How can summer affect employee mental health?

Mental health challenges can arise anytime, but the summer months can bring particular challenges. How your business supports employee mental health will depend on your team's needs and circumstances. Various factors can impact mental health, and they rarely appear in isolation. Some may be present all year round and worsen, thanks to high temperatures or the stress of organising childcare during the school summer holiday. Other employees may experience anxiety due to the societal pressures that summer brings.

Let's look at some contributing factors that can impact employee mental health during the summer months. Some can lead to poor mental health, while others also affect physical health.

Additional workplace stress

Work-related stress can affect your team throughout the year. If stress levels remain high without respite, stress can become chronic and lead to burnout. If you have a seasonal business that is traditionally busy during the summer months, consider what other contributing factors could increase stress. For example, high temperatures can lead to disorientation and difficulty concentrating, likely increasing the pressure associated with heavy workloads.

Staff are also more likely to book annual leave to take a summer holiday, which can increase the pressure on managers and team leaders to approve annual leave requests promptly and ensure they treat employees fairly. During periods of annual leave, team members must cover their absent colleagues' workloads, which can lead to work-related stress.

Effective workload planning can help avoid this but may also cause managers additional stress when faced with competing priorities and potential disruption to their regular schedules.

Changes in routine

The summer can bring a temporary change in routine for many employees. Longer daylight hours and high temperatures can disrupt employees' usual sleep patterns and lead to tiredness, impaired decision-making, and reduced concentration. Research suggests that sleep disruption is also linked to other mental health issues, such as depressive symptoms. A lack of sleep can have physical health risks like an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and diabetes, and a weakened immune system.

Working parents face annual disruption to their routine thanks to the school summer holidays. Many employees may need to fund holiday clubs or other additional childcare when their children are away from school, bringing financial pressures. Their children's needs will likely change as they grow, which can cause extra stress. For example, a teenager may actively reject the nursery-led holiday club ideal for a primary school child or simply exceed the scheme's age limit. This often means parents must adjust their schedule over time to meet their child's needs.

Social pressures

Introverted employees or those with mental health issues may struggle with scrutiny and their colleagues' expectations. If an employee prefers to focus on work and spend their personal time elsewhere, they'll likely find work-related social events challenging. However, building positive workplace relationships can support employee mental health by giving staff a support system.

Isolation can also lead to loneliness and a vicious cycle. Employees who feel uncomfortable at social events may avoid them, impacting their ability to form relationships. Social anxiety is sometimes linked to other mental health conditions like depression. Withdrawal from social activities can lead sufferers to dwell on their symptoms, which can lead to a decline in emotional well-being.

There are two main ways the summer can increase social anxiety.

Social anxiety

The summer can heighten social anxiety as your employees may experience more pressure to socialise. You may decide to organise a summer social so staff can get together in a relaxed environment. Summer heat lets us spend more time on outdoor activities such as picnics, barbecues, or at the beach or swimming pool. Employees with social anxiety may prefer to avoid crowded environments or busy social engagements. Even if anxiety isn't a factor, making small talk with people they barely know may make your staff uncomfortable.

If you're considering arranging a social event for staff to help them get to know their colleagues in an informal setting, consider how best to do this. A company-wide picnic where employees can bring their families may appeal to you. However, it could be overwhelming for some. If staff members attend, they may experience mental health difficulties as a result. Alternatively, they could decide to avoid the event altogether, which defeats the purpose of the gathering. Smaller events may be a better way to help colleagues build relationships and support employee mental health.

Body image issues

The idea of having a 'summer body' or being 'beach body ready' can feel pervasive. The pressure to look perfect can lead to poor mental health and depressive symptoms. The summer presents your team with opportunities to spend time having fun with their loved ones. However, body image issues can cause them to avoid situations which could expose them to judgment from others, meaning they don't get the mental health benefits of those experiences.

Body image issues can affect anyone, as advertising and social media often create standards that are unrealistic for most people. The summer season can exacerbate concerns as your staff may need to wear lighter clothing at work, which can be more revealing. You can support staff by focusing on good health rather than weight loss in your well-being programs and providing training and education to reduce the stigma and judgment associated with appearance.

