Investing in Staff Mental Health - 10 Good Reasons
Almost a third (31%) of staff said that they would consider leaving their current role within the next 12 months if stress levels in their organisation did not improve.
Consider:
- Cost of recruitment
- Cost of Training
- Lost output
- Damage to morale
Mental health issues such as stress, depression or anxiety account for almost 70 million days off sick per year, the most of any health condition, costing the UK economy between £70-£100 billion per year.
- Direct loss of output from the absentee
- Impact on others who need their contribution
- Impact on customers
- Overtime for other employees
Many people suffering mental health issues such as depression or anxiety do not report it and do not take the time off to get better. The result is that they simply turn up and under-perform.
Research shows that this costs the economy around £15 billion per year - or about £605 per employee!
Work-related mental ill health costs UK employers up to £26 billion every year through lost working days, staff turnover and lower productivity.
However many business leaders still admit to prejudice against people with mental health issues in their organisation.
Take a proactive approach and make a positive contribution towards society.
With the size of rewards for people claiming against organisations, it is important to do all that is possible to decrease the likelihood of grievance or discrimination claims from unhappy staff.
Demonstrating a proactive approach will go a long way to prevent them and in the unhappy event that they do occur it will help you to demonstrate you care for the individual.
Ensure Compliance with Legislation by understanding the Law.
If a mental health issue has adverse effects on someone’s ability to perform day-to-day tasks, this is considered a disability protected under the Equality Act 2010.
Employers have a duty not to discriminate and to make reasonable adjustments in the workplace.
On average, employees take 7 days off work a year for health reasons and it is estimated that mental health issues account for 40% of this figure.
Yet up to 90% feel unable to be honest about this being the reason for their absence.
To which you can add the fact that stress has serious impacts on the imune system. Harvard University research estimates that 80% of visits to GP' have their origins in stress.
INCREASE STAFF ENGAGEMENT AND COMMITMENT
Dr Justin Varney
National Lead for Adult Health and Wellbeing, Public Health England
60% of employees say they’d feel more motivated and more likely to recommend their organisation as a good place to work if their employer took action to support mental health and wellbeing.
There is a powerful link between levels of staff wellbeing and performance.
Taking a positive, proactive approach to mental health at work will help you grow your staff and your organisation. Simply demonstrating that you care about this often forgotten aspect of healthcare will help develop, loyalty, commitment and a spirit of collaboration.
