and requires more care home support. ‘Over half of providers across the care sector turned down admissions, and nearly a fifth of providers closed their services due to high staff vacancies’ – Care England, 2022 Sector Pulse Check
Financial stress With 71% of care staff reportedly paid below the Real Living Wage, the occupation is one of the lowest paid in the UK. Employers are very aware that the impact of rising inflation is likely to exacerbate the already alarming labour gap within the sector, which could lead to implications for the quality of care. Once again, the need to offer financial wellbeing support becomes pressing.
Stress-related burnout The social care sector employs more workers than the NHS and research published by the Society of Occupational Medicine found that, in 2022, NHS England lost 75,000 staff to illness caused by burnout. A further 170,000 have left (or are planning to leave) due to workload pressures. Because burnout is caused by excessive and prolonged workplace stress, it tends to occur once the employee has reached a point of crisis. At this point, the employee is likely to be experiencing a sense of disengagement and a loss of purpose within their role, which in turn can impact on workers' health, job performance, morale and quality of life. Employers can help to prevent staff burnout by: 1. Ensuring staff levels meet productivity demand. It is crucial to have experienced staff available who are adequately trained to complete the task
at hand. Having a proactive approach to annual leave and sickness absence is vital. Employers should ensure staff members can cover team members' roles should an absence occur and that they are fully aware of any ongoing projects. 2. Ensuring workloads are evenly distributed amongst staff with realistic and achievable deadlines. Keeping up-to-date statistics on employees’ productivity levels, as well as conducting regular workload reviews, will help identify and address any areas of concern quickly. 3. Ensuring staff feel comfortable in approaching management should they feel their workloads are unachievable. Having regular one-to-one meetings and an ‘open door’ mentality will assist this. 4. Encouraging teamwork and acknowledging achievements, which will help staff feel supported and valued. Employees who feel appreciated in their workplace feel more engaged and are less likely to want to leave their employer. 5. Encouraging staff to take regular breaks and to maintain physical activity throughout the day. Without preventative healthcare tools and in-the-moment support services, the issue of burnout will continue to cost the UK care sector dearly. It is therefore essential that care sector decision-makers invest in interventions and strategies to address burnout before it impacts on employee mental wellbeing.
Bereavement support Care workers build long-term relationships with the people they care for and coping with their loss can be difficult – so difficult, in fact, that the National Library of Medicine found grief reactions in staff ‘reflected many of the core grief symptoms reported by bereaved family caregivers’. Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, said that bereavement support within
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the care home sector is a ‘very neglected area’ and also noted that he would like to see ‘better support and greater recognition of the emotional cost of caring for people at the end of their lives’. Employers need to prioritise bereavement support in the workplace. They can do this by giving managers the tools they need to best support their staff in their time of need. Empowering them with the necessary communication skills and training in bereavement support is essential. They should also have a complete understanding of policy and procedures, so they are best placed to answer any staff members' queries. Awareness sessions could be held in the workplace, which acknowledge the impact bereavement issues have on the care worker’s role and encourage discussion. Additionally, supplying people with a range of self-help guidance gives the employee extra support they can access when they need it most. With around two million people in employment experiencing grief to a degree that impairs their ability to work and puts them at risk of physical or mental illness, staff must be able to access in-the-moment support at the point of need. After all, employees who feel unsupported at work after experiencing a death are 56% more likely to leave their company.
Possible solutions There are several wellbeing solutions to support care staff – one of these is the Employee Assistance and Wellbeing Programme (EAP). By introducing an EAP to support care staff, employers can equip the workforce with the tools they need to build personal resilience and deal with issues before they escalate, become difficult to treat or affect workplace performance and presenteeism. An EAP will not only help to keep
staff well and at work by supporting their mental, physical and financial health with a blend of preventative and in-the-moment solutions, but will also help employers demonstrate their commitment to the workforce and, in turn, attract and retain more valued staff. EAP solutions ensure care staff will have access to a wide range of services that work in unison to support their wellbeing across all life stages. A proactive health management platform to deliver effective, evidence-based interventions that help people live happier, healthier lives includes: • 24/7, 365-day Telephone Helpline with in-the-moment support. • Telephone Counselling. • Face-to-Face/Virtual Counselling. • Online GP Services. • Access to resources including: • CBT Self-help Workbooks. • Domestic Abuse Resources and App. • Online Debt Advice. • Legal Support. • Dependent Family Support. • Financial Support. • Peer-to-Peer Support. • COVID-19 Recovery. • Carer Support.
The true value of financial support With access to EAP, care home staff would also benefit from a wide range of lifestyle savings on essential areas like supermarket shopping, utility bills, insurance and motoring. If employers can make the rising cost of living more manageable for their people by offering a valuable, meaningful pay-rise alternative, they can gain a competitive edge when recruiting and benefit from a more motivated, loyal and productive workforce.
Making impact The positive impact of providing this kind of mental and financial support is already being experienced in other
care-related organisations. Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board provides community, primary, mental health and hospital care to 450,000 individuals in the local community. When COVID-19 hit, it became clear that a dedicated mental health programme was needed to safeguard employee wellbeing, after leaders realised their existing services no longer met requirements given the huge spike in anxiety, stress and uncertainty brought about by the pandemic. During the early days of COVID-19, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board had just two mental health counsellors providing face-to-face support to over 12,000 employees. With a long waiting list driven by a huge influx of staff now requiring assistance, it was decided that the introduction of a consistent wellbeing provision was key. An EAP solution provides three vital strands to form good mental health habits in and out of the workplace. First, a 24/7 telephone helpline calmed the high levels of fear and anxiety being experienced by staff and reassured them that support was always available. Next, access to responsive counsellors with high referral rates allowed for more in-depth mental health care. Finally, a wide range of available online resources enabled staff to initiate self-help behaviours to work through challenging times.
An employer of choice Demonstrating a commitment to employee wellbeing through long-term solutions, such as preventative mental health support and financial assistance, will help organisations within the strained care sector to establish themselves as an employer of choice. In turn, these organisations will be better positioned to attract more talent and ensure that talent stays on board by offering a secure career that supports staff now and in years to come.
Karl Bennett, Wellbeing Director at Vivup and Chair of the Employee Assistance Programme Association (EAPA). Email: karl.bennett@vivup.co.uk @wearevivup
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Care England