The Covid wake-up call: UK’s approach to resilience and wellbeing is not fit for purpose

The House of Lords’ COVID-19 Committee has called for improved resilience and preparedness for a volatile and uncertain future. The Committee believes that the pandemic has shown that our current understanding of resilience and preparedness is not fit-for-purpose.

Living in a Covid Worldpublished by the House of Lords Covid-19 Committee, has concluded that the UK needs more focus on long-term issues and must put a greater emphasis on peoples’ wellbeing.

It was noted that as businesses prepare for more frequent systemic shocks in future, a focus on robust supply chain and critical national infrastructure alone will not secure the national resilience that is needed.

There has recently been a major shift in focus from a ‘Welfare State’ to a ‘Wellbeing State’, placing a new emphasis on governing for the long-term wellbeing, ensuring the wellbeing of its people is at the heart of everything going forward. The Committee believes that businesses should aim to tackle inequalities that hold back specific groups and communities, actively engaging with them to improve their wellbeing.

Martha Lane-Fox, Baroness of Soho and Chair of the Committee claimed “this is a wake-up call which must be heeded. Now is the opportunity for us to resent the State and build back to be more adaptable, more resilient, more developed and more collaborative so that we can effectively deal with any disasters, crises or systematic shocks that may occur in the future.”

The key for businesses from this is examining what more can be done to support employees at work.  Mental health and wellbeing must be an essential part of every employer’s approach to attracting and retaining staff.  If you would like to discuss how you can better support employees to build resilience, contact us on 0800 9995 121.