No matter if you’re a small business or a large corporation, the law requires all employers to prevent work related stress to promote, support and sustain good mental health in the workplace.
You need to assess the risk of work-related stress and to put steps in place to tackle those risks. This can reduce sickness absence, boost morale and therefore help improve productivity.
Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be costly, time-consuming or difficult, and we have got some great tools to help. It only takes 5 steps…
1. Reach out
2. Recognise
3. Respond
4. Reflect
5. Make it Routine
MENTAL HEALTH IS THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR SICK DAYS
Last year more than 17.9 million working days were lost as a result of stress, anxiety, or depression. While the full impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is yet to be fully understood, work related stress is the number one reason given for sick days in the UK. A recent survey by the charity Mind suggests that two in five employees mental health has become worse during the pandemic.
Additional advice: Stress and Mental Health
If people you work with are experiencing stress, they should be encouraged to talk to someone, whether it’s a manager, their trade union representative, GP or an occupational health team.
The Mental Health at Work advice portal curated by Mind has 482 resources, from organisations across the UK, all aimed at helping you get to grips with workplace mental health: Home – Mental Health At Work
ACAS provides a wealth of information, including links to its framework showing the role of employers, managers and individuals in promoting mental health at work: Supporting mental health at work – Acas
Samaritans provide confidential, non-judgemental emotional support for people experiencing feelings of distress: Samaritans | Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy | Here to listen
TELEPHONE: 116 123 (24 hours a day, free to call)
Additional advice: Thriving at Work
The government commissioned Lord Stevenson and Paul Farmer to review the role of employers supporting individuals with mental health conditions. Their ‘Thriving at Work’ report sets out ‘Core Standards’ that the reviewers recommend employers of all sizes can and should put in place: Thriving at Work: a review of mental health and employers – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
These standards are now captured in the Mental Health at Work Commitment, a simple framework that all organisations can sign up to free of charge, to improve and support the mental health of their people.
Additional advice: Agriculture
The Farm Safety Foundation is dedicated to support the physical and mental wellbeing of the UK’s farmers, and has created a specific guide for agriculture: LittleBookOfMindingYourHead_0421.pdf (yellowwellies.org)
Additional advice: Scotland
Healthy Working Lives (Scotland) provide information and guidance on tackling stress in the workplace: Mental health – Healthy Working Lives
Training opportunities available online can help improve awareness about mental health and develop key skills. If you’re based in Scotland, you can access NHS Health Scotland’s Mentally Healthy Workplaces course: Virtual Learning Environment (publichealthscotland.scot)
See Me in Work (Scotland), Preventing unlawful discrimination – A checklist for employers: employers-checklist.pdf (seemescotland.org)
Additional advice: Wales
Healthy Working Wales is a Welsh Government programme helping employers support people in Wales to stay fit and healthy so they can remain in employment, or return to work following a period of ill health. They offer free resources on mental health and stress:
Healthy Working Wales – Public Health Wales (nhs.wales)
Mind Cymru runs numerous initiatives, including the Time to Change campaign for Wales:
Mind Cymru | Mind, the mental health charity – help for mental health problems