Mental health conditions—which include depression, anxiety and stress—have become more common in the workplace.
In fact, 55 per cent of organisations reported that in 2017 the number of employees with mental health conditions increased, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. This is a jump from 41 per cent in 2016.
1 in 6 people experience a mental health problem in any given week, according to the NHS.
Left unaddressed, mental health problems can reduce productivity and profitability—costing your organisation an average of £1,035 for each employee, according to the Centre for Mental Health.
Follow the HSE Management Standards Approach
To assess and manage mental health risks in the workplace, the HSE recommends following the ‘Management Standards Approach’, which involves these workplace actions:
- Identify the risk factors
- Who can be harmed and how
- Evaluate the risks
- Record your findings
- Monitor and review
Further information on how to understand and implement the Management Standards Approach can be found at https://www.the-stress-site.net/hse-management-standards.html. Registration for the HSE Management Standards Indicator Tool on the site is free of charge.
Simple steps to help employees
Fortunately, there are several simple strategies to help your employees effectively manage their mental health:
- Offer employees flexible work hours.
- Provide easy access to employee assistance programmes.
- Include mental health provisions in your policies and procedures.
- Involve employees in the decision-making process about well-being initiatives.
An additional way to help
Another way of assisting staff is to offer them an affordable and inclusive health insurance plan as part of their remuneration package. Bollington’s new health insurance offering—in partnership with Equipsme—provides insurance for employees of UK businesses from as little as £7 per person per month.
Find out more about this new provision by visiting our Business Healthcare Insurance page.
Managing workplace risks
Workplace mental health is just one factor to consider when managing risks.
Andy Barnes, Director of Risk Management at Bollington, said: “Seeing mental health issues on the rise within businesses reflects both an increase in workplace demands and a reduction in the stigma of reporting such issues.
“Organisations need to be mindful that they should have the right management standards in place to monitor and control workplace mental health issues, alongside a thorough programme of health and safety management.
“Bollington can offer stress risk assessments where needed. We would also recommend working alongside your HR department to make sure that your business offers the best practice in managing such risks.”
Bollington not only helps with risk management, we can also help with employment law if required, ensuring your business covers different types of risk effectively. Contact us on 0161 929 1851 or email riskmanagement@bollington.com for further information.
