2020 has been a challenging year for HR professionals. Uncertainty and volatility in Australian workplaces has seen unprecedented workplace changes, and HR has been at the forefront of much of that. The Australian Human Resource Institute (AHRI) recently released the results of ‘The Wellbeing Lab 2020 Workplace Report’, (Access it here) which outlines survey findings on the state of wellbeing in Australian workplaces.
There were a number of key findings. Over 80% of employees surveyed identified that their struggle increased during the early months of 2020 when bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic set in. In 2019 almost 15% (14.7%) of employees felt they were consistently thriving in their work roles – a figure that was almost halved in 202 at just 7.4%. One notable finding identified that, even in a time of increased uncertainty, only 37.6% of respondents reported that their managers often expressed care for them. It was noted that, while the COVID-19 pandemic has had such immense impact on the entire Australian community, only 32.1% of Australian workers feel safe sharing their struggles at work, yet 90% of respondents identified worry about the state of the economy, and 82% reported feeling anxious about coronavirus.
The report notes that such feelings of struggle and stress don’t have to undermine workers’ wellbeing or work performance. However, they do highlight the role HR have to play in considering how they can support employee wellbeing during a time of considerable change and uncertainty. What is clear, however, is that as employees continue to return to their workplaces in the coming months, HR must further consider the importance of workplace wellbeing.