56% of S'poreans did not receive ‘strong support’ from employers during the pandemic

Globally, the percentage of workers who had the same sentiment was lower at 51%.

About 56% of employees in Singapore said they did not receive “strong support” from their employers during the pandemic, the Marsh Benefits Survey showed.

This figure was below global benchmarks in lending support to employees during the pandemic, according to the survey since, globally, only 51% of workers felt the same, whilst only 46% echoed the sentiment in Asia.

From the 1,000 Singaporean employees surveyed, 55% reported experiencing stress whilst 16% said they felt lonelier and more isolated during the pandemic.

Despite this, only 44% of employees had access to mental health counselling, whilst 42% believe quality mental healthcare was difficult to find and access.

Apart from mental healthcare, Singapore workers (67%) also lacked access to lifestyle medical modification support.

“Employers need to start thinking differently and understand the urgency of providing mental health benefits and resources to improve the collective well-being and loyalty of their workforce,” Krystal Tang, Mercer’s Wellness Leader for Singapore said.

Employers also fell behind in terms of providing their employees with virtual healthcare benefits during the endemic, with only one in 10 saying they received one.

According to the survey, employees now value digital health innovations, with nine in 10 wanting to use apps and devices to take more personal control of their health when it comes to self-managing health conditions.

Meanwhile, the survey also found that there were fewer women (10%) than men (20%) who were able to receive “very good” support from their employees, according to the survey.

Only 22% of women had access to mental health counselling services through their employers, compared to 30% of men. At the same time, 21% of women have access to personal accident insurance, lower than the 30% of men.