S&PAProfessional / Spring 2022
S&PANews A round-up of the latest developments in the industry 75% of those with a line manager considered they cared about their well-being ● 11% of employees said that someone regularly checks on their mental health at work, down from 19% in 2021 ● 77% of organisations – up from 63% in 2021 – and 72% of individuals would value support and advice from an industry body to help shape their approach to employee mental well-being and share best practice. ●
A new report on mental health in the UK sport & physical activity workforce has found “moderately elevated levels of reported mental distress” in 2022 compared with last year. The report also suggests the sector is “less focused” on ways to support psychological health and safety at work than it was in 2021. Produced in partnership with CIMSPA, the second ‘Fitness & Active Leisure Workforce State of Mind Survey Summary Report’ was conducted by Workplace Mental Wealth, and surveyed 666 people and 77 organisations. Of the individual respondents, 86% were from England, 13% from Scotland, 1% from Wales and 1% from Northern Ireland (rounded up or down to nearest 0.5%). The largest response groups were
charitable trusts (19%), local authorities (15%) or one person businesses (11%). Researchers found “raised awareness” of mental health was “one small positive thing to come out of Covid”; on the negative side was “withholding pay, cancelling work without notice and creating climates of fear”. Key findings in the 32-page report include: ● 57% of respondents had experienced a mental health issue in the past 12 months, compared to 53% in 2021 ● 73% of respondents said they have experienced a mental issue at some point, compared to 69% in 2021 ● 60% of women had experienced a mental health issue in the past 12 months, compared to 50% of men
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Respondents who claimed independent status was 15% in the 2022 survey, compared to 29% in 2021, with the percentage of freelancers at 13% in 2022 (18% in 2021), a “significant drop”. Independent and freelancer workers’ top three positive influences on their mental health were: feeling their work had purpose and that they were valued (39% in 2022, compared to 54% in 2021); good work/life balance (26% in 2022 versus 21% in 2021); and having good relationships with clients and partners (20% in 2022, 17% in 2021).
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SURVEYING THE SECTOR’S MENTAL HEALTH LANDSCAPE
Fifty-two of the 77 employers took a positive view of their approach to staff wellbeing. However, the report notes: 32% of employers who started the survey opted out. “We don’t know why,” researchers said. “It is interesting that all dropped out when asked how they would rate employee mental health in their organisational priorities for 2022.” Of employers, the research found: ● 38% had a leader at the ‘top table’ who was explicitly responsible for employee mental health ● 62% collect data on absences due to mental health conditions ● 17% quantify the cost of absences due to mental ill-health ● 44% have a budget specifically allocated for mental health activities ● 21% have team well-being in their managers’ yearly objectives.
