In the lead-up to World Mental Health day on Thursday, 10 October 2019, DLA Piper's Employment group has published its report Mental Health Matters: Managing Wellbeing in UK Workplaces.
The focus of World Mental Health day 2019 is suicide prevention. According to the World Health Organisation, every 40 seconds someone loses their life to suicide and people are being asked to take "40 seconds of action" on 10 October - employers are asked to take 40 seconds to formulate a positive message of support to employees about resources available to them in the workplace or locally in times of mental distress. As the World Health Organisation's call suggests, there is a strong business case for supporting employees in looking after their mental health:
- Mental health and wellbeing offerings are no longer just nice-to-have but are materially relevant for those seeking to be employers of choice so they can attract the best candidates in their search for talent.
- The increased regulation of mental health at work expected after the Stevenson/Farmer review is starting to emerge - workplace stress is identified as a priority area by the HSE in its 2019/2020 business plan and the government's July 2019 Health is Everyone's Business consultation paper proposes wide obligations to make workplace modifications for employees with health conditions.
- A proactive approach to mental health should not hold back managers from running the business and employers must strike the right balance so that supervisors are prepared and able to deal with tricky cases where there is a negative impact in the workplace.
Employees' mental health is being acknowledged and spoken about more openly than it ever has been in the UK, but the statistics show that stress at work remains a growing problem.
In our report, we review the impact of mental illness in the workplace and suggest key actions employers should take. Our aim is to help employers strike the right balance using a proactive approach and to provide some tips on handling difficult scenarios where there is a negative impact in the workplace.
To download a copy of the full report, please complete the details below. We hope you find the report informative, and should you have any questions, please contact the report authors below.
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