Despite the fact one in four people in England having been diagnosed with a mental health condition at some point in their life, mental health is still the big workplace taboo in 2017.

A report commissioned by the Prime Minister, Theresa May, has highlighted that employers still have some way to go to support employees who suffer from poor mental health.

Some of the most surprising findings found in the report include:

  • Only 11% of employees have talked to their line manager about a mental health condition.
  • Only 39% of organisations have policies or systems which can support employees with common mental health conditions.
  • 80% of employers report no cases of employees revealing a mental health condition.
  • Only 24% of managers have received some type of training on mental health issues.

What is the cost of poor mental health for employers?

Poor mental health costs employers between £33bn and £42bn!

When we break these costs down, absenteeism costs £8bn, presenteeism costs between £17bn and £26bn and staff turnover costs £8bn. Roughly 300,000 individuals with a long-term mental health conditions are leaving their job every year.

The severity of the problem is huge, but the report points out that poor mental health is often preventable and recovery is possible in many cases.

What does the report recommend to tackle the issue? 

The report recommends that all employers, of all industries and size, implement the following ‘mental health core standards’ in their workplace:

  • Create, put into place and communicate a mental health at work plan
  • Build mental health awareness among employees by making information readily available
  • Foster an environment where open conversations about mental health and support can occur
  • Provide employees with good working conditions and ensure they have a good work-life balance
  • Promote effective people management so that all employees are having frequent talks about health and well-being with their supervisors or line managers
  • Regularly monitor employee mental health and wellbeing.

For the 3,500 private sector companies with more than 500 employees, the report puts forward more recommendations, such as the provision of tailored in-house mental health support.

What happens now?

It has been reported that Theresa May has pledged that the Civil Service and NHS will accept the recommendations that apply to them and the government will consider the recommendations made in the report in due course.

Comment

For all organisations, it is time to get rid of the stigma surrounding mental health in the workplace. Employers should provide employees with appropriate training and ensure that there are effective policies, systems and initiatives in place to provide employees with mental health conditions the support they need.

Our Employment Law Advisers and Health & Safety Consultants can provide you tailored advice and policies to ensure that you are fulfilling your legal obligations and doing what is in the best interests for your business. So if you have concerns about your employees’ health and wellbeing, contact us to find out how we can help you.

Find what you were looking for?

Our FREE resources library contains over 200 searchable blogs, guides and templates focused around Employment Law and Health & Safety issues that employers face on a day-to-day basis.

Get your FREE download

We combine the service quality of a law firm with the certainty of fixed-fee services to provide expert, solutions-focused Employment LawHR and Health & Safety support tailored to employers.

Call us on 0345 226 8393.

Get your FREE download

We combine the service quality of a law firm with the certainty of fixed-fee services to provide expert, solutions-focused Employment LawHR and Health & Safety support tailored to employers.

Call us on 0345 226 8393.

Get your FREE consultation

Submit your details and one of our team will be in touch.

Book a FREE demo

One of our team will be in touch as soon as possible. If we miss you, we’ll send over a Calendly invite so you can choose a more convenient time and date for a callback. 

Activate your free trial

The rota module has been built on our brand new technology platform, so you’ll need to create a new account that you can then integrate with your existing Youmanage/PeopleNest account.

Follow these steps to activate your trial

  1. Log in to your existing Youmanage/PeopleNest account
  2. Navigate to admin mode
  3. In the menu, navigate to Integrations > Marketplace
  4. On the ‘PeopleNest – Rota Module’ line, click ‘configure’
  5. Create your new account – because we’ve built the new Rota Module on our brand new PeopleNest platform, you’ll need to create an account. Make sure you use the same email address as your admin account in Youmanage (can use Microsoft/Google authentication)
  6. Sign-in using your new login details
  7. Read the message about the integration and click continue if you are happy to proceed
  8. It takes a few minutes for your employees to start pulling through, then you’re ready to go!

Book a consultation

One of our team will be in touch as soon as possible. If we miss you, we’ll send over a Calendly invite so you can choose a more convenient time and date for a callback. 

Get your FREE consultation

Submit your details and one of our team will be in touch.

Search...

Get your FREE consultation

Submit your details and one of our team will be in touch.

Get your FREE consultation

Submit your details and one of our team will be in touch.

Before you go…

We can help with that HR problem or health and safety query. If you’re an employer, leave your details below and our team will call you back.

Register your interest

Submit your details and one of our team will be in touch.

Get your FREE consultation

Submit your details and one of our team will be in touch.

Download your FREE guide

Submit your details below.

Request a callback

Submit your details and one of our team will be in touch.

Need some help?

Call our team now on:

0345 226 8393

Request a Callback

Submit your details and one of our team will be in touch.

Request a Callback
Hi, how can we help?
Click the button below to chat to an expert.