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BUSINESS WEST – CONNECTING BUSINESSES BUSINESS SUPPORT Advice and support from Business West


The importance of good mental health in the workplace


By Tom Hore (pictured), director at Bristol Mind


The past few years have seen a succession of reports detailing the cost to employers of poor mental health at work. Whether these costs relate to absenteeism, presenteeism or staff turnover, it is estimated to cost UK businesses around £35bn per year. This economic realisation has led many organisations to begin to take a more serious approach to the matter, being prepared to commit resources, but often wondering where they should start. It’s a cliché but ‘we all have


‘There are


no shortcuts to creating a


mental health’; at any one time we’re all somewhere on the continuum between good and poor mental health. Many factors influence where we are on that continuum including our life histories; our susceptibility to mental health problems; our financial position; the current state of our relationships; factors effecting family and friends; and employment. It is this last aspect; employment, that this piece is focused on. Work plays a very central role in the lives of


most adults between the ages of 18-66. Work is one of the key ways in which we describe ourselves. The lack of employment can lead to poor mental health, and similarly poor mental health can lead to unemployment. While employers may be unable to influence


many of the external factors impacting upon their staff member’s mental health, they do have the power to influence what happens in the workplace. If the workplace and conditions of employment exacerbate someone’s poor mental health it is likely to increase the cost of this to the organisation. If, by contrast, it contributes positively to someone’s wellbeing, it will reduce costs related to absenteeism, presenteeism and high staff turnover. Workplace wellbeing is a term bandied


around at the moment that means different things to different people. What are the key contributors to wellbeing at work? Is it smoothies in the fridge, fruit in the staffroom, pets at work and lunchtime yoga? Is it comfortable seating, plenty of natural light and proper lunch breaks? Or is it a decent wage, reasonable workloads, a sense of control over your work and job security? While all of the above may contribute towards a greater sense of wellbeing at work, some


20 insight MARCH/APRIL 2019


workplace culture that values the wellbeing of all staff’


might be seen as fundamental while others are the cherry on the top of the cake. A mid- morning smoothie is unlikely to compensate for a sense of job insecurity, just as the insistence on staff taking proper lunchbreaks will ring hollow if they feel they have insufficient time for their workload. There are no shortcuts to creating a workplace culture that values the wellbeing of all staff. Due to the stigma and discrimination around mental health, and concerns that staff may have for their employment,


the opening of a dialogue about mental health at work often needs to start at a senior level in an


organisation.


For organisational wellbeing strategies to be effective, staff need to feel that there is a sincerity and commitment to the process.


Signing up to the Time to Change pledge, or


the Workplace Wellbeing Index are significant actions that can be interpreted by staff as a strong statement of intent. However, such actions need to be accompanied by a clear sense that the reality matches the rhetoric. One example comes to mind; from a commercial organisation where senior management are rightly proud of the committed approach they have taken to mental health at work. However one member of staff told me that their line manager had suggested that ‘they had taken too much time off for anxiety and that this could affect their future at the company’. While I sincerely believe that senior management would be horrified at this attitude, clearly their message hadn’t reached everyone. Matching reality to rhetoric can take time and


it’s not always easy to achieve the concrete examples that provide the proof to everyone of good intent.


Approximately one in four people will suffer from a mental health issue at some point in their lifetime, and according to the Mental Health Foundation, this is costing UK employers approximately £2.4bn per year. The impact of mental health problems in the workplace has serious consequences not only


for the individual but also for the productivity of a company. Such areas as employee performance, sickness absence, accidents, increased costs and staff turnover are all affected by employee’s mental health. While all organisations have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for staff members when


it comes to mental health, many smaller businesses simply aren’t aware of their responsibilities. According to the Institute of Leadership and Management, 45% of employees working for an organisation with 10-49 employees said that they didn’t support staff suffering from ill mental health very well. 42% of employees working for an organisation with 100-249 employees also thought that they supported colleagues with mental health poorly. In light of this, Business West has launched a new digital campaign to help raise awareness among SMEs across Bristol, Bath, Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.


For more information visit:


www.businesswest.co.uk/mental-health- and-workplace


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