Furthermore, 68% of GPs polled agree that the number of patients seeking help has increased in the last three months compared to the start of the pandemic, and 80% are bracing for an increase, implying that the worst is yet to come if action is not taken.
Recent research has found that 73% of us feel stressed at work, with the bulk of us feeling that pressure for up to 30 minutes of each day. Whilst a certain amount of stress is good for us, too much can begin to impact our mental and physical wellbeing.
Employers are being asked to take on more responsibility in supporting their employees during this crisis, as these experiences have a significant impact on workers’ lives. Perkbox also polled over 2,000 full-time employees in the UK, with one in two agreeing that work-related stress has disrupted their sleep (54 percent) and diet (51 percent). The mental wellbeing of employees should be a strategic issue for all employers.
For GPs, important pathways to improvement include:
- Offering flexible working hours (42%)
- Providing manager training on supporting mental wellbeing (37%)
- The provision of wellbeing tools and information (30%)