Some were fortunate to spend the pandemic sheltering at home with loved ones, while others were sadly alone throughout, but none were immune to potential depression caused by the protective protocols of COVID-19, a new Gartner report found. More than 5,000 employees participated in Gartner's survey, which revealed that 29 percent admitted they were depressed as a result of the pandemic. Forty-nine percent of those whose companies offered mental health and well-being programs participated and availed themselves of the service.
Businesses adopted what was immediately dubbed "the new normal," and provided employees with flexible work schedules, notably if they had to double as caregivers for family members, and 26 percent gave employees paid time off for childcare, while 21 percent gave PTO for eldercare. Additionally, families with school-age children coped with distance learning, adding another layer to an already full schedule.
Gartner further surveyed 50 human resources leaders who revealed 64 percent of companies provided their employees with new well-being offerings and 34 percent expanded access to existing offerings.
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