Poll: 80% of organisations see rising demand for mental health support

Employee Benefits Poll: Demand for mental health support from employees has risen significantly during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, according to the latest Employee Benefits poll.

The research found that 80% of organisations had seen an increase in demand for support in this area since the pandemic and were responding by offering greater help to staff.

Another 13% of those polled confirmed they were preparing to offer more mental health support as a result of seeing an increase in demand for help from their staff. Just 7% of respondents said they had seen no increase in demand.

Earlier this month, the Office of National Statistics revealed that in the first quarter of 2021, during the second lockdown, one in five adults in Britain experienced symptoms of depression during the pandemic, more than double than in the same period before the pandemic.

The findings of the Employee Benefits poll echo that of research carried out by Canada Life in March, which revealed strong demand from employees for more workplace mental health and wellbeing support.

In a survey of nearly 2,000 working parents, more than half (54%) said they wanted their employers to introduce specific mental wellness days. This increased to 59% among female respondents who now currently work from home.