Though people have learnt to live with Covid-19, management of the workforce pertaining to the same is still not over.  Uprise Health, recently released a report which stated that even today, 37% of HR leaders spend at least one fifth of their workday – roughly 90 minutes of an eight-hour day – managing COVID-19 protocols and absences. 

The findings of the study states that 34% of respondents are facing HR staff shortages and 31% say their company doesn’t provide enough mental health and wellness support to keep employees productive and healthy. Benefits are key to tackling these issues, yet almost half (49%) said they talk with their benefits professional about options and services less frequently than monthly. 

Significantly, 51% of HR leaders said that providing employees access to nontraditional benefits was a top challenge. Furthermore, 30% or HR said benefits professionals haven't been helpful in identifying options to help employees with chronic illnesses. Another 35% of employers are currently not offering any mental health and wellness benefits, despite the obvious, significant need. Over half (52%) also said that concerns about access to mental health for employees’ teenage children have become more common since the start of the pandemic. 

Commenting on the findings, Mike Nolte, CEO of Uprise Health said, “HR teams are stretched to their limit navigating COVID-19 protocols, containing costs, and increasing employee engagement in hybrid workplaces. Their approaches to reducing employee burnout and ensuring work-life balance have had to adapt, and this has proven to be a significant challenge with modest success.” Going into another year of the pandemic, now is the time for HR professionals to apply their extensive knowledge and offer a seamless, holistic range of benefits to address COVID-related protocols and challenges.”