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By taking steps to prioritise mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, we can improve productivity, get more people back into employment and reduce the number experiencing stress and burnout
"Unhealthy conditions including stigma, discrimination, and exposure to risks like harassment and other poor working conditions, can pose significant risks, affecting mental health, overall quality of life and consequently participation or productivity at work.” World Health Organisation
Today is World Mental Health Day, and the theme this year is mental health at work.
The World Federation for Mental Health, which initiated the day, says that its aim is to “highlight the essential role of mental health in professional environments, advocating for workplaces where mental health is prioritized, protected, and promoted.”
The focus on workplace mental health is much needed. In the past few years, we have seen rates of mental ill-health rise rapidly, both in the UK and the rest of the world. The latest data shows that an estimated one in six adults in England has experienced a common mental disorder like depression or anxiety in the past week.
Most striking has been the increase since the pandemic in the number of people, particularly young people, who are economically inactive because of illness, often related to mental health problems. In 2023, one in 20 young people (5%) were economically inactive due to ill health, a report has found, while young people now have the poorest mental health of any age group, with 34% of young people aged 18 to 24 reporting symptoms of a mental disorder, such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.
The consequence of this rise in mental ill-health has been increased pressure on NHS mental health services: the NHS mental health workforce increased by 22% between 2016-17 and 2021-22, while referrals to these services increased by 44% over the same period.
For too many people, work can be an environment that causes or adds to mental ill health. As the World Health Organisation (WHO) says: “Unhealthy conditions including stigma, discrimination, and exposure to risks like harassment and other poor working conditions, can pose significant risks, affecting mental health, overall quality of life and consequently participation or productivity at work.”
At the same time, the WHO is right to say that “safe, healthy working environments can act as a protective factor for mental health.” Employers can do much to support staff by making sure that working conditions are safe and healthy, that bullying and racism are not tolerated and that staff with are able to work flexibly, particularly if they have caring responsibilities.
It’s in employers’ interest to look after the mental wellbeing of their staff. A report from Deloitte earlier this year found that the cost to employers of poor mental health is £51bn per year. An analysis by Deloitte revealed that on average, for every £1 spent on supporting their people’s mental health, employers get nearly £4.70 back on their investment in improved productivity. Ways in which employers could invest in their employees’ mental health included funding therapeutic services and digital apps, which as the report says, are “often more easily accessible and cheap to use for maintaining wellbeing and dealing with emerging mental health issues.” Our own research has found that many people turn to mental health and wellbeing apps because they did not want to wait for an NHS appointment.
There is much, too, that the NHS can do to support people’s mental health. We need greater investment in mental health: as the Darzi report pointed out, mental illness accounts for more than 20% of the disease burden but less than 10% of NHS expenditure. A switch in focus to community services is essential, Darzi writes, if we are to meet the challenge of caring for people with mental health problems.
World Mental Health Day encourages us to think about all the changes that can be made to improve mental health and wellbeing. The working environment is a good place to start. As the charity Mental Health UK says: “A mentally healthy workplace is a thriving workplace.”
FCC Insight
World Mental Health Day offers an opportunity to reflect on the importance of mental health and what we can do to tackle the rising rates of mental illness. This year’s focus on mental health at work reminds us that for many people work is a difficult and stressful environment that worsens or even causes mental health problems. There is much employers can do to foster good mental health at work, including tackling bullying and presenteeism and helping employees through investing in counselling services and offering digital support. Better mental wellbeing in the workplace benefits everyone: employers, staff and the wider society.