IoD Midlands Spring

‘‘
Our USP is our ability to
respond promptly: TERC
offers a genuine 24-7 service,
with fully trained mental
health personnel ready to
help as soon as your
employees get in touch...
‘‘
the consultations my team handled were a
need to talk through those worries. Calls at
the beginning of the pandemic were
one-offs, and of a short duration.”
The pandemic forced many businesses
to work online with digital contacts, but
for Tracey, that’s business as usual. “We
have always been geared up to provide
services remotely. We have a strong IT
infrastructure in place and excellent
digital outreach. Our counsellors and
therapists are based around the UK, as are
our clients, so it’s always made sense to be
able to reach out to people through secure
online systems. We offer confidential
GDPR compliant single session-use
platforms that people are comfortable
talking to our counsellors through.”
As the pandemic evolved, so did the
nature of TERC’s work. “Once we got over
the initial shock of lockdowns, people’s
needs changed. They became more
nuanced and required more structured
interventions. People were still concerned
about their immediate health but to that
was added worries about mixing with
others again. We also saw calls around
employee perceptions of bullying to get
workloads completed. People reported
feeling ‘burnt out’, stating they couldn’t
achieve any kind of work/life balance.
“There were people worrying about job
security, and asking questions on legal
and financial issues. Others were struggling
to cope with caring responsibilities. It was
incredibly stressful for many.”
Sadly, TERC also handled calls around
domestic abuse, relationship breakdowns
and, tragically, suicidal ideas and self harm.
By the time the second lockdown was in
place in late autumn, cries for help had
shifted again. “By that stage we were
taking calls around grief and bereavement,
particularly where people hadn’t been
able to say goodbye to their loved ones.”
Worryingly for the future, TERC
counsellors were also reporting a huge
increase in clients who had developed
poor coping mechanisms such as OCD,
and there was an increase in clients
reporting alcohol and substance misuse.
Indeed, the areas TERC was asked to
cover became so broad as to appear
all-encompassing. “Parents were calling
for advice on special educational needs
issues for their children. It just gives you
some idea of the weight the world was
carrying. Everything was pressing down
on our clients’ employees; some were
desperate for help.”
She had high praise for the team at
TERC who delivered support “at a level I’d
never anticipated,” admits Tracey. “So
many people worried, anxious, stressed…
but at the same time it was great to be able
to help and support people at a time they
needed it most.”
Other challenges came from clients who
had been furloughed. “Their mental
health was affected by changes in their
financial status and the uncertainty
around their economic future, and that is
completely understandable.”
Her fear is that we’re not out of the
woods yet, either. Yes, the direct threat of
Covid may be receding, but “a lot of
companies are sat on a time bomb,” says
Tracey. “We’ve helped the mental
wellbeing of so many people in the past
year – but there are many more in your
workforces who have carried all that stress
and anxiety without reaching out for help.
Some people are storing up stress and it
will come to a point where they will not be
able to function. They’re in ‘survival
mode’. My hunch is we’re sat on a huge
amount of pressure that will reveal itself in
increased absenteeism and presenteeism
over the next year or so.”
Broadening the conversation, what the
pandemic has shone a light on workplace
culture and mental health, and it’s about
time, Tracey believes. “Businesses need to
take employee mental health seriously.”
“Traditionally, UK businesses haven’t
been good at early interventions when
people struggle. Too often our counsellors
and therapists get involved when
someone has reached a crisis point; what’s
needed is a culture whereby people can
flag up issues, particularly around stress
and anxiety, early; be open and say ‘look,
X is struggling, can we get them some help’.”
She’s concerned about an increase in
‘presenteeism’ – employees coming into
work when they are ill. Increased
presenteeism is associated with rises in
reported common mental health
conditions as well as stress-related
absence, which are the top causes of
long-term sickness absence.
Tracey also stated that ‘leavism’ is an
increasing problem, whereby people are
using annual leave to work as they feel the
need to be visible in the workplace at all
times and to be perceived as constantly
working hard. Continued on page 38
www.iod.com/westmids/events
37