Engage Health Group

Tag: mentalhealth

  • Expert perspectives: Should you offer Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to your teams?

    Expert perspectives: Should you offer Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to your teams?

    “CBT is learning to stop the cycle of negative thinking… it is the one tool that gets you out of the truly dark spots.” – Mind

    Employee mental wellbeing has taken a massive hit over the last two years. Financial uncertainty from rising costs of living, the continued presence and impact of Covid-19, and people struggling with a return to the office are just a few of the factors which can affect people on a day-to-day basis.

    However, there’s a positive side to this – an increased awareness of mental health where more and more people are seeking help and guidance. One method that is becoming increasingly popular is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), with employees developing strategies to help themselves. CBT can be accessed through:

    • NHS
    • Private sector
    • Charities
    • Education
    • Place of work

     

    Forward-thinking employers are providing staff with easy access to CBT. This enables employees to reach out for help and develop the tools for greater mental resilience.

    In this article, we talk with NHS accredited CBT therapist, Shay Rosenthal, to learn more about how CBT works, and how it can have a positive impact on employees in the workplace and beyond.

     

    Need professional help finding the best employee benefits to support your teams? Contact our friendly team of experts at Engage Health Group Ltd on +44 (0)1273 974419 or click on the bottom right chat-box.

     

    Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: What is it and how does it work?

    CBT is based on how our thoughts, feelings and behaviour are interconnected. Anyone can become trapped in a negative thought cycle, and CBT is designed to break this cycle. CBT can also help people avoid getting ensnared in the first place. This form of therapy looks for practical ways to improve a person’s daily state of mind, helping them break down overwhelming problems into more manageable positive steps.

    “In CBT, people learn to recognise and identify patterns in thinking or behaviour which might be keeping their problems going,” says Shay Rosenthal, a CBT Therapist in the NHS. “After therapy we would hope that a person can become adept in this skill to manage future problems, becoming their own therapist.”

    CBT can help people with:

    • Depression
    • Anxiety
    • Bipolar disorder
    • Borderline personality disorder
    • Eating disorders
    • Obsessive-compulsive disorder
    • Panic disorder
    • Phobias
    • Post-traumatic stress disorder
    • Psychosis
    • Schizophrenia
    • Insomnia
    • Substance abuse
    • Stress
    • Long-term health conditions e.g., irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome – cannot cure physically, but can help to cope with symptoms

     

    CBT is often spread across 12 sessions or more for those in serious need, but a brief course of treatment can be helpful for anyone seeking greater mental clarity and resilience. In these sessions, a person breaks down problems in how they think and behave. The idea is for them to learn these strategies and apply them to their everyday lives.

    However, we wanted to break this down even further to get more depth on how CBT is applied in therapy and the theories behind it.

     

    Diving deeper into CBT with Shay Rosenthal

    Shay outlined two main concepts that are associated with CBT, revealing how and what the sessions focus on.

     

    Cognitive approach (thoughts)

    “How you think influences how you feel and how you behave.”

    If you are thinking in a certain way, that can influence how you behave and also impact how you are feeling. Those experiences can subsequently reinforce your way of thinking, creating a cycle that can become difficult to get out of.

    Shay imagines what this might be like for an employee:

    “If I think in such a way like ‘I’m terrible at my job, everyone will eventually find out that I have no idea what I’m doing’, this could lead me to call in sick (behaviour), procrastinate with assignments (behaviour), and increase anxiety, low mood, or hopelessness. These behaviours and feelings will reinforce my initial thoughts about being terrible at my job, making my conviction of these beliefs even stronger.”

    Working with people’s cognitive processes allows someone to break down these patterns of thinking, allowing them to restructure and experiment with new ways of approaching situations. This will help them to move away from being stuck in a negative perception of themselves/the world.

     

    Behavioural approach

    “Behaviour can explain the maintenance of a problem.”

    Another approach taken in CBT is placing our focus on how our behaviour specifically might be keeping our problems going.

    Again, Shay outlines a potential employee perspective:

    “If I’m scared of public speaking, I might naturally then avoid presentations. This is obviously a very effective short-term solution to avoid feeling anxious. However, this avoidance does not allow us to grow in confidence, and crucially learn more about our fears. This will typically lead to anxiety increasing over time.”

    Similarly to the cognitive approach of CBT, a behavioural approach focuses on setting goals that the person wants to achieve through therapy and developing a step by step approach to facing one’s fears. This will build a sense of tolerance or the ability to handle these triggers. Shay explained this in a simple analogy:

    “If you think about the first time you went to a new job, you would likely have been very anxious on day 1. If you had run away or avoided doing things / talking to people, that anxiety about your new job would get worse and worse over time. However, when we face things that make us anxious what happens naturally is that as day 1 progresses the anxiety will gradually reduce over time. Come day 2, the anxiety, whilst maybe high at the start of the day will in most cases be slightly less than on day 1. Again if the person perseveres this will gradually reduce again and after enough time that person will no longer be experiencing that same anxiety the had on day 1. We call this process habituation, which is a CBT way of saying “we get used to it”. The key is we learn enough about our fears to make accurate predictions rather than assuming the worst will happen.”

