Mental Health in the Workplace
UK businesses are losing over £1000 a year for every person they employ because of mental ill health in their workforces.
The total cost to businesses UK wide is £25.9 billion a year.
Employees are taking 70 million days sick leave a year because of mental health problems such as stress, anxiety and depression.
£15.1 billion of this total cost is from reduced productivity in people who continue to work while unwell.
As an employer, what can you do? One possibility is to become a Mindful Employer.
Key principles of the Mindful Employer model are:
By employers, for employers: The service is about increasing awareness of mental health, helping employers deliver their business, providing support networks and information, and making it healthier to talk about mental health.
Good practices not great promises: The service is concerned with helping employers recruit and retain valued and talented members of staff. It is completely voluntary and supports employers to work towards putting its principles into practice in ways which are sensible, achievable and realistic.
Adapted and adopted: Employers are the experts on their business. The service supports employers in adapting its principles within their own policies, structure and culture, adopting them for the longer-term benefit of staff.
Safe people not scary places: 52% of people with a psychiatric history have concealed this fact from their employer for fear of losing their job. Mental ill health remains an area of fear and stigma for many. By being a mindful employer, organisations will demonstrate that they are willing to enable disclosure of mental ill health to take place without fear of rejection or prejudice.
http://www.mindfulemployer.net/employers.html Mindful Employers will provide:
The total cost to businesses UK wide is £25.9 billion a year.
Employees are taking 70 million days sick leave a year because of mental health problems such as stress, anxiety and depression.
£15.1 billion of this total cost is from reduced productivity in people who continue to work while unwell.
As an employer, what can you do? One possibility is to become a Mindful Employer.
Key principles of the Mindful Employer model are:
By employers, for employers: The service is about increasing awareness of mental health, helping employers deliver their business, providing support networks and information, and making it healthier to talk about mental health.
Good practices not great promises: The service is concerned with helping employers recruit and retain valued and talented members of staff. It is completely voluntary and supports employers to work towards putting its principles into practice in ways which are sensible, achievable and realistic.
Adapted and adopted: Employers are the experts on their business. The service supports employers in adapting its principles within their own policies, structure and culture, adopting them for the longer-term benefit of staff.
Safe people not scary places: 52% of people with a psychiatric history have concealed this fact from their employer for fear of losing their job. Mental ill health remains an area of fear and stigma for many. By being a mindful employer, organisations will demonstrate that they are willing to enable disclosure of mental ill health to take place without fear of rejection or prejudice.
http://www.mindfulemployer.net/employers.html Mindful Employers will provide:
- Easily accessible information and resources
- Signposting to national supporting agencies and those who are local to you
- A Charter for Employers who are Positive About Mental Health - a public, tangible sign of your commitment to your staff
- Links to other employers who may have had similar experiences through LinkedIn and Local Employer Networks
- Training in mental health awareness
- Examples of good practice
- Practical, hands-on support