What can cause mental health issues and why is it so important?

Mental Health is the leading cause of sickness absence (mentalhealth.org.uk). This includes everything from anxiety to bipolar disorder, and in particular stress-related illness, which has seen a 42% increase since 2013. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in 2018/2019 stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 44% of all work-related ill health cases and over half (54%) of all working days lost due to ill health. 

This shows how poor mental health is one of the biggest challenges in the workplace today, so catering for this in your wellbeing strategy is crucial. When it comes to creating a wellbeing strategy, senior leaders often put emphasis on physical health and safety – not addressing
Mental Health with anywhere near the same conviction.

Whilst physical health and safety is an important aspect of wellbeing, employees are often more concerned with their mental/emotional health and happiness. They usually value their psychosocial needs much more, and so a comprehensive wellbeing strategy MUST address this.

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The Cause

Poor mental health is highly likely to become worse if it isn’t detected early and access to support isn’t available. There are a number of different ways in which the workplace can negatively impact mental health, including:

• Stress at work
• Poor relations with colleagues
• The nature of the work
• Experiencing stigma, or being treated unfairly because of mental health problems  
• Employees being unsure whether to tell their manager and colleagues about their mental health problem
• Worrying about returning to work after a period of poor mental health

The Impact

As well as having a huge impact on individual employees, poor mental health has severe repercussions for employers. These repercussions include increased staff turnover, rising sickness absence, burnout, decreased motivation and productivity.

A fundamental way to tackle the issue of poor mental health is to increase awareness and destigmatise the subject. It is important to ensure people are able to spot the early signs and symptoms that someone may be struggling mentally/emotionally and equip them with the skills and confidence to engage with the individual sensitively and empathetically before it becomes a more serious issue.

Why Look At It Now?

Particularly now with such a broad range of things that have impacted the way we live and work, which inevitably will negatively affect our mental health, it’s imperative to put peoples welfare and wellbeing top of the agenda. In addition to the pandemic and lockdown, many of us feel under pressure to meet demands, perform life duties and maintain a certain lifestyle. 

It is therefore essential at both a personal and organisational level to promote and support wellbeing and mental wellness. Providing the right support and tools to promote mental health will help create a more engaged, happy and high performing culture.

The Concern

Mental ill-health is a growing public health concern. The likelihood is that we all know someone who is affected by mental ill-health – this could be a family member, friend or colleague. It is becoming increasingly prevalent, with the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence revealing 1 in 4 adults experience a mental health condition in any given year. 

Additionally, survey data from NHS Digital also shows 1 in 3 adults (37%) in England with common mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression report accessing mental health treatment services. That’s why it is imperative that the mental health of your employees is a priority. 

The Business Case For Mental Health - Reduced Absenteeism

According to mentalhealth.org.uk 12.7% of all sickness days in the UK can be attributed directly to mental health conditions. Indirectly it can contribute to the vast majority of short periods of sickness, as your mental and emotional state diminishes your immune response and leaves you more susceptible to illness. A survey conducted by Mind, also revealed that 40% of all GP appointments are now due to mental health. 
Working conditions and working environment can have a huge impact on mental health and equally, someone’s mental health can have a significant impact to performance at work.

By having an effective mental health strategy/policy in place, you can reduce absenteeism, maximise productivity and performance and get the most out of your workforce.

Duty of Care

As an organisation, you have a duty of care to ensure that you create a ‘safe and healthy’ workplace for your employees - mental health and wellbeing is an important part of this. It is important to put in place measures to embed a culture where it is okay not to be okay. It is vital that your people understand how to spot the signs of mental ill-health in themselves and others and know where to turn to for support.

Who Have We Helped?

Empowering happy and healthy organisations since 2003.

Our Consultancy Services

Wellbeing Insights Audit

Before embarking on an organisational wellbeing journey it’s imperative to have a clear start position. Our Wellbeing Insights Audit is a market leading approach designed to give you absolute clarity on how poor wellbeing is impacting your organisation – both culturally and commercially.