Heat stress

Heat stress can occur when your employees experience prolonged exposure to high temperatures, and the body's mechanisms to reduce the temperature don't work as they should. There are physical health risks, including an increased heart rate and dehydration. Heat stress can also lead to heat exhaustion, which can cause tiredness, dizziness and headaches. While most symptoms are physical, heat stress can also impact mental health. It can worsen symptoms in employees with existing mental health conditions, particularly when combined with other factors such as a change in routine or disturbed sleep patterns.

Staff who work in high temperatures are at the most risk, particularly if they also wear protective clothing that can increase sweating. However, it can affect anyone working in a hot, restricted space, so it's worth being aware of the symptoms and educating your staff.

The symptoms of heat stress can include muscle cramps, heat rash, fainting, difficulty concentrating and severe thirst. The HSE has helpful guidance on the causes and symptoms of heat stress and ways to assess the risk to your staff.

The summer slump

The summer slump can significantly impact productivity, with 41% of employees reporting feeling less productive during the summer. There can be fewer opportunities for collaboration and increased work-related stress as team members take annual leave and their colleagues pick up their workloads.

Employee mental health can suffer in the summer months because they'd rather be outside in the hot weather than spend time in the office. There can also be a slump towards the end of the summer, as holidays end and employees face the reality of a return to normality. This can be an ideal time to find ways to help employees manage their mental health and boost employee morale.

Seasonal affective disorder

If you're familiar with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), you might associate it more with winter than summer. Seasonal affective disorder causes depressive symptoms such as low mood, irritability and problems concentrating. SAD is often linked to reduced sunlight, which can cause sleep disruption, and lower serotonin levels, which can cause symptoms of depression. It's more common in winter due to shorter daylight hours, which can affect your employees' ability to get outside while it's light. However, some people also experience symptoms in the summer. The reasons are unclear, but you can help your team in various ways that will also support their overall well-being.

Exposure to sunlight, physical activity, and stress management can all help alleviate the symptoms of SAD and have other mental health benefits. Encouraging employees to take regular breaks to spend time outside is great for their mental and emotional well-being, particularly during the summer when they may face additional work while their colleagues are away. Some people may need medical treatment. We'll discuss ways you can support access to mental health care shortly.

There are various ways to support mental health in the workplace. We've mentioned ways to support mental and emotional well-being, such as promoting physical activity and encouraging employees to take regular breaks. Physical and mental health are linked, meaning activities that help one also benefit the other.

The systems and processes you put in place will vary depending on your business and employees' needs. You can design workplace well-being initiatives focusing on mental health or employee benefits to support mental health in your team's work and personal lives. Training and education to raise awareness of the issues and the support available to employees are essential and contribute to a supportive work environment.

Here are some methods you can use to support good mental health at work.

Lead by example

Managers, supervisors and senior leaders influence company culture and set the tone when it comes to workplace well-being. Any initiative or support system you introduce must be led from the top. For example, you might design a well-being initiative encouraging employees to increase their physical activity levels and introduce a lunchtime walking group. Employees are more likely to participate if their team leader joins in and less likely if their manager grumbles about them taking an hour away from their desks in the middle of the day.

Leaders can also start conversations about mental health. These can be fairly general but should ultimately encourage employees to speak to supervisors if they need support or are concerned about a colleague. Consider providing mental health training for managers or training a mental health first aider who can offer support and signpost staff to mental health resources.

When introducing a new initiative or support system, consider ways managers can lead by example.

Effective workload planning

As we've mentioned, the summer holidays can increase the risk of work-related stress as team members cover for colleagues who are away on annual leave and have fewer opportunities to work collaboratively. Effective planning can reduce stress as managers can ensure employees have manageable workloads and time for a proper handover. Workload planning should also go hand in hand with annual leave allocation to ensure adequate cover throughout the summer.

The summer slump can impact productivity, so always consider this as part of the planning process. Summer may not be the time to introduce a significant new project. Instead, focus on good quality work and essential tasks. This approach can also have mental health benefits as it allows staff time to take breaks when needed.

Flexible working

Flexible working arrangements help staff create a positive work-life balance throughout the year and can be great for their mental well-being in the summer. Flexible working benefits working parents juggling work and childcare, anyone struggling to sleep in the summer heat or those needing a more flexible schedule to cope with changes in their usual routine. Working from home can help employees manage their work environment and minimise the effects of high temperatures.

A note of caution. We've mentioned how social isolation can impact mental well-being, so bear this in mind when considering flexible working requests from your team. Ensure employees working at home can stay in contact with their colleagues to reduce isolation and increase opportunities for collaboration and teamwork.

