Mental Health at Work Report 2018 set to be published

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England we will be co-launching the Mental Health at Work Report 2018 with Business in the Community (BITC).

The report, now in its third year, is set to reveal that:

• Just 60% of employees feel their line manager is genuinely concerned for their wellbeing, although this is rising (58% in 2017, 55% in 2016)
• 64% of managers put the interests of their organisation above staff wellbeing at some point (and 12% do so every day)
• 61% of employees have experienced a mental health issue due to work or where work was a contributing factor
• 85% of managers now acknowledge that employee wellbeing is their responsibility, but only 30% of line managers’ report that they have received any training on mental health
• 68% of managers still believe that there are barriers to providing support for the mental wellbeing of those they manage
• 39% have been approached by someone wanting to talk about a mental health issue, 10% within the last month
• Financial insecurity is contributing to poorer mental health – only 17% of employees believed that their employer supports those with financial difficulties and line managers play a key role in this conversation.

===========================

For employers looking to take a proactive step towards creating a mentally healthy organisation, MHFA England has a Workplace Wellbeing toolkit which can be downloaded by clicking here.

Or to book Mental Health First Aid training for your workplace, visit mhfaengland.org/organisations

============================

Jaan Madan, Head of Client Experience – Mental Health First Aid, England, commented: “This report echoes what we at Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England have seen in recent years in our work with employers.

“Organisations have a greater understanding than ever that the only way to thrive is to support the mental wellbeing of their workforce.

“But while there has been significant progress over recent years, we know there’s scope to do more, and mental health is still not on every employer’s agenda.

“Line managers are the linchpin between senior leaders and the rest of the workforce.

“It is encouraging to see an increasing awareness that employee wellbeing is a core part of a line manager’s responsibility, and a growing recognition of the need for more training around employee mental health.

“But it is vital that line mangers understand how they too benefit from mental health training. By equipping line managers with the skills and confidence to support their own wellbeing as well as that of their teams, we can empower them to excel in their role and build productive, supportive and healthy teams.

“Building a future where wellbeing is part of a manager’s core competencies will also help to create mentally healthy organisations where every employee has access to support to thrive in their work.

“As we continue to strive for equality in how we approach mental health at work, we welcome the findings of this report.

“It is further indication that the workplace is ready for legislative change to bring mental health first aid in line with physical first aid.

“We cannot afford to have a two-tier workforce, with some employers taking strides in supporting the mental wellbeing of their employees, while others are left behind.”