Stress Awareness Month is a good reminder of the issues we’re facing as a society.
Stress is not just a buzzword, it is a growing public health crisis, with 74% of people saying stress has left them feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope, according to the Mental Health Foundation.
Furthermore, younger adults seem to be struggling the most due to social media pressure, the need to succeed, and a constant comparison culture, all of which are contributing factors.
We are undergoing a fundamental change in the mental health of the nation.
The fact that in the UK, suicide is now the leading cause of death for people under the age of 35, and the biggest killer of men under the age of 50, shows that something is going wrong in how we live and work.
Ironically, the stress epidemic comes at a point in society when we have never been so comfortable.
The issue is our brains are built for survival and not for success. So, while society has become more comfortable, our brains have not evolved to keep up.
We are still hardwired to look for danger and react to perceived threats.
In the past, danger meant predators or natural disasters. Today, it is traffic jams, work stress, or an email from a manager.
Under pressure, the brain shifts into survival mode, shutting down up to 60% of its capacity for clear thinking.
This creates a vicious cycle: we feel stressed, then get stressed about not being able to think clearly, creating what psychologists are calling a comfort crisis.
With no real threats, your brain overworks to find any potential danger where none exists.
Provide peace of mind
So, what does this have to do with the life insurance industry? Quite a lot.
At its core, life insurance exists to provide peace of mind and to protect families during the most stressful times of their lives.
But that responsibility does not have to begin at death.
We have an opportunity, and arguably a duty, to help people live longer, healthier, less stressful lives.
That starts with how we treat employees and continues with how we serve customers.
We take mental health seriously. Working in a call centre can be incredibly demanding.
So, we introduced a nine-day fortnight for sales teams to help improve work-life balance. We also developed a wellbeing strategy that empowers employees to recognise signs of stress early and take action before it escalates.
Support options are flexible: some employees prefer additional HR conversations, others opt for a wellbeing pack with helpful tools and resources.
If an employee chooses HR support, we hold a dedicated wellbeing meeting to create a tailored support plan.
Furthermore, everyone has access to the employee assistance programme, which includes eight counselling sessions paid for by the company as well as an online GP service.
We’ve also adjusted new starter training to include communication skills to boost their confidence and reduce stress when they talk to customers.
Gen Z entering the workplace today often have not had as many opportunities to build these skills naturally as previous generations due to increased technology removing the need.
So, we support them with training, role plays, and training on the psychology of communication to help them ease into the role.
Business sense
Supporting mental health isn’t just the right thing to do, it makes business sense.
Stress left unchecked leads to burnout, illness, and time off work.
The same principle applies to customers.
Some insurers are already including virtual GP services within life policies, helping people access medical advice quickly, including mental health support.
It’s a small shift, but one with a powerful impact.
The insurance industry is built on the promise of protection.
We already help people when life takes a devastating turn, but the real opportunity is to do more before it gets to that point.
By investing in the wellbeing of employees and customers, we don’t just respond to stress, we help prevent it.