Flexible working arrangements typically include flexible hours, working location or both. These can take several forms.

Flexible hours

Flexible hours can include a permanent change in an employee's working hours or a temporary adjustment during the summer due to a change in routine. For example, parents may ask to start work later or finish earlier to accommodate the timings of summer holiday clubs or compress their hours over four days instead of five to reduce the need for paid childcare.

Flexible hours can also help employees experiencing sleep deprivation or symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. Their energy levels and symptoms may fluctuate during the day, so flexible hours let them come to work when their focus and concentration improve. In these circumstances, flexible working around core hours is often effective as it enables employees to sleep in when needed and work longer hours when they can. This approach benefits overall well-being by allowing staff to design their own schedule while ensuring adequate coverage for essential business tasks.

Flexible working location

As we've mentioned, working at home lets employees control their environment. For example, they may be able to take their laptop into the garden or work surrounded by fans, which may not be practical when sharing an office space with others. Home working can also benefit employees' mental health by providing a quiet, relaxed environment where they feel comfortable and can work without distractions.

If you have several offices, you can offer staff the opportunity to work from a different location on request. For example, most employees will have a regular office base where they work alongside their manager and other team members. However, a different office may be closer to home or the holiday club they've chosen for their children. Working there instead of in their usual office could help them shorten their commute or work their regular hours instead of requesting an adjustment, removing potential sources of stress.

Mental health resources and support

A supportive work environment can help your team raise concerns, have conversations about mental health and tackle work-related stress. However, there will inevitably be times when employees need to seek support for their mental well-being outside the workplace. There may be issues they aren't comfortable discussing with their colleagues or managers and would prefer to tackle independently. They may also want to ask for independent advice from a third party before approaching you to ask for adjustments to their work. Alternatively, an employee may have spoken with a manager or mental health first aider about their mental well-being. If those conversations identify a need for professional help or medical treatment, the best approach is to signpost an employee to appropriate sources of support.

Raising awareness of mental well-being in the workplace is a great first step. Your business can also provide employees access to resources and treatment in various ways. Some are free or low-cost, while others require an investment but can form a valuable part of your employee benefits package.

Self-care resources

Self-care resources help your team manage their mental well-being and find solutions that suit their needs and circumstances. For example, a team member may experience a stressful situation in their personal life, such as divorce or bereavement. Ideally, they will make their manager aware of the situation, but they'll likely also look for resources to help them. Providing access to articles with information on ways to manage stress can help. You might also offer practical help with tools such as mindfulness or meditation apps.

Alternatively, employees may seek information on preventive measures they can take to minimise the risk of a mental health condition developing or about common mental illnesses. Use your company intranet to provide links to reputable sources of information and support. These could include links to NHS self-help guides or information on specific conditions. These typically offer guidance on when to see a GP or other health professional. Health insurance companies also have articles that are free to access even if you're not a customer.

Health insurance with mental health coverage

Health insurance is a great way to provide your team access to various private medical treatments and services. Most providers also offer health assessments and guidance to help your staff improve their health and well-being. If an employee needs treatment for a mental health issue, medical insurance can help in various ways, depending on your chosen policy. Health insurance comprises core coverage, and you can also add optional extras for more comprehensive coverage. Basic policies typically cover 8-10 counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) sessions. If you add extended mental health coverage, treatments can also include in-patient and out-patient psychiatric care if needed.

Many business health insurance policies provide support to help you develop workplace well-being initiatives and resources your employees can access when needed. Most insurers also have reward programs that offer free or discounted access to stress management tools such as mindfulness apps.

An employee assistance program (EAP)

An employee assistance program (EAP) provides access to counselling services and other advice and guidance. An EAP typically offers counselling services online, by telephone or face-to-face. Many health insurance policies let you add an EAP to your health insurance coverage. Alternatively, you can invest in an EAP as a standalone service with an independent provider.

Depending on your chosen provider, your employees can also seek guidance about legal or financial concerns via telephone helplines. These services don't provide legal advice or representation. However, they can help employees understand their legal rights and signpost them towards sources of guidance or professional assistance. EAPs are entirely confidential and independent. If a team member isn't ready to discuss mental health concerns with their manager, they can contact the EAP for impartial advice without worrying about the impact on their career.

At Globacare, we help you find health insurance to support your employees' physical and mental health and well-being during the summer and all year round. Contact us for specialist advice tailored to your needs.