Australians’ Mental Health Continues to Decline
Last updated on August 30th, 2022
In a shocking turn of events, life now for Australians is more stressful than during the COVID-19 lockdowns. A report by the KPMG and Smiling Mind, the Australian Wellbeing Index, found that the mental health of Australians is declining due to increased geopolitical instability, natural disasters, and the rise in interest rates.
What’s causing the decline?
As the pandemic enters its third year, the index reveals that people have seen a drop in their social relationships as they grow more alienated and disconnected from their social networks. The Covid-19 pandemic has inspired a movement toward remote or hybrid working, where taking modest sick leave is no longer required and being at the workplace full-time from 9 AM to 5 PM is no longer a must. The necessity for "unplanned absences" has been eliminated as employees have learned to organise their workdays around their personal lives rather than the other way around before Covid-19.
Further than the recommendations made public by the nation's top doctors, unions have chimed in and increased pressure on companies to better protect workers by allowing all employees who may work from home to do so.
Many workers welcomed the new set-up, embracing the flexibility it provided. However, there were employees who struggled with inconsistent rules and policies set by employers, which contributed to the increase in anxiety levels.
As the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) begins its most aggressive series of interest rate increases since 1994, the war in Ukraine continues to worsen, driving up fuel and food costs, and China flexes its military muscle in response to Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, KPMG's mental health advisory lead Andrew Dempster said employees are feeling out of control.
How are employees coping?
According to Mr Dempster, people in the workplace are beginning to ask if they have some control over how they will do their tasks, when they will perform them, and how they will complete them.
What matters most to employees now are meaning and purpose, more than providing them more leaves or reducing their work hours.
Another thing affected by the Covid-19 pandemic is the role of line managers. Establishing meaningful relationships with subordinates has become difficult with remote working in place. The incidental connections, such as having lunches or coffee together or simply passing by the workers’ desk, were no longer possible. Conversations were limited to work-related and tactical discussions.
Compared to the same period in 2021, the Australian Wellbeing Index this year decreased 0.9 percentage points to 48.6 out of a possible 100. The data was taken from 226,103 participants who accomplished over 880,954 surveys. Some of the key factors that contributed to the decline in mental health wellbeing include people having problems managing stress (40 per cent), difficulty focusing and concentrating (43 per cent), and having trouble sleeping (34 per cent).
What can employers do to support their employee's mental health?
Human resources executives admit that maintaining the wellbeing of their employees was one of the biggest challenges that they faced when industries shifted to working from home.
Addie Wootten, Smiling Mind’s chief executive, claims that employers can reap the benefits of the setup when they find the right balance. Keeping employees engaged, making them feel appreciated, and striking the right balance between their personal and professional lives can help with employee retention. This can also save the company money, reducing manpower churn and turnover. In addition, it can boost the productivity and performance of the company as a whole.
The mental well-being of employees is important. However, maintaining it requires work, both from the employee himself and the employer.
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