With “National Stress Awareness Day” around the corner (2nd November), employee health and wellbeing should be at the top of organisations’ agendas. In the era of remote working and high employee turnover, mental wellbeing is not just seasonal but a year-round concern.
A 2023 report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Simplyhealth on health and wellbeing at work found that mental ill health is the top cause of long-term absences, and 76% of organisations report some stress-related absence. Heavy workloads and management style were the most common reasons for stress.
Employers’ legal duties concerning employee wellbeing
Why Employers Should Treat Your Brain Like the Gym Floor
Hey, bosses! It turns out you’re not just responsible for the workspace lights and coffee supply—you’re also in charge of keeping our minds happy, healthy, and productive.
Two Big Rules You Can’t Ignore
- Duty of care: Seriously, make sure we’re safe, both physically and mentally.
- Equality Act 2010: If a mental health problem sticks around for 12 months and seriously hampers everyday life, you’re dealing with a disabled employee.
What “Disabled” Actually Means
Think of it as a fancy word for significant restrictions—like trouble concentrating, awkward social interactions, or tough decision‑making. It’s less about a quick hiccup and more about a long‑term roadblock.
What You Can Do Today
- Adjust the hours: Let them work when they’re most alert.
- Shift the duties: Skip the stuff that triggers pain or anxiety.
- Provide gear: Some people thrive with special equipment—yes, the ergonomic chair counts.
Even If It’s Not “Disabled” Yet
Got someone nodding off at the office? A “soft” mental slump? Still work with them. Small tweaks—like creating a daily learning map or a quick check‑in—can make a huge difference.
Bottom line: Good vibes lead to great results. Treat your team’s mental health as seriously as you treat their office umbrellas, and you’ll win the loyalty and productivity wars long before anyone else does.
Support organisations can offer
A happy, healthy workforce is undoubtedly more productive than a stressed-out one.
Organisations should proactively prioritise mental wellbeing and support for employees to comply with legal duties while improving staff morale and productivity.
Some examples of steps organisations can take are:
Find out what employees want and need. You can collect this information via employee surveys and polls or open forums and conversations. Questions in the survey could range from “Do you feel supported by your immediate supervisor?” to “What resources do you wish were available?”.
Signpost the resources available. This could be with posters in the office, via the intranet or internal emails, and ensuring that the induction process covers wellbeing initiatives.
Ensure any Employee Assistance Programme details are readily available and confirm the nature of that assistance. For example, this might be support or counselling because of financial worries. With the festive season approaching and the ongoing cost of living crisis, many employees’ mental health may be affected by financial concerns.
Have trained mental health first aiders. Their purpose is to ensure staff know who to go to if they need or want to talk, to signpost people to resources and to be the first port of call for someone who doesn’t know where to start if they are feeling overwhelmed.
Develop clear policies – such as a Stress at Work or Employee Wellbeing policy – and publicise these. Make sure they are easily accessible and provide training on them.
Look out for signs of poor mental health at work, such as increased sickness absence, being late to work or poor working relationships with colleagues. These signs can be more challenging to spot when employees are working from home, so it is important to encourage frequent conversations between employees and their managers. With remote working becoming more prevalent, offering virtual mental health resources or online community spaces can be beneficial.
Finally, organisations should also think about how they can measure the effectiveness of their policies and initiatives. KPIs could include reduced absenteeism, higher employee engagement scores, or positive feedback on internal surveys. If the level of take-up of services offered is low, consider how to improve this.
By following these tips, businesses can prioritise mental wellbeing and help foster a more productive and harmonious work environment.