This blog outlines why it is vital for mental health to be at the top of the work place agenda. It invites senior leaders, managers and HR Directors to our interactive event that will contribute to the vital organisational debate on mental health at work, challenge the mental health taboo, and identify practical actions that organisations of any size can take to enhance mental well being.
In a July 2016 survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (note 1), 74% of respondents rated their current mental health as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, 21% described their mental health as ‘moderate’, and only 5% indicated that their mental health was ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.
However, despite the high percentage of respondents who identified their mental health as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, 31% confirmed that at some stage during their career they experienced poor mental health. This detrimentally affected their decision-making, concentration, speed of delivery and patience levels with customers and clients. This negative impact on organisational performance can be added to the fact that poor mental health causes 91 million days sickness absence per annum, which costs UK employers of £30 billion. (note 2)
The varied experiences summarised in the CIPD survey illustrate that our ‘mental health’ is a spectrum that fluctuates from ‘very good’ to ‘very poor’ depending on personal history and external events. Given the costs associated with poor mental health, and the organisational effort devoted to gaining highly motivated and engaged workforces, it is time for mental health to be at the top of the work place agenda.
A wide range of organisations including the CIPD, ACAS, IOD and Business In the Community are championing the need for organisational dialogue and action to enhance mental health at work. Whilst progress is happening, there is a major obstacle: mental health remains a ‘taboo’ subject. For example, the CIPD survey suggests that 42% of employees do not think that their workplace culture is open or supportive of discussion about mental health issues.
If you are a CEO, senior leader, HR Director or senior manager with an interest in mental health at work, attend the event on September 13th (2 pm to 6 pm) that is being co-hosted by Dynamic Voice, a learning and development consultancy, and Maytree Suicide Respite Centre. This highly interactive event will contribute to the vital organisational debate on mental health at work, challenge the mental health taboo, and identify practical actions that organisations of any size can take to enhance mental health at work.
For more information see our event information here: https://dynamicvoice.co.uk/blog/2016/08/12/event-wellbeing-in-the-workplace
To book your place go here: http://bit.ly/wellbeingatwork2016
Note 1: CIPD (2016): Employee Outlook: Employee views on Mental Health https://www.cipd.co.uk/binaries/employee-outlook_2016-focus-on-mental-health-in-the-workplace.pdf
Note 2: ACAS (2012) Mental ill-health in the workplace is costing UK employers billions: http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3915
Thanks, Dynamic Voice, for this timely reminder of the need for mental health to be at the top of workplace agendas. I’ve worked in a range of public and voluntary sector organisations, ranging from ones where experience of poor mental health was an advantage for staff, to ones where the subject was, as you say, taboo, leading to examples of staff having extended periods of sick leave, which were both unnecessary and detrimental to both the staff and the organisation. I now work in a sector with staff who are finding themselves supporting increasingly vulnerable people, and it is critical that the mental well being of the staff is properly supported in order for them to be able to do their jobs to the best of their ability. I am very much looking forward to discussing this vital issue at the Mental Health event on 13 September.