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Pulse Survey

Have you recently undertaken a full audit and want to monitor how your organisation is doing? Or perhaps there are circumstances meaning it is not the right time to undertake a full audit? Our Pulse Survey is designed to provide you with a snapshot of how your employees are coping. It provides valuable insight into your employees’ wellbeing and actions that can be taken to adjust your approach to wellbeing accordingly. It gives your employees a platform to voice their feelings and opinions.

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Mental Wellbeing Ambassadors Workshop

Do your employees know how to recognise the signs and symptoms of mental ill-health in themselves and others? Using our I.D.E.A.L.S framework, participants will be equipped with the skills and confidence for how best to approach and advise others. This workshop is also designed to identify the key factors that contribute to a mentally healthy workplace.

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Focus Groups

Do you want to explore your employee’s thoughts and views in a supportive manner? Focus Groups are designed to create staff inclusion in the decision making and solution finding process as well as providing a valuable engagement opportunity.

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Mental Health First Aid

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an internationally recognised programme. It is valuable in providing information on a range of mental health problems, along with reducing stigma and encouraging early intervention. Mental Health First Aid is now also available as an online offering for the 2 day course.

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Physical Training/Workshops

Since our inception in 2003, we have been empowering organisations to take charge of their wellbeing through our bespoke workshops and training programmes.  Our training solutions are tailored to your specific needs, whatever your industry, your number of employees and requirements.  Click here to find out more about our workshops:

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Online /Virtual Workshops

As a result of the current crisis we have adapted all of our powerful, interactive and engaging workshops so they can be delivered virtually through our online platform. Our virtual programmes are not passive webinars where you sit quietly watching a screen.  We have done our best to create an online/virtual version of our highly interactive/engaging face to face sessions.  Participants can ask questions, get involved and participate fully.


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COVID-19 Remote Worker Wellbeing Pulse Survey

COVID-19 has undoubtedly changed the way we work. Our ‘COVID-19 Remote Worker Wellbeing Pulse Survey’ is designed to diagnose the effect COVID-19 has had on your employees who have had to adjust to working from home or who have been furloughed. It provides your people with the opportunity to voice their feelings on how they have been coping with the current situation and provides valuable insight into the actions you can take to adjust your wellbeing approach accordingly. 

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We have also created some dedicated virtual workshops to reflect the specific challenges your people are likely to face as a result of adapting to the post-normal world.



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Our Free Tools

Free Corporate Wellbeing Test

Take our Corporate Wellbeing Test now to better understand the potential challenges you are facing:



Wellbeing Test

Coping with COVID-19

Click here to read our blog post on Coping at Home and Staying Connected During the COVID-19 Pandemic: 


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Tackling Mental Health Issues

Click here to read our blog post on How We Can Do More to Tackle Mental Health in The Workplace: 

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Improving Mental Health

Click here to read our module on Improving Mental Health: 

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White Paper on ‘Assessing the Causes of Stress Within Your Organisation’

Click here to read our whitepaper on A New Approach to Assessing the Causes of Stress Within Your Organisation:

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The 30 Day Challenge: Daily Tips

As part of Stress Awareness Month 2020, we put together daily tips as part of ‘The 30 Day Challenge’ where we encouraged people to pick one action each for their Physical, Mental and Emotional Wellbeing to carry out every day. Click on the button below to download and fill in our 30  Day Challenge Calendar to make your commitments a reality.

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How Can We Help?

Diagnose

We diagnose the causes of stress, poor mental health and wellbeing within your organisation & create an action plan based on these.

Develop

We empower companies to take charge of their wellbeing. Our workshops & programs are tailored to your needs and requirements.

Thrive

Our solutions enable you to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to creating an effective culture of wellbeing.

Ethos, Culture & Brand

Big ideas and strong values, ethics and principles have been at the heart of our organisation since 2003. 

Testimonials

"Our experience was excellent and we would recommend them to any other business who are looking to tackle stress in their organisation."

Pam Poppe

Abacus International
"Their service was impeccable. They are clearly knowledgable, super efficient, and they make all possible efforts to provide top customer service."

Sanja Taylor

1625 Independent People
"They have been very professional and helpful. The have improved our awareness around the topic of wellbeing and have helped educate about its importance"

Chris Browne

Euromoney Plc