Fatigue, burnout, professional exhaustion, depression... More than the crisis itself, economic uncertainty is weighing on the morale of business leaders. Faced with calls for help, associations are trying to support entrepreneurs by changing the way they look at failure.
Covid-19: devastating effects on the world of work
The mental health of the French has deteriorated significantly during the crisis, with an increase in depressive syndromes. Business leaders, who form the bedrock of society, are the hardest hit, threatened by financial ruin and moral exhaustion. A survey carried out in September 2020 by the IFOP Institute for the Fondation Jean Jaurès revealed that 27% of managers and 25% of shopkeepers and craftsmen had had the real intention of committing suicide that same year, particularly since the end of the first confinement. Among them, 42% said they had been hospitalized after an attempt.
To help them through this complex phase, several associations provide support to entrepreneurs before and after bankruptcy, helping them to regain their self-confidence. For its part, the government has set up a toll-free number, 0 800 130 000, which redirects interested parties to the appropriate services, and currently receives almost 20,000 calls a day.
Getting a second wind
Setting up a business requires a financial investment, but also a human one. With the restrictions imposed by the government to cope with the Covid-19 crisis, many entrepreneurs admit to starting their day very early and working weekends to maintain their business. However, despite their best efforts, some are struggling to keep their heads above water, unable to step back when the going gets tough.
A number of associations set up in the wake of the 2008 crisis have decided tohelp entrepreneurs in difficulty. Among them, 6 organizations (the AMAROK observatory, APESA, SOS Entrepreneur, RE-CREER, SECOND SOUFFLE, 60,000 Rebonds), with a common objective, are part of the Groupement d'intérêt associatif " Le Portail du rebond des entrepreneurs ". The Group's members are committed to proposing measures to the public authorities aimed at removing obstacles to entrepreneurs bouncing back. They propose, for example, that SMEs and VSEs be givenaccess to all existing procedures, in particular the accelerated safeguard procedure, with no limit on company size. Another proposal is to enable managers to get back on their feet by avoiding the seizure of their entire personal assets.
Pending consideration of these proposals by the public authorities, associations are attempting to respond to the problems and concerns associated with the Covid-19 crisis. The aim is to enable business leaders to change the way they look at failure, and no longer feel ashamed to talk about it. The associations, united under a single banner on the web, are already preparing for an increase in calls in the face of a very uncertain 2021.