Acas, the Government’s advisory and conciliation service, has published a policy paper advising businesses and managers how to anticipate and identify mental health problems in the workplace. It also looks at what steps they should take to respond to them.
Figures show that mental health problems cost UK organisations around £26 billion each year (equivalent to £1,035 for every employee in the UK workforce). Most of this is due to the adverse impact mental health has on the way employees do their job. For example, they may be less productive because of loss of concentration or memory problems.
The latest figures also reveal that the total number of unemployed has now reached 2.47 million, which, according to the policy paper, could have a further adverse impact on employees' wellbeing. The organisation acknowledges that measuring the impact of the recession on employees' mental wellbeing can be difficult. This is because the stigma associated with mental health creates barriers to measuring the true extent of the problem.
Acas is therefore urging organisations and managers to implement effective policies and procedures to help managers deal with the long term impact of the downturn and safeguard the health and wellbeing of employees.
These might include:
- Training - to raise awareness of stress and mental health so that line managers, in particular, can tell if an employee is suffering from additional or excessive pressures
Good interpersonal skills - to help nurture trusting relationships with staff who may be anxious about disclosing their mental health problems
A supportive organisational structure - that guides managers by providing clear policies and procedures for managing mental health.
For further information, go to: www.acas.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2702