Mental health is being ignored by UK business
Employers across the UK are failing to provide adequate mental health support, new research has shown.
More than three quarters (77 per cent) of employees have experienced symptoms of poor mental health in their lives, with 62 per cent of employees saying work has been a contributing factor.
Despite this, over half of workers (56 per cent) who disclosed symptoms of poor mental health to their employer said no action was taken, according to a report released today by the charity Business in the Community.
Read more: The City needs to talk about mental health to combat this silent plague
Louise Aston, wellbeing director at Business in the Community, said:
Millions of employees are suffering in silence and feel unable to share their experiences at work. When they do reach out, many are met with an inadequate response.
We need more openness, more training and information, and more support for employees and managers.
Across the UK one in four people will experience a mental health problem this year, with an estimated cost to the economy of £105bn. According to the Centre for Mental Health, the cost to employers alone is £26bn annually.
Read more: Why tackling mental health issues makes good business sense
A recent YouGov poll found that work is the biggest cause of stress in people’s lives, more so even than financial problems, health, or relationships, while a survey by Canada discovered that a third of City respondents found their job to be very stressful more than occasionally.