Perry Burton: Transforming mindsets – let’s talk about mental wellbeing

Mental illness is the single largest cause of disability in the UK. It accounts for one third of all illnesses and is the largest cost to the NHS at £10.4 billion, or 10.8% of its annual budget.

It costs UK employers an estimated £26 billion a year through sick days, lower productivity and recruitment costs.

Much has been done over the last few years to shine a spotlight on the issue of mental wellbeing, however a recent report by BUPA found that 94% of senior executives questioned admitted there is a prejudice against those who experienced mental illness and that 70% of employees don’t feel able to speak candidly about mental health concerns.

A personal story

Back in 2008, I was really struggling. Three weeks after I started feeling really low, Lehman Brothers went bust. It was a bad time to say I needed some time off. I limped on a few months, masking my condition from my firm, until one morning I couldn’t go on.

The thing that helped me the most was a senior partner called and said: “You’re the fourth partner we’ve got off at the moment.” The fact that it wasn’t just me, and I wasn’t alone, was the biggest relief to me and helped me on my journey to addressing the problem.

So how can we, as employees, employers and human beings contribute to transforming mind-sets?

Be a role model

The stigma attached to “mental illness” still exists. Each year one in four of us will experience a mental health challenge at some point. Senior, successful people being open about their own challenges, either publicly or one-on-one with those who are suffering, is a great normalising factor.

Last year I posted a blog on Grant Thornton’s internal network about my own experience with mental health – which received an overwhelming response. The post was viewed over 3,600 times and received over 90 comments. Everyone can improve their performance by improving their mental health, that’s why opening up the conversation to everyone is vital for helping to break down the stigma.

Balance is also critical, and business leaders have a responsibility to not only role model a balanced approach to work, but address it, if and when, they see it becoming an issue with colleagues.

Address the root cause

Mental health issues are incredibly difficult to spot, providing access to counselling is one of the best things an organisation can offer to address this. Mental health problems often manifest themselves physically, which places extra strain on the NHS.

Create spaces to talk about mental wellbeing

Mental health gets more traction when it is discussed as a continuum, like physical health. Everyone can improve their performance by improving their mental health, however if you just focus on those who are in a very bad place it’s difficult to properly engage those who aren’t.

As an employer, helping facilitate discussion, providing the space and permission for people to talk about how they are feeling is fundamental. We hold regular Mind Munch sessions, drop-in lunches which provide a safe space to talk with colleagues.

We are also setting up tailored sessions for our younger people who are going through revision and exams. Targeting our people early, to ensure that from the outset there is no stigma attached to the issue of mental wellbeing.

During Mental Health Awareness Week Grant Thornton, along with our London office charity Mind, hosted a ‘Transforming Mind-sets’ event which explored how top performers in sport and financial services face difficult choices when it comes to working in pressured, competitive environments.

It was an opportunity to engage business leaders in a wider discussion about the importance of taking care of your mental wellbeing and helping raise the profile of the issue.

This article is written by Perry Burton, partner at Grant Thornton