How Covid has Affected Mental Health

How Can Schools Help Their Staff to Recover?

The Statistics

IOSH Magazine has revealed that in 2020, the number of adults in Britain who reported experiencing some form of depression increased from 10% before the pandemic to 21% in early 2021. This figure dropped slightly to 17% in summer 2021 (Office for National Statistics, 2021). Sixty-five per cent of 10,000 UK adults said their mental health had got worse since the first lockdown, and 26% said they had experienced mental distress for the first time (Mind, 2021).

Research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) shows that the pandemic was among the main causes of stress at work: 31% of those questioned said their stress was as a result of work-related demands or anxiety due to home-working. 23% answered that COVID-related anxiety was the main factor (CIPD, 2021). Mental ill health remains the most common cause of long- and short-term absence, with stress in particular leading to considerable sickness absence: 33% and 48% of respondents placed it among the top three causes of short- and long-term absence respectively (CIPD, 2021). 84% of employers took additional measures to support employee health and wellbeing through an increased focus on mental health (CIPD, 2021).

Supporting Staff

Although there are many mental health resources available to schools and colleges, many staff are uncertain to participate because they feel they may jeopardise their position or impair their reputation or their career. The 2021 Teacher Wellbeing Index, an annual report by the Education Support Charity in conjunction with YouGov, revealed that teachers’ mental health is getting worse in several areas. The report found that a growing number of teachers have reported behavioural, psychological or physical symptoms, which include panic attacks, anxiety, depression, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, mood swings, forgetfulness, overeating and tearfulness, due to the stresses of their jobs. That number stood at 77% in 2021, up from 74% in 2020. As a result, the HSE are updating their resources to help support teachers. They've also launched the new campaign 'Working Minds', which is intended to support workers with mental health issues and promote good mental health.

HSE’s Chief Executive Sarah Albon said: “Work-related stress and poor mental health should be treated with the same significance as risks of poor physical health and injury. In terms of the effect it has on workers, significant and long-term stress can limit performance and impact personal lives. No worker should suffer in silence and if we don’t act now to improve workers’ mental health, this could evolve into a health and safety crisis. The pandemic has highlighted the need to protect the health of employees who have faced unprecedented challenges; the Government is committed to building back better and we want to make sure good mental health is central to this.”

The Stigma of Mental Health Issues

The IOSH-funded MENTOR (MENtal health first aid in The wORkplace) study, run by the University of Nottingham, has been examining the use of Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA)s. The MENTOR research underlined the difficulty of evaluating MHFA interventions, but it seems that MHFAs make a positive contribution. Matthew Riley the HSE officer at the Binding Sit says "It is changing people’s views. I’d love to say there is no stigma around mental health, but I’d be lying. For example, someone came to see me last year regarding depression. They had never spoken to anyone about it before and we gave them professional support. If we hadn’t done all our communications, they would never have spoken to us."

A Preventative Approach

IOSH recommand that to preserve and promote mental wellness, organisations could:

  • Produce localised assessments of risk based on stressors present in the workplace and ensure relevant managers regularly review them so they reflect changes in operational demand, organisational structure or changes in competency levels brought by new or temporary workers, and any role responsibility modifications.
  • Ensure the mental wellness of employees is monitored during intense working periods and develop a suite of controls that can be implemented effectively to drive the right behaviours. Leadership may need to sanction these controls, which will be critical to delivering a culture of wellbeing.
  • Develop a training programme that includes educating workers and managers in emotional hygiene techniques that help to develop personal resilience. Provide managers with tools to identify workers who are struggling to cope, help to destigmatise mental ill health and encourage open discussions between workers and managers.
  • Introduce an active programme of health promotion ideas and interventions, which includes advising on good lifestyle choices and supporting workers to take them.

More resources on mental health:

Log in to the Handsam Quick Guide Library and use the Topic Tag "Mental Health"

Handsam Blog

IOSH Magazine: Mental Health

The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter