Why mental health needs a constant focus - not just a week
Mental health encapsulates a broad spectrum of issues, but one pertinent issue for employees is stress; a subject that employers, on the whole, don’t know how to approach.
At some stage or another, we all endure stressful spells. Research from Capita's latest Employee insight report found that 75% of employees say they felt stressed at some point in the previous year.
Less than one in five employees take time off for stress
But our attitude to stress (and mental health) is telling by the fact that only 19% say they have taken time off work to recuperate from stress. Has our culture got to the point where stress is perceived as part and parcel of the modern work environment or do stigmas still exist when it comes to mental health?
If employers don’t have a clear understanding of the potential triggers – and plans in place to help people – good intentions risk turning into mere lip service which lacks substance.
Recent statistics from Group Risk Development (GRiD) paint a stark picture of mental health trends in the UK workplace.It illustrates that time off for mental health is the second most common reason why an employee would go on long-term sick leave (after cancer). But as we’ve seen, this only tells half the story.
Risking a more chronic problem
If people are still attending work during periods of stress or mental ill-health they are less likely to get better quicker, the potential that something more straightforward to resolve escalates into a bigger, more chronic problem – something that is not good for the individual, their family or their employer.
Last year, researchers from Harvard and Stanford in the USA published findings that found that stress damaged health as much as second hand smoke. The 2013 Department of Health campaign 'no health without mental health' tried to illustrate that good mental health and resilience are fundamental to our physical health.
We are strong advocates of the mantra that prevention is better than a cure and clearly early intervention when it comes to mental ill health and stress would be ideal.
Stigma and the common cold
Stigma does still exist and our research found that just 31% of employees would be happy to discuss time taken off for stress with their colleagues, compared to 78% who would be happy to talk about time off for a cold or flu and 70% who would be content talking about musculoskeletal problems.
Revolution needs to happen through a combination of cultural change and embedding robust policies and processes to guide employees and managers quickly and appropriately to the right support.
Many of our clients recognise the risks around this in terms of their people and their business through mental health audits and better care pathways through early intervention services, but we are still at the infancy stage in terms of widespread adoption.
Ensuring the right cover
Ultimately what we all should be driving for is the best possible outcome for anyone affected. This means ensuring the right cover for organisations and employees, through sustainable relevant and affordable provisions. This should be more about a considered benefits strategy rather than looking simply at spend in isolation.
Mental Health Awareness Week helps us once again shine a light on the importance to employers of stress and mental ill-health and how to best protect and support their employees. Mental health is a sensitive subject for most and needs to be approached in a tactful manner. We shouldn’t take a flavour of the month approach to mental health, it is a subject that needs addressing throughout the year, not just during prominently signposted awareness weeks.
Alistair Dornan is head of health management at Capita Employee Benefits.
This article was provided by Capita Employee Benefits.
In partnership with Capita Employee Solutions
UK leader in technology-enabled business process management and outsourcing solutions.
