The mental health of frontline workers has worsened since the pandemic, with many taking their stress home with them after they have clocked off.
Research involving more than 11,000 deskless employees in industries such as retail, hospitality, transport and distribution found that feelings of stress have increased in recent years, albeit the stress levels of UK workers are lower than the global average.
Half of the UK workers surveyed for the Global state of the frontline workforce report by workforce management platform Quinyx said their mental and physical health had been affected by work, compared with 38% in March 2020. Retail (50%) and hospitality staff (49%) were the most likely to have been impacted.
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Sixty per cent of employees said they had experienced workplace stress, an increase from 53% last year, with respondents blaming the cost of living (30%) and poor communication between staff and management (16%). However, this is lower than the overall global average of 66% of employees who reported feeling stressed.
Despite the common presumption that frontline workers leave thoughts about their jobs behind at the end of their shift, 88% said they continued to worry about work after they have clocked off. Forty per cent said they continued to think about their stressful working environment.
Many said social media was they reason they could not switch off from work, with 55% stating that WhatsApp was used as their primary workplace communication channel, increasing to 75% among hospitality workers.
Toma Pagojute, chief HR officer at Quinyx, said: “While our findings paint a fairly bleak picture, we hope they encourage companies to review how they engage with staff, check in with them to see how they’re feeling and open up dialogue – to benefit both sides.”
“Cost of living pressures are sadly still commonplace, and even with pay rises, companies can’t always alleviate employees’ money-related stress. Decent pay and regular wage reviews are motivating, of course – and should be standard. Yet there is plenty that managers can do to ease other pressures, so employees aren’t being kept awake at night worrying about toxic environments and poor communication.
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“Technology can certainly facilitate increased flexibility and better workplace communication, but it needs to be properly suited to staff and company needs… WhatsApp, for example, is quick and easy, but it’s not appropriate for all messaging, and it perpetuates an ‘always-on’ culture, which isn’t great for mental health.”
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