FEATURE
in the NHS. Workplace wellbeing is incredibly important and if staff are well looked after they will be in a better position to support everyone using NHS mental health services.”
According to research conducted by MIND, whose Chief Executive Paul Farmer led the Taskforce, 21% of individuals said they had called in sick to avoid workplace stress. 14% of those interviewed stated workplace stress had caused them to resign from their posts and 42% had thought about leaving their jobs for this same reason.
Almost a third of participants admitted they wouldn’t feel comfortable talking to their line managers about their mental health, and over half of employers asked said they would like to do more to improve staff wellbeing but felt they didn’t have the appropriate guidance to do so.
The need to open up the conversation around mental ill health in the workplace and improve support is evident – but how can it be done?
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Libby Morley, founder member of The Better Health at Work Alliance (BHWA), said: “Companies need to explore ways of supporting employee’s mental fitness before crisis points are hit.
“A study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development estimates that an annual cost of £1,035 per employee can be expected due to poor mental health.
“On the same note, NICE indicate that in a company of 1000 employees, mental ill-health loses an organisation £835,000 per annum. A saving of £250,000, or 30%, per year could be made if prevention or early identification of problems were tackled effectively.”
Speaking about absenteeism Libby added: “According to the 2015 CIPD Absence Survey, organisations that achieved their absence targets were more likely to do so by promoting health and well-being than those who did not.
“The biggest obstacle to supporting employees lies in the culture and attitudes of an organisation. Getting
a good quality conversation started, in a non-judgmental space where employees can be confident that they won’t be treated any differently than if they were speaking about a physical issue, is crucial.”
Libby Morley and Charlotte Cross, BHWA founder suggest that stress awareness training within workplaces could help to improve employees mental wellbeing. Libby added: “I have worked with organisations that have provided stress awareness training for managers or trained staff to become Mental Health First Aiders. Appointing mental health or well-being champions in several areas of the business and ensuring the wider workforce is aware of them could be a positive step.
“I think it is also important to get the message across that we all have mental health, and that we all move along a continuum from feeling well to less well. Mental health is not static.”
A NEW APPROACH The way mental health is thought about is already changing in the UK. The company Breathworks
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