     

    Can CBT help employees and businesses alike?

    CBT can be a useful tool in supporting the mental wellbeing of staff so it’s worth considering as part of an employee benefits package. It can also benefit your business by improving team members’ ability to handle challenging situations. Here’s how:

    • Identifying the cause of disruptive thoughts helps employees discover alternative perspectives – will help staff in accepting different opinions, leading to better performance and improved work relationships.
    • Fear and anxiety can cause lower esteem, productivity, and retention levels. Understanding what causes fear and how to tackle it allows staff to overcome situations that cause anxiety.
    • CBT promotes mindfulness. Practising mindfulness improves concentration, reduces stress and anxiety, and reduces presenteeism. Employee engagement will be boosted in a positive work culture.
    • Freed from anxiety and unhelpful thoughts, the employee can improve their problem-solving skills
    • An improved ability to overcome challenges boosts confidence
    • By better managing emotional responses, an employee can improve social and communication skills
    • Cultivating a more positive mindset can:
      • Improve focus/productivity
      • Reduce absenteeism
      • Promote a healthier/happier work environment
      • Improve decision making
      • Reduce stress, depression, and anxiety
      • Boost employee performance, innovation, confidence, and creativity
    • Successful CBT programmes can lead to fewer mental health-related absences

    These are just a handful of things that employees can develop from undergoing CBT if they need help, making it a win-win for both staff and business.

     

    We help businesses navigate the world of employee benefits and health insurance. Contact our team of AMII accredited employee benefits brokers for FREE expert advice and support. Click on the bottom right chat box or call Engage Health Group Ltd at +44 (0)1273 974419.

     

    How else can you support employee mental wellbeing?

    CBT is one of several employee benefits which are designed to aid mental health. Sometimes they are included in an Employee Assistance Programme or Corporate Wellness Programme – so it’s well worth checking if it’s available as an add-on. Below are a few other examples of employee benefits that target the mental wellbeing of your staff:

     

    Over half of all working days are lost each year to high levels of stress or mental health issues. So, it’s certainly an issue that all companies should address. The most important thing is for businesses to encourage a positive, open, and supportive work environment, whether that’s augmented by CBT or other measures outlined above.

    Further reading: The 3 Pillars of Corporate Wellbeing: What do employers need to offer?

     

    At Engage, we take the time to carefully consider financial, mental, and physical wellbeing when helping businesses and HR teams design an employee benefits scheme.

    Contact us at Engage Health Group Ltd or call +44 (0)1273 974419 for FREE no-obligation advice and support.

  • The 3 Pillars of Corporate Wellbeing: What Do Employers Need to Offer?

    The 3 Pillars of Corporate Wellbeing: What Do Employers Need to Offer?

    Businesses are becoming wiser to the fact that employee health and wellbeing is more than just a one-off project. It’s not a job that can be ticked off on a list of to-dos. In reality, it needs to be treated as an important part of company culture.

    This is where the term ‘Corporate Wellbeing’ comes in. It describes the strategic approach through which companies look after their hard-working employees – not just through a single activity, but in a variety of ways and on an ongoing basis.

    A Corporate Wellbeing strategy should consist of the following three pillars:

    • Physical wellbeing
    • Mental wellbeing
    • Financial wellbeing

    In this article, we reveal how these pillars interlink and examine current trends from both the business and employee perspectives.

    If you need professional assistance in setting up the best Corporate Wellbeing strategy for your company, contact our expert team at Engage Health Group +44 (0)1273 974419. We’re happy to answer any queries you may have.

     

    What is Corporate Wellbeing?

    Corporate Wellbeing is an employee support strategy that is designed to assist the health and wellbeing of team members. It can encompass a wide range of tools and activities which, together, are designed to ensure wellbeing needs are successfully met.

    The growth of Corporate Wellbeing reflects the realisation that employers have an important role to play in improving the wellbeing of their staff. Full-time employees spend much of their day – and week – at work. Therefore, their workplace experiences (positive and negative) can have a major bearing on their general wellbeing.

    As mentioned, there are three main pillars of wellbeing that employers need to target to ensure their staff are being looked after:

    • Physical
    • Mental
    • Financial

    Once each of these pillars is accounted for, businesses can build a work culture of wellness. The result? Improved health and happiness, better productivity, and increased staff retention.
     

    How are the three pillars are linked?

    Physical, mental, and financial wellbeing are all inextricably linked. The state of an employee’s mental health will affect their mental wellbeing – and vice versa. Meanwhile, an individual’s financial state is likely to affect their mental, or indeed, physical health. If one element is out of kilter, then all-round wellbeing can suffer.

    These interconnections have been most obvious during the time of Covid. Many of us have experienced a heightened sense of vulnerability. Both mental health and physical wellness have become a well-talked about subject.

    Mental wellbeing remains the most common focus of corporate wellbeing initiatives. According to a report by Deloitte:

    • 76% of employers have a defined strategy for emotional/mental wellbeing
    • 61% have a defined strategy for physical initiatives
    • 41% have a strategy for financial wellbeing

    Mental health and financial issues are particularly linked – over 1.5 million in England alone are experiencing both debt and mental health problems according to The Money and Mental Health Institute. Stress and anxiety have a strong relationship to financial issues, made even more apparent since the onset of the pandemic and the economic uncertainty it’s unleashed.

