10 October 2007 – Mental illness at work: confronting the stigma
One in four people will personally experience a mental condition in their life, but more than half are too embarrassed to tell their employer, a new survey reveals.
Mental illness is increasing in the UK. It is the fastest growing cause of sick leave and the economic cost is vast; some 13 million working days are lost every year due to stress, depression, and anxiety, costing businesses £3billion*.
Work and Pensions Minister Lord McKenzie and Health Minister Ivan Lewis today called on businesses to tackle the stigma attached to mental health conditions in the workplace, and launched a practical managers’ guide containing advice on how to support their staff.
Lord McKenzie said:
“Businesses must stop burying their heads in the sand. The pressures of today’s global economy mean that we will all encounter mental ill health at work; whether in ourselves or a colleague. The personal and business costs of ignoring these issues are immense and can no longer be ignored.
“But there is still a taboo on talking about mental illness at work. Fear and ignorance are the biggest barriers which stop this being brought out into the open. Many people are scared of telling their employer about their condition. And employers perhaps don’t know how to handle and so avoid addressing these issues. Legislation offers protection and we will do all we can to support businesses, but we recognise that it is the managers at the coalface who make the real difference. We know there has been a shortage of information and advice about how to handle mental illness at work, which is why we have today launched this managers’ handbook.
“Employers must recognise the need and benefit of facing-up to their responsibility to support their staff, or face ever increasing sick leave and loss of talent. I now call on businesses to haul this problem into the open; to connect with their staff, and hammer home to their company the benefits of addressing these issues; increased engagement and productivity, retention of talent, and reduced sick leave and recruitment costs. Investment in this area makes a huge difference on many levels.”
The survey revealed that eight out of ten respondents believed work can help people recover from mental illness. Three quarters thought that employers focus too much on what people with a mental health condition cannot do, instead of what they can do. 80% felt that employers have a responsibility to provide care and support to employees with mental health conditions.
Health Minister Ivan Lewis said:
"Millions of people suffer from stress, depression and anxiety which blight their lives and costs the economy billions in lost working days for years.
"Many people are unnecessarily forced to give up their jobs because of mental health problems, which represents a terrible waste of talent for British business.
"I believe that this report will help employers to provide better support to their staff who develop mental health problems in the workplace by encouraging people to talk about problems. Both businesses and employees benefit from tackling these issues, staff feel supported while businesses benefit from reduced sickness absence and improved.”
Tackling mental health problems in the workplace is a priority for this Government. The handbook launched today has been developed by Shift, the Government’s programme to reduce the stigma and discrimination directed towards people with mental health problems. The initiative is supported by the Health Work and Well-beingstrategy, a groundbreaking partnership between the Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health, and the Health & Safety Executive.
* http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/why.htm
Notes to Editors
- The Line Managers’ Resource is available at www.shift.org.uk
- Case studies on how work has improved people’s mental health are available from press office
- The Health Work and Well-beingstrategy was launched in October 2005 and is led by Dame Carol Black, the National Director for Health and Work. The strategy is a groundbreaking partnership between Government (Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and the Health and Safety Executive), employers and healthcare professionals. Its main themes are engaging stakeholders, improving working lives and healthcare for working age people. To find out more please visit www.workingforhealth.gov.uk
- The Health and Safety Executive has developed "Management Standards for work-related stress" helping organisations work with their employees to take simple steps to tackle work-related stress at the organisational level by providing a framework against which to develop an effective risk assessment. The Standards themselves and supporting guidance are available at www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards
DWP National Press Office: Victoria Francis 020 3267 5137
Out of hours: 07659 108 883
Website: www.dwp.gov.uk
DH press office: Sally Aldous 020 7210 5329
HSE press office: Denise Lewisohn 0207 717 6918