Mental Health Awareness Week | How to develop a mental health strategy at work

Approaching mental health within the workforce is likely one of the biggest challenges currently facing HR. Whilst the lived experiences of workers may well be deeply personal, a considered approach from the function has the potential to not only improve overall workforce wellbeing and productivity, but also the lives of workers who may well be struggling.

Statistics released by REBA (Rewards and Benefits Association) found that, even before the pandemic, 15% of people at work were experiencing mental health difficulties at any one time, at an estimated cost of £33–£42billion annually to UK employers. In 2019, work-related stress accounted for 37% of all work-related ill-health cases and 45% of all working days lost due to ill health.

And, as the pandemic has continued over the course of many months, it has had a vastly detrimental effect on employee mental health. Mentalhealth.org data found that 42% of workers were currently experiencing heightened levels of anxiety due to the threat of contracting the virus, 26% felt isolated by working remotely and 18% noted a feeling of hopelessness.

As a result, Dr Antonis Kousoulis, Director for England and Wales at the Mental Health Foundation, believes that aiding workers with their mental health has ‘never been more important. “We need to see co-ordinated action on mental health, with a formal requirement to consider the mental health impacts of all policies developed. This has never been more important than it is now,” he recently told Mentalhealth.org.