Councillor Peter Jones, Lead Member for Strategic Management and Economic Development, and Leader of East Sussex County Council, said:
“Fewer than four in 10 employers would consider employing someone with a history of mental health problems*. That’s how strong the stigma is. It’s no surprise then, that few organisations have strategies for positiviely tackling mental health. The subject has been swept under the carpet!”
Business leaders seem ignorant of the scale of the problem – badly underestimating the extent to which their employees are suffering from stress, anxiety, depression and other forms of mental ill health. And this, despite the fact that nearly 10% of the UK’s gross national product (GNP) is estimated to be lost due to work-generated stress*.
East Sussex has a large number of small businesses. Whereas a larger organisation may be able to absorb the effects of absenteeism due to mental health problems more easily, in a small company this becomes far harder to manage. This makes preventative policies and practices all the more important. By promoting better mental health, organisations can increase the productivity of their staff, reduce absenteeism, improve staff retention and promote good morale. What is this, if not a ‘win win’ situation?
Councillor Bill Bentley, Lead Member for Adult Social Care agreed saying:
“Stress causes many mental health problems. Although most of us can cope quite well and even thrive on certain levels of stress, after a certain point the scales tip in the other direction – and people become ill. That’s why it is so important that employers create a positive, supportive environment for the work place. After all, where would a company be without its staff?“
Helen Parsons, HR Consultant at Sussex Enterprise, said:
“People are the best asset a business has and protecting the welfare of employees is a major priority for all businesses. Mental health issues in the workplace enter into all aspects of employee relations so it’s vital that business owners are aware of how to deal with situations before and after they arise. It’s a good idea to seek professional advice before tackling the issue of mental health. A qualified HR consultant will explain how risk assessments, employee wellbeing programmes and a long-term sickness policy will protect both the employer and employee from any unexpected situations.”
How to promote mental health in the workplace:
- identify and address the factors that affect mental health in the workplace
- recognise that all staff have mental health needs
- raise awareness of what people can do to look after their own and others’ mental well-being
- build a working culture in which mental health issues are not taboo
- provide support options which are confidential and non-stigmatising
- review employment practices to ensure that staff with a history of mental health problems are not excluded.
Nick Yeo, Chief Executive of East Sussex Downs & Weald and Hastings & Rother Primary Care Trusts, says,
“We need to get to a point where people look after their mental well-being, just as they would their physical health. To do this, we need to find ways to inject support into ‘the mainstream.’ Activities at work, in college, or linked to leisure, which aren’t labelled, by referral services, could do a lot to help people manage better in their everyday life.”
* Source: Mind, Stress and Mental Health in the Workplace, May 2005.
Notes to editors
- Sussex Enterprise is the Chamber of Commerce for Sussex. Helen Parsons, HR Consultant at Sussex Enterprise, offers bespoke HR advice and guidance to businesses – contact her at Sussex Enterprise, tel: 01444 259259 or email: helen.parsons@sussexenterprise.co.uk
- In East Sussex an estimated 52,000 people will be suffering from a common mental health problem at any one time, eg anxiety or depression.
- Mental health problems account for the loss of over 91 million working days each year. (The Mental Health Foundation, Mental Health in the Workplace: Tackling the effects of stress, 1999)
- It has been estimated that nearly 10% of the UK’s gross national product (GNP) is lost to work generated stress. (Mind, Stress and Mental Health in the Workplace, May 2005)
- A third of people with mental health problems report having been dismissed or forced to resign from their job. (Social Exclusion Unit, Action on Mental Health: A guide to promoting social inclusion, 2004)
- Fewer than four in 10 employers say that they would consider employing someone with a history of mental health problems, compared to more than six in 10 for someone with a physical disability. (Social Exclusion Unit, Action on Mental Health: A guide to promoting social inclusion, 2004)
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