‘Mental health challenge much larger than thought’: review
A government investigation into mental health and employers finds 300,000 people a year leave their job through mental ill-health, at significant personal and economic cost.
Public sector picks up better mental health at work challenge
The Prime Minister responded to the findings with confirmation that NHS England and the Civil Service – two of the country’s largest employers – will abide by the 40 recommendations made in the report.NHS England and Civil Service employees will now be guaranteed tailored in-house mental health support. Alongside this, NHS England and the Civil Service will:- introduce a set of core and enhanced standards which will ensure employees have the knowledge, tools and confidence to understand and look after their own mental health – and the mental health of their colleagues
- have support in place to help prevent mental illness being caused or worsened by work and equip those who have a mental illness to thrive
- be held to account for delivering these standards by their relevant regulators so that employees can have faith they are being introduced effectively.
'Improving mental health as important as improving physical wellbeing'
“I have made it a priority of this government to tackle the injustice of mental illness,” said Prime Minister, Theresa May. “Vital to this is the need to have a comprehensive cross-government plan, which transforms how we deal with mental illness not only in our hospitals or crisis centres but in our classrooms, shop floors and communities.“That’s why I commissioned this important review, which starkly illustrates the cost of untreated mental illness – around 300,000 people with a long term mental health problem are losing their jobs each year.“And that has a big impact on businesses which are losing up to £42 billion each year as a result.“So we need to take action. With so many of our leading businesses leading the way in this area – and reaping the rewards as a result – I am sure that the private sector will follow suit.“It is only by making this an everyday concern for everyone that we change the way we see mental illness so that striving to improve your mental health – whether at work or at home – is seen as just as positive as improving our physical wellbeing.”Read more HR news from Relocate Global:
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Business reaction to Farmer/Stevenson mental health and employers review
Representative bodies have responded positively to the government's action and recommendations. Matthew Percival, head of employee relations at the CBI, said: “Improving workplace mental health will help employees feel able to be their best at work. It’s not just the right thing to do, it helps improves business performance too. “The CBI welcomes the review’s business-facing recommendations, as employers need to treat mental health in the workplace with the same seriousness as physical health and safety. Firms know that it is an important issue but many do currently lack the knowledge or confidence to talk about it."With some companies leading the way, the report’s business-led approach, with steps to support businesses as well as employees, is the right one.”Stephen Martin, director general of the Institute of Directors, concurred. He called for more action from employers to equip themselves with the knowledge they need to play an active role in tackling the mental health at work challenge:“This report adds some much-needed government backing to the calls for more open conversations about mental health at work. The review rightly highlights the human cost of mental ill-health in the workplace, not to mention the wider impact on businesses and the economy. It shows that mental health is not just a moral issue, but a business one too.“Clearly more needs to be done to ensure that mental health policies and procedures are embedded across the workplace. However, driving change will not simply be achieved through amplifying the government’s voice on this topic. With the amount of time people spend in work, business leaders must put themselves at the frontier of addressing these challenges.“Part of the problem is that not all employers know what they can do. The IoD has been running a campaign for the last year. We’ve seen some great progress with employers increasingly taking their duty of care to their staff more proactively and seriously than ever.”'Mental health can still be hard to talk about'
Rachel Suff, senior employment relations adviser at the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, also commented. She highlighted the significant scale of the issue and the need to tackle the stigma surrounding mental ill health,“With one in six people at work affected by mental ill health, a commitment from the government to address the issues head on and adopt the recommendations will be a clear signal to employers to do the same.“Mental health can still be hard for us to talk about, and we need to focus on improving the situation at a societal and workplace level. This report highlights the vital role that employers should play in tackling the persistent stigma and promoting inclusive workplaces.“Creating a healthy workplace is good for people and good for business – employers need to understand the countless benefits of what a healthy and happy workforce can deliver in terms of productivity, retention and engagement. The success of this report will ultimately rest on the willingness of government, employers and key stakeholders to work together in partnership to deliver long-term and sustainable change.”For related news and features, visit our Human Resources section. Look out for the launch of 2018's Relocate Awards, entries open in January. Relocate’s new Global Mobility Toolkit provides free information, practical advice and support for HR, global mobility managers and global teams operating overseas.Access hundreds of global services and suppliers in our Online Directory©2024 Re:locate magazine, published by Profile Locations, Spray Hill, Hastings Road, Lamberhurst, Kent TN3 8JB. All rights reserved. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of Profile Locations. Profile Locations accepts no liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed herein.