Insurance News is marking R U OK? Day by inviting readers to participate in an anonymous wellness survey to gauge how industry members are coping in difficult times, and what could be done better to support them.

The Insurance News Wellness Survey 2021, which can be accessed here, was emailed to subscribers today.

Publisher Terry McMullan notes the COVID pandemic has dramatically altered the lives of Australians with associated lockdowns, working from home, vaccination uncertainty, closed borders, mask orders and a range of new rules that severely limit freedoms.

“The impact on individuals’ personal and professional lives – past, present and even future – has been immense,” Mr McMullan said.

“We hope you’ll participate in the Insurance News Wellness Survey 2021. It will only take a few minutes to complete.”

The poll seeks feedback about workloads, work-life balance, hours and productivity, flexibility, childcare and home-schooling, equipment and ergonomics, mood and feelings, and general thoughts about remote working and how the insurance industry has managed.

Full survey results will be shared at a later date with the intention of identifying any issues that employers may need to address.

The initiative is intended to reveal information about different aspects of mental health and wellbeing within the industry, and to identify issues employees are experiencing that need to be resolved.

Studies show a considerable increase in mental health issues, with a fifth of Australians suffering high or very high levels of psychological distress related to COVID-19. Lifeline Australia experienced its four busiest days in its 57-year history last month, with more than 694,000 calls for help in 2021 so far, which is a record.

Almost half of Australians (45%) will experience a mental illness in their lifetime.

Suncorp Group CEO Steve Johnston says checking in with a simple, R U OK? is one of the most important things to do during these challenging times.

R U OK? Day is dedicated to suicide prevention and harm reduction and is a reminder to reach out to friends, family members and colleagues to see how they’re going. Suncorp recommends four steps: ask “are you okay?”, listen with intent, encourage action such as speaking to a professional, and check in a few days later with a follow up conversation.

“Today is a day when we reflect not only on our own mental health, fatigue, and wellbeing, but also for those close to us,” Mr Johnston said.

Independent brokerage Lockton reports increasing employer take-up of its Employee Assistance, and Lockton Employee Care Leader Morag Fitzsimons says staff are more likely to seek the help they need if the support is readily available and confidential.

“Engagement is only increasing,” Ms Fitzsimons said. “This is a great way to support staff before they get to crisis mode.”

Lockton says the biggest potential future claims risks for employers are that employees are in a “heightened state of anxiety and in some instances grief” as their lives have changed so much.

Lockton is seeing an increase in bullying and harassment workers’ compensation claims, which it says is often due to a breakdown in communication between the employer and employee. It also says that employee benefits claims are “not a bad thing, quite the opposite in fact, because a workforce which is looking after itself will be productive”.

At Achmea Australia, CEO Emma Thomas says the specialist farm insurer’s teams were among the first to receive phone calls from clients across Australia after the catastrophic 2019-20 bushfires, many emotionally and physically exhausted from the traumatic season.

“Our first move was not to check insurance policies, but to check in with our farmers … and emotions came flooding out,” Ms Thomas said.

“Taking the time to ask how they were doing gave them the strength to talk about what had happened,” she said in a blog posted today. “The simple act of checking-in has become more important than ever, for both our employees and our clients.”

Openly sharing stories and normalising conversations around these topics removes stigma and creates “recognition, empathy and support” in order to build more resilient workplaces and communities, she said.

Click here to take the Insurance News survey.

If you or a loved one need support, the following services are available:

Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.

MensLine Australia: 1300 789 978

Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467

Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800

1800Respect: 1800 737 732