October 2016
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Mental Health Issues Must Be Addressed in the UK Workforce

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

According to a new study, the mental health of workers in the UK is being neglected. The study, published last week by Business In The Community, surveyed 20,000 employees aged 16-64; more than three-quarters said they had experienced symptoms of poor mental health, and about two-thirds believed their work was a factor in their deteriorating mental state. Additionally, the study found a significant lack of employer responsiveness and awareness, which only compounds the problem. More than half of the employees who identified themselves as struggling with mental health said their employers took no action in addressing the problems, and only a small number of managers (22 percent) said they had received training in identifying and supporting employees who were struggling mentally. More than half of those surveyed (63 percent) said they felt obligated to put the interests of their organization above the mental health and well-being of their team members. This leads to an unhappy, disengaged, unproductive workforce. However, experts say there is a way to turn it around. Henry Stewart, the founder of the training business Happy, says, “People work best when they feel good about themselves. People do not work well when they are bullied, told off, or blamed. Such behavior should have no place in the modern workplace. We need environments where people feel trusted to do their best, within guidelines, and where the role of managers is to coach not instruct. Do that and you will get both better mental health and a more productive organization.”

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