In today’s climate of uncertainty clouded with competition, compounded with the high cost of living, it is without a doubt that people are experiencing increasing levels of stress and anxiety.
According to Mercer’s latest 2022 Global Talent Trends Study, an overwhelming 85 per cent of Singapore-based employees admitted that they feel at risk of burnout this year, with one in five already reporting feeling de-energised at work.
Another worrying study by Employment Hero states that 62 per cent of Singaporean workers are already experiencing burnout. With these depressing statistics, is it really surprising that Singaporeans are the world’s unhappiest workers?
It goes without saying that employers and organisations have a crucial role in supporting employees’ needs. Yet, in another survey by Mercer, 56 per cent of employees in Singapore reported that they did not receive strong support from their employers, and Singapore fared below global benchmarks in lending support to employees.
To combat this workforce development, Mercer said that 36 per cent of Singapore HR leaders are planning to introduce strategies addressing burnout this year, such as mental health insurance coverage, offering virtual mental health counselling and providing training on how to identify and support those facing mental health challenges.
However, there is still a significant gap in the market, which urges direct action through innovative preventive care.
Having experienced the corporate world shrouded with stress and anxiety, I was determined to establish an employee network that could support their mental health, focusing on taking preventive action rather than recovery efforts.
This spurred me to set up Evexia Collective, Singapore’s first truly proactive and preventative analytical mental fitness app for employees. Backed by psychiatrist Dr Elisabetta Burchi and NHS’s Dr Caitie Imray, Evexia Collective promotes mental fitness through the proactive use of mental fitness tools and real-time aggregate analytics.
Also Read: How Noodle Factory addresses educator burnout with its AI-powered teaching assistants
It is reported that more than half the workers surveyed (56 per cent) lack access to mental health counselling services, and just 22 per cent of women had access to mental health counselling services through their employers, compared to 30 per cent of men. With our focus on preventive measures, we share an aggregate view of how employers can better support their employees.
According to research by LifeWorks, employees who are suffering from mental health or other well-being issues are unable to concentrate on their work for more than a third of the total scheduled work time, a symptom known as “presenteeism.” Evexia Collective plays a crucial role here by understanding and monitoring the user’s emotions while giving crucial insights regarding their well-being.
It is important that employees are able to manage stress while staying motivated and productive, both personally and professionally. To achieve that, companies should create an inclusive work environment that nurtures happy and healthy employees through the three core pillars: energy, calm and focus, which Evexia Collective advocates for.
Using a series of Standardised Mental Health Questionnaires used by medical practitioners all over the world, such as the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ9), Evexia Collective aims to assess, inform and improve mental fitness amongst Singaporean employees. In pilot tests, users of Evexia Collective improved their mood scores by 11 per cent, stress management scores by 50 per cent and energy levels by 14 per cent on average over two weeks.
A survey conducted in the Asia-Pacific region in 2021 discovered that high workloads and long hours were among the top workplace mental health strains. Companies must invest in their employees’ health and wellness now more than ever.
Through employee-first initiatives and corporate mindset shifts, employers that are able to find that balance and align their policies to the wants and needs of their employees will not only boost the motivation and engagement of their existing workers but also will attract and retain the best talent in increasingly competitive talent markets.
By using tools to support employee mental health, such as Evexia Collective’s application, companies can cultivate a positive work environment for their employees to thrive while enjoying increased productivity and decreased health care and disability costs.
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