DEPARTMENT FOR WORK
AND PENSIONS News Release (HSE - 042) issued by The Government News
Network on 10 October 2007
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-being strategy, 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 http://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-being strategy 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 http://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 http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards
Website http://www.dwp.gov.uk
NEWS RELEASE