Employers have been urged to put workplace mental health at the top of their agendas, a call timed to coincide with today’s World Mental Health Day.
According to the Mental Health Foundation nearly three in 10 employees will have a mental health problem in any year, and more than £4bn is lost annually to stress-related absences from work.
Kevin Friery, clinical director at wellbeing consultancy Right Corecare, said: “The issue for the concerned employer should be to develop an understanding of how better mental health leads to improved wellness, which in turn leads to increased productivity and lower management costs.
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“Employers should include mental health in their workplace audits on a regular basis and act on their findings.”
Right Corecare recommends that employers;
- Develop a mental health policy
- Perform a stress audit
- Provide a counselling service
- Train managers
- Improve physical health
- Remove unnecessary stresses
- Offer a stress management course
