Research conducted by Bupa found a record number of employees reporting good mental health at work, following pandemic-related changes to working practices introduced over the last year.

According to data from the health insurer’s latest ‘Workplace Wellbeing Census’ – a survey of over 4,000 UK workers across a range of industries – more than three quarters of employees have experienced good mental wellbeing at work. The past 12 months witnessed a number of wellbeing gains, with changes to the commute, home working and flexible working all key factors that have positively impacted employee wellbeing.

The research found that the opportunity to work from home has been particularly beneficial to working parents, who have appreciated the greater flexibility it affords. Women have also typically responded well to new ways of working, while the pandemic has also helped tackle accessibility issues for employees with disabilities.

After such a challenging year, however, it is perhaps unsurprising that issues for employers remain. For example, cases of bullying rose, with 26% of employees saying they had experienced bullying during the last three years – almost double the level recorded pre-pandemic. Interestingly, the research found that workers over the age of 45 were more likely to have experienced bullying.