    For these reasons, the most forward-thinking organisations will have in place wellbeing strategies that encompass all three pillars, thereby providing a well-rounded programme to their staff.
     

    Why should companies address physical, mental, and financial wellbeing?

    Offering corporate wellbeing to employees is no longer deemed as an added perk based on top-line statistics. The majority of employers now agree that they are responsible for influencing employee health and changing behaviours! It’s essential for employers to build healthy and supportive workplaces to truly fulfil their duty of care to staff. Success requires a proactive approach.

    The impact of a corporate wellbeing programme that successfully targets all three pillars results in:

    • Improved employee morale & engagement
    • A healthier & more inclusive culture
    • Lower staff sickness & absence
    • Reduced work-related stress
    • Improved staff retention
    • Improved productivity
    • Enhanced brand reputation

    Offering a range of benefits and choices is the only way to guarantee that each employee receives benefits that they want and need.

    It’s a win-win situation; employers will benefit from reduced presenteeism (less people working while sick), absenteeism, increased productivity, and better business results! For every £1 spent on supporting employee mental health, employers get £5 back on their investment, according to Deloitte. The employee will themselves benefit from improved health, greater work-life balance, feeling of protection whilst they are at work – just a few positive outcomes.
     

    What do employees want from Corporate Wellbeing?

    As we continue to adapt to a pandemic world, so must employers and their corporate wellbeing strategies. In fact, 91% think that employee expectations are changing.

    A 2021 survey by Hooray Health & Protection asked workers to choose their top three most desired benefits. These were the most popular choices:

    • 57% health insurance
    • 45% life insurance
    • 41% extra holiday entitlement
    • 35% generous pension scheme
    • 28% retail leisure discounts

    These statistics reveal an emphasis still on physical health, most likely due to the presence of Covid-19 and a heightened awareness of mortality and illness. However, mental health is still a priority to employees and has become even more so since the pandemic.

    When asked which benefits would best assist their mental wellbeing, these were the top five:

    • 57% access to mental health services
    • 49% flexible working
    • 38% extra holiday entitlement
    • 20% a good pension scheme
    • 20% free/discounted gym membership

    The desire for access to formal mental health support shows that professional assistance is highly valued.

    Are you looking to build a Corporate Wellbeing plan that covers all aspects of your employees’ needs? Get expert advice from the specialists at Engage. We help employers understand the employee benefits and health market by guiding you through the process step-by-step. Put your questions to us using the chat feature in the bottom right or call +44 (0)1273 974419.
     

    What can employers do to help build Corporate Wellbeing?

    When developing a Corporate Wellbeing strategy, the aim should be to actively listen to staff members in order to offer personalised benefits that will best fit their needs. This is becoming more common in the workplace with 78% of staff saying their employer has actively sought out their feedback, according to Hooray Health & Protection.

    Employers need to recognise the need to respond to the changing expectations of employees. And be willing to adapt when they do change!

    Ways that employers can help:

    • Measure wellbeing e.g., tracking absences, retention rates, work performance, surveys
    • Focus on building a positive work culture by making employees feel they are individually contributing
    • Promote a healthy work-life balance by offering flexible or hybrid working arrangements if convenient
    • Reduce direct healthcare costs through Group Health Insurance schemes
    • Establish support networks for staff e.g., mental health counselling, virtual GP, Mental Health First Aid Training

    The 2020 CIPD Health and Wellbeing report reveal which areas of wellbeing employers are prioritising:

    • 80% Mental Health
    • 71% Good Work
    • 71% Collective/Social Relationships
    • 68% Physical Health
    • 66% Values/Principles
    • 62% Personal Growth
    • 53% Good Lifestyle Choices
    • 43% Financial Wellbeing

    These figures highlight how more and more employers are recognising the importance of having a well-rounded Corporate Wellbeing plan.

     

    Has the current climate of Covid-19 changed the face of Corporate Wellbeing?

    Mental health issues have increased, physical activity has declined due to isolation and lockdowns, and delays to medical treatments have become more common. Employers now must think beyond only offering salary and career growth opportunities.

    Nurturing a resilient and adaptable workforce should remain a priority while employees continue to be tested in the aftermath of the pandemic. A heightened demand for support is unlikely to dissipate as various challenges – economic and social – are likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

    But it’s not all downbeat news. An increasingly positive and mutually beneficial relationship between company and employee is a strong foundation on which everyone can prosper. If you haven’t developed a corporate wellness plan, now’s a good time to start.

    If you need help with developing a Corporate Wellbeing strategy that best fits you and your employees, the team at Engage Health Group are here to help. Learn more about how we help deliver employee benefits schemes here.

     

    At Engage Health Group, we work across the health and wellbeing marketplace to ensure you find the right policies at the right price, and ensure your whole benefits package provides prices from across the market.

    Contact our expert team at enquiries@engagehealthgroup.co.uk or call 01273 974419 for FREE no-obligation advice and support.