As some of you may already know, tomorrow, Saturday 10th October, is World Mental Health Day. Mental health and wellbeing are at the heart of what we do at Employees Health so we thought we’d share some more information regarding mental health and wellbeing. This year has been a year that will probably never repeat itself (let’s hope!) in our lifetime and for many, mental health illnesses, disorders and struggles may have come to surface during what has been a turbulent time for everyone.
According to the well known charity Mind, in their recent study of over 16000 participants, they found that more than 60% of adults and 68% of teenagers said that their mental health got worse during lockdown. According to WHO (The World Health Organisation), given the current climate, the demand for psychological support for mental health problems is expected to increase significantly in the coming months and years.
This is particularly prevalent in the workplace, with many of us working from home since lockdown began back in March. As measures are eased and we hope they will stay that way, there may be an expectation on employees to return to their offices and previous work routines. Many people may feel uneasy about travelling into work and the exposure to COVID-19 and so it’s important that employees take these factors into consideration when planning a return-to-work strategy.
While the cost of mental ill-health is not just a financial issue, understanding how much mental health problems are costing your company can be persuasive when deciding whether to invest in preventing them. Mental health problems are very common in the workplace and in many cases lead to an increase in sickness absence. A staggering 70 million work days are lost each year in the UK due to mental health problems – costing employers more than £2.4 billion per year. With the pandemic very much still present, we expect this to rise in the coming months and years. As the employer, it’s essential that you create a space where employees feel they can have authentic conversations about mental health in the workplace, both on an individual and a professional level. This is relevant, now more than ever, as we recover from the impact of the pandemic.
But it’s not all bad, according to mind, many people claimed that going to work was good for their mental health as the source of income, financial stability, sense of identity and community benefitted them enormously. So why not make your workplace even better?
At Employees Health we work with you to build tailored programmes to create a positive wellbeing culture where your employees thrive. Through workshops and activities we equip your team with the knowledge and tools they need to keep their mental health in check, which could save thousands of pounds on sickness absence, promote wellbeing in the workplace and create an environment where people look forward to coming to work every morning.
If you would like to learn more about all the services we offer, then please get in touch today by clicking here