Mental Health Statistics from mentalhealth.org.uk

Mental Health in the workplace can have a huge impact on a person outside of work. According to mentalhealth.org.uk, 1 in 7 people experience mental health problems at work and 12.7% of all sickness days in the UK are due to this. This is costing the UK around £8billion per year, reiterating the importance of employee well-being for moral reasons, and financial. 

How can employers ensure the wellbeing of their employees?

An Open Culture

It’s important that your environment is safe and open. Mental health shouldn’t be a taboo in your office, and talking about mental health should be encouraged. Having the ‘R U OK’ campaign poster around the office could potentially get employees to reach out and get help with their mental health issues before it gets too late. Talking about mental health is very important, be it in the workplace or at home. Talking helps us cope with mental illness and can help us undermine the stigma that has existed for far too long.

Understanding your employees

Management and leadership shouldn’t be transactional, even in a remote working world. One-to-ones and really getting to know the person behind the ‘Employee I.D Number’ is crucial for employee well-being, and productivity. More importantly, now than ever, is the characteristic of ‘empathy’ in a leaders job description. Empathy not only supports a person’s mental health, but being in a trusted environment is proven to be positive for productivity. 

Workplace wellbeing programmes

Companies such as Sanctus are a great investment for a businesses and their people.They offer a non-discriminatory environment and even a mental health gym for employees to attend one-to-one and as group sessions.

For further support or guidance, you can reach out to an EquallyPlaced.com consultant who can guide you to some of our trusted mental health partners.