Managers
Line managers often lack the confidence to manage absences caus! by mental ill-health. Some comment! on how the formal processes were harder to use than those relating to physical ill-health. One of the trickiest areas involv! trying to keep in contact with employees who did not wish to.
Remote and hybrid working is also having an impact. For example, the family-orientat! dynamic within many SMEs, where warning signs can be spott! quickly, is no longer so noticeable when staff are not so visible. This was particularly the case for new staff being onboard! remotely.
It was recognis! that a manager ne!s the . Unsympathetic managers afghanistan phone number library were certainly a barrier to supporting mental health. An example was given of a staff member talking about their serious mental ill health symptoms and a manager being dismissive and asking them to take a few deep breaths. Another example involv! a manager stating that they’d had enough of a staff member, that they had sent a link to the EAP and a wellbeing webinar and why had they not watch! it and why were they not okay now?
Individuals
Some organisations observ! a tension between employers and staff arising out of conflicting positions on returning to the workplace. For others, self-care was often the “first thing to go” when facing time pressures. For instance, those working in caregiving professions found themselves putting their own here is the situation of e-commerce in italy today wellbeing aside in order to take care of others: “When you are in caregiver mode, it’s hard to take a step back and look after yourself”.
Such sentiments extend! to leaders and managers too. There was clear aero leads acknowl!gement of the huge pressures facing business owners and managers in responding simultaneously to the personal and organisational impacts of the pandemic, and often with limit! resources. In some cases, SMEs were seeing signs of compassion fatigue and diminish! emotional capacity to support others.
Looking ahead
Over the coming weeks, guest bloggers will look at how we can respond to the challenges facing SMEs. These will focus on the importance of nurturing the right kind of culture and how we can provide the right guidance and support in the right formats.