Summertime blues – seasonal change affecting one in three social care professionals

With summer drawing to a near close, a new survey from CV-Library reveals that social care professionals are feeling the effects of the upcoming seasonal change, with one in three (33.9%) claiming that work is damaging their mental health.

The research, which surveyed over 2,000 professionals, found that nearly half (46.2%) of social care professionals even consider resigning from their job because of this, with a further 40.7% stating that their workplace doesn’t do enough to support employees.

When asked what their employer could do to help employees with mental health issues, respondents suggest the following:

• Promote a healthy work-life balance (63.6%)
• Talk more openly about mental health (59.3%)
• Allow employees to take time out when they need to (45.5%)
• Reduce pressure to work longer hours (36.4%)

Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, comments on the findings: “At this point in the year, daylight is dwindling, it’s getting colder and the next prolonged period of time off may seem far away. It’s no wonder then that employees are already facing the post-summer blues; especially in social care where staffing shortages are felt keenly and stress is inevitable.

“Indeed, the survey shows that those social care are feeling the impact from a culture which is cutting costs in health care but still expects the best service. This is forcing employees to combat heavy workloads without sufficient support from management. Dealing with the transition between the seasons on top of this can be overwhelming, so don’t be afraid to put your mental health first by prioritising your work-life balance.”

When asked who they’d be most likely to talk to about their mental health, a medical professional ranked highest (57.7%), with family (46.2%) and a partner (30.8%) following. Shockingly, a far smaller 11.5% of social care professionals listed their boss as who they’d talk to, underlining that few are seeking support from their employers.

Biggins continues: “Our research shows the changes that social care professionals most want to see in the workplace, but these aren’t likely to take effect if you don’t raise the subject with your employer. The more of us that speak out about our problems, the quicker we can establish change at work. Stigma around mental health shouldn’t exist in any workplace, let alone among social care professionals. Once we shake the, solutions will follow.”

Picture (c) Pixabay.