According to a survey commissioned by Business in the Community - in partnership with Mercer - employees have been found to be struggling with work demands, insecurities and financial insecurity. This has contributed to poor mental health across the nation with employers being warned that work-related stress has now become an epidemic.
Over 4,000 people were surveyed - the results showing that two thirds of respondents said that their mental health and wellbeing is being affected by job security, the state of the economy and the cost of living.
New figures from the Health and Safety Executive have revealed that in 2017/2018 a total of 15.4 million working days were lost through the effects of work-related stress, depression or anxiety - affecting 595,000 workers. This was a huge increase on the previous year.
Partner/Workplace Health Consulting Leader for Mercer - Dr Wolfgang Seidl - said:
“The prevalence of mental health issues has now reached a crisis point. Half-hearted attempts to help those affected are no longer enough. Instead, employers need to urgently identify and collectively address the root causes of the problem.”
He added:
“Instead of enabling people to thrive at work – with reasonable demands being placed on them, control over their workload and supportive management in place – unhealthy working conditions are being allowed to fester. As this continues, disjointed wellbeing initiatives, such as standalone mindfulness seminars or one-off wellbeing days, will not even begin to address the current epidemic.”
As a result of other research previously carried out by the CIPD, employers were being urged to ensure that line management were equipped to recognise signs of stress and mental ill-health, as they often represented the first port of call for struggling staff. The findings of the CIPD were supported by a study from the Mental Health Foundation, which showed that less than a sixth of staff felt comfortable talking to their line manager about their stress levels.
Rachel Suff - Senior Employment Relations Adviser at the CIPD - said:
“The HSE’s findings chime not just with recent CIPD research but also countless others out there. It’s of particular concern that the CIPD research also found that just 58 per cent of organisations carried out stress risk assessments, despite it being a statutory requirement. Stress risk assessments are hugely important preventative steps which organisations should be taking. The HSE provides several valuable tools to support employers with this.”
Business in the Community is asking companies to do more to encourage conversations between staff and their line managers about all aspects of wellbeing - including financial. They state that other staff, line managers and H.R. should suggest that free help and guidance be sought from organisations such as the Money Advice Service (for general money issues) and the Pensions Advisory Service for advice on specific pension issues.
Louise Aston - Wellbeing Director at Business in the Community - said:
“There is a two-way causal relationship between financial wellbeing and mental health, but very few employers support employees experiencing financial difficulties. Employers have a role in educating employees in financial literacy and signposting to appropriate sources of professional support. There is huge financial pressure on employees, with stagnant wages and living costs which continue to rise, so employers have an important role in educating employees in financial literacy and signposting them to appropriate sources of professional support.”
TUC general secretary - Frances O’Grady - said:
“Work-related stress is a growing epidemic. It’s time employers and the government took it more seriously. Warm words are not going to fix this problem. Managers need to do far more to reduce the causes of stress and support employees struggling to cope.”
