Mental Health in the Workplace
In England, 1 in 6 people experience the symptoms of a mental health problem in any given week. So, the chances are that someone you work with is experiencing troubles with their mental health.
How to recognise a mental health problem:
Though mental health problems can be different for every person, signs to look out for include having difficult feelings that are:
- Stopping you from getting on with life
- Having a big impact on the people you live or work with
- Affecting your mood over several weeks
- Causing you to have thoughts of suicide
People often do not tell anyone about their mental health struggles due to fear of discrimination and feelings of shame. However, creating a workplace culture where people feel they can be themselves makes it easier for people to speak about their mental health concerns.
How to support employees with their mental health:
- Value mental health and wellbeing as core assets of your organisation
- Support the development of compassionate and effective line management relationships
- Address discrimination when it comes to mental health
- Value the diversity and transferable skills that lived experience of mental health problems bring and support disclosure
If employees feel safe to talk about their mental illness in their workplace, they may be less likely to suffer with mental health problems.
People with ongoing mental health issues meet the definition of having a disability and a disabled person is entitled to ask for reasonable adjustments to their job to accommodate their disability. A reasonable adjustment could include:
- Changing work pattern e.g. start later or finish earlier
- Allowing them to work from home
- Excusing them from attending work functions
40% of long term absenses from work among non-manual workers are caused by stress or mental illness. Mental illnesses has directly cost UK employers £26 billion. So by supporting employees with mental illnesses and making reasonable adjustments for them, you are likely to reduce the amount of days they are unable to work and reduce the cost to your business.
