This informal CPD article on Workplace Stress & Wellness was provided by Benevolent Health, experts in mental health providing trained specialists to support your workplace culture or leadership team creating happier, healthier and more resilient employees.
Workplace Stress
Stress is one of the greatest causes of sickness absence across the UK, relating to the loss of productivity, increased sickness absence and a higher than average staff turnover. It has been estimated that around 15 million lost working days a year costs the economy around £76 billion, with over 7 million days attributed to small and medium size organisations.
Organisations are starting to put in place proactive initiatives to support employee wellbeing and measure the impact of these initiatives across the workforce, through interventions such as wellbeing audits, self-care programmes and training or signposting to support earlier.
We are beginning to see an evolution within workplaces in how employers view mental health, as wellbeing increasingly rises-up the agenda and becomes more of a strategic priority in organisations which is necessary to meet the growing demand.
- 1 in 4 people will experience mental health issues at any given time. Yet only 11% of employee’s report feeling comfortable talking to their line manager about a mental health issue. Equally less than 40% of line manager’s report lacking confidence to manage a mental health disclosure, afraid they could say the wrong thing and make things worse.
Why does it demand your attention?
Leaders that want to make a difference are already pioneering wellbeing embedded into the organisational culture. It’s a no brainer, if people are happy in their jobs, then we create happier workplaces and healthier communities. Other managers are struggling to deal with mental health in the workplace and it is adversely impacting team morale, customer experiences or sickness absence and productivity, with most managers tackling mental health once it has escalated into a crisis matter.
Perhaps, you don’t fit into either of these and mental health currently is not an issue in your organisation. But, just because you are not aware of it, it doesn’t mean it is not an issue. Mental health is a hidden problem which if often attached with feelings of guilt, shame and stigma.
800,000 every year commit suicide, that is 1 person every 40 seconds. Suicide is preventable but often nobody knows if a person is feeling suicidal. However, we do know that when there are good preventative support services or early interventions available, the number of suicides are reduced.
Business owners, Managers, Learning & Development and HR professionals. Mental health awareness should be everyone’s business, just like health & safety. We should all be equipped to spot the early warning signs and signpost our colleagues or employees to the right, timely support, whatever that could be for the individual.
We hope this article was helpful. For more information from Benevolent Health, please visit their CPD Member Directory page. Alternatively please visit the CPD Industry Hubs for more CPD articles, courses and events relevant to your Continuing Professional Development requirements.
