TODAY is the 25TH Anniversary for World Mental Health Day, the world-wide awareness day theme for this year is ‘Mental Health in the Workplace’.
Statistics from Salford Mind, a charity which supports people with mental health shows that 1 in 6 workers are dealing with mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and stress. And that Stress accounted for 43% – almost half – of all working days lost due to ill health.
The Health & Safety Executive reports the number of working days lost each year due to work-related stress is almost 10 million days.
Quays News, explored what workplaces can do to create a supportive and mentally healthy workplace.
A study by CIPD course providers, DPG Plc found that 85% of UK workers thought that there was a stigma attached to mental health issues and stress in the workplace. And 58% said that wouldn’t be comfortable telling their manager if they were suffering from a mental health issue.
Paul Drew, managing director at DPG said:
“These findings highlight a need for change in the workplace, and an increase in how visible support in the workplace is. The problem is that, whilst the support networks may well exist, it seems they’re being drastically underused because people fear looking ineffective, weak or compromised”.
Asking people how they are feeling, is an easy way to open up a conversation and lets employees know that you are there to listen. Finding a person or people who they can open up to in the workplace can be a positive step in supporting employees with their mental health.
Maria Paviour, an occupational psychologist and founder of the Maria Paviour Company said:
“The missing part of the jigsaw is ‘the conversation’. As it stands organisations have no metrics that identify those employees with whom they should be having a conversation around mental health. Whilst HR is increasingly cognizant of the need for ‘the conversation’, it is not until mental health has declined significantly that there is any clear indicator that something should or could be done.”
Suzanne Farrell Lynch, Mindfulness & Training Coordinator at Mind in Salford said:
“At Mind, we are committed to raising awareness about mental health and reducing the stigma surrounding mental health issues. We deliver Mental Health Awareness training days in workplaces throughout the Salford Borough including public and private sector work environments”.
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