It would have been hard to miss the key finding that long-term mental health conditions cause up to 300,000 people to leave their jobs each year. The ‘Thriving at Work’ report calculated that poor mental health costs employers between £33 billion and £42 billion.
The report, commissioned by the Prime Minister, is aimed at changing the culture around mental health. It seeks to create a more open, understanding and aware society to reduce the number of people leaving work because of poor mental health by around 100,000 a year; to be in line with the number who leave because of their physical health.
Thriving at Work believes employers can provide the greatest support to create a culture change and the report sets out a ten-year vision. This vision incorporates a number of “mental health core standards” which can be put in place by employers. These include:
- Producing, implementing and communicating a mental health at work plan;
- Developing mental health awareness;
- Encouraging open conversations about mental health and support;
- Providing good working conditions that include opportunities to develop;
- Promoting effective people management; and
- Monitoring mental health and wellbeing at work.
These standards are best practice and your clients could implement all, or any, of these to create a positive and supportive mental health culture. They can also build on any steps or support currently in place. For example, a mental health at work plan could be incorporated within an existing mental health policy or be created separately. The plan can set out how the business provides mental health support, whether any company benefits are in place, how mental health concerns can be raised and how these will be addressed by managers. The plan may also signpost workers to external support, either on a national or local basis, to encourage staff use of these services when necessary.
There are a number of initiatives or steps your clients could take to encourage awareness and understanding of mental health. They may wish to provide training about the positive, and negative, aspects of mental health and how to spot negative mental health within yourself and others. Activities such as wellness days or health classes will also help create a supportive culture at work.
