Can you afford not to support your employees’ mental health?

Are you doing enough to support employees, meet legal obligations, and protect your business?

We all know that when we aren’t feeling our best, we don’t give our best. An employee who doesn’t feel supported isn’t going to thrive at work.

The impact of poor mental health in the UK is significant; over 10% of working age people report symptoms, with prevalence worse among younger employees. Stress, depression or anxiety account for over 16 million absence days, with an average absence of three weeks.

The impact is not limited to sick days. Research suggests that employees lose 44 days’ productivity on average per year due to working while unwell. For nearly two-thirds of those experiencing poor mental health, work is a contributing factor, impacting job satisfaction and giving a significantly higher inclination to quit.

With the cost of mental health driven absenteeism, presenteeism, and staff turnover at about £51bn per year, it’s clear that this cannot be ignored – and is an area where employers can have a positive impact on their employee’s lives.

There is a compelling business case for investment, with every £1 spent on mental health support reportedly resulting in an average return of about £5.

Employers’ responsibilities

Recent years have seen a shift towards placing more onus on employers to support employee health and wellbeing – evidenced by the upcoming change to legislation requiring employers to support menopause in the workplace.

The longstanding ‘duty of care’ requirement means employers must do all they can to support employees’ health, safety and wellbeing, with mental and physical health having equal import.

This is supported by case law, with several landmark cases ruling that employers can be liable for psychiatric injury caused by work related stress where appropriate support is not offered.

While offering an employee assistance programme (a low cost benefit which offers mental health support through counselling services, alongside wider support in areas such as finance, debt, and addiction) can form part of an employer’s approach to fulfilling their duty of care, simply having an EAP in place is not enough.

So what can we do?

Taking a proactive approach to supporting employees’ resilience, and offering early intervention, are essential. Risk assessments, mental health plans, and appropriate work levels should absolutely be in place, alongside support for employees when they become unwell. Your benefits package likely already has many resources in place.

Employee assistance programme: A well communicated and promoted EAP should be a core part of any mental health support package. Many EAPs include resilience coaching as well as counselling support when needed.
Mental health first aiders: Training first aiders can offer immediate support, and remove stigma in the workplace.
Webinars and education: There is a wealth of resource available at no charge that you can use to support your employees, from support for line managers, to resources such as Jaaq; a free to all mental health platform which aims at destigmatising mental health and offering support.
Early intervention: Group Income Protection providers often offer excellent support (at no extra cost) when conditions are flagged at an early stage, aiming to prevent a long term absence.
Medical insurance: Private medical insurance, health cash plans, or similar hybrid products can offer benefit towards consultations and counselling, with mental health pathways often offering immediate support without needing a GP referral.

Having these resources in place is a good start, but if not effectively communicated, they are doing no good.

Ensure that proactive support is front and centre of your benefits package, absence processes include signposting to resources, and line managers are regularly trained.