The job board surveyed 2,000 UK workers to uncover how professionals have been coping during lockdown. The study reveals that these are the most common concerns Brits have had about work in recent months:
- I have worried about losing my job – 47.4%
- I have worried about not being able to find a new job – 47.2%
- I have worried about money after being placed on furlough – 16.3%
- I have worried about the company I work for folding – 15.9%
- I have worried about having my pay cut – 14%
- I have worried about money because my pay has been cut – 12.9%
- I have worried about having too much work to do – 12.9%
- I have worried about not getting a pay rise – 11.8%
- I have worried about being placed on furlough – 11.3%
- I have worried about my performance/productivity at work – 5.9%
Fortunately, it appears that workers feel supported by the company they work for during this challenging time, with 54.1% stating that they feel their employer is doing enough to support employees’ mental wellbeing.
Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, comments:
“We know that the last three months have been a struggle for many people. Trying to work from home while looking after a family, being placed on furlough, facing uncertainty around their job; it’s not been easy for professionals and it's going to take a long time for life to go back to normal. So, it’s important to make sure that you continue to support employees and encourage them to look after their mental health and wellbeing.
“We know that a lot of professionals worry about speaking to their boss when they’re struggling. Therefore, it’s important to encourage staff members to talk and remind them that it’s ok to admit if they’re not feeling themselves, or to ask for time off work if they need it. As Brits, we naturally tend to ‘keep calm and carry on’ but taking the time to switch off from work is important – especially when the lines between personal and professional life are often blurred if employees are working remotely.”
The study found that people who were unemployed were most likely to struggle with their mental health in recent months. In fact, the percentage rose to 37.1% amongst this group of respondents. Alongside this, 57.8% of unemployed people said they’ve worried about not being able to find a new job, 23.1% have worried about finances and 5.4% have worried about their health.
The findings also show that women were more likely to worry about money because they had their pay cut (16.2% of women vs 10.7% of men), and about not being able to find a new job (55.1% of women vs 42.6% of men). In addition, men were more worried about being laced on furlough (14% of men vs 6.9% of women) and about not getting a pay rise (12.2% of men vs 11.1% of women).
Biggins continues:
“When it comes to mental health, everyone has different triggers. From our findings, we can clearly see that there’s a general concern around job security. It’s important to be as open and honest with employees and candidates during this time. Be sensitive and remember that these are people you’re dealing with, not just numbers.”
About CV-Library
CV-Library is one of the UK’s largest online job sites and attracts over 4.3 million unique job seekers every month. Founded by Lee Biggins in 2000, CV-Library is the UK’s leading independent online job board with a database of over 15 million CVs.
