For two years we've been subjected to fear, anxiety, isolation, powerlessness which all contributed to a crisis of “collective trauma,” and being on “edge.’

To find out how bad things are, and what business leaders and people can do to cope with the unrelenting challenges brought on by the pandemic, I spoke with with Paula Allen, Global Leader and SVP, Research and Total Wellbeing at LifeWorks—a world leader in providing digital and in-person solutions that support the total wellbeing of individuals and employees.

It took a deadly virus outbreak to wake up employers to look after the mental health and emotional wellbeing of their people. Covid-19, followed by the Delta variant, and now the sudden surge of Omicron, have left people feeling lost and defeated. It's hard to remain positive and optimistic when public schools, colleges, businesses, restaurants, and live events shut down. Travel plans are scrapped as airlines cancel flights. Fear of catching and spreading the disease makes many people despondent and withdraw from society.

Allen says that according to LifeWorks’ statistics, there has been a doubling of the proportion of the population that is at high risk for mental health issues – from 14 per cent to 34 per cent. With Omicron, she says, “I think we’re going to continue to feel the edge that we’ve been feeling,” and “Those people who do have mental health support needs, their needs are fairly complex – more so than before.”