Organisational approaches to mental health Part 1: causes, consequences and interventions

摘要

MENTAL ill health, including stress, depression, anxiety and serious mental illness, is responsible for around 17.5 million lost working days a year, according to the Office for National Statistics1. This accounts for 12.4% of all sickness absence and represents a huge cost to workers, employers and the economy. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates that in 2018/19, there were 600,000 new or long-standing cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety, which together accounted for 44% of all work-related ill-health cases and 54% of the total lost time attributed to work-related ill health~2. The HSE puts the economic cost of work-related stress at £5.2 billion a year~3. Stress and poor mental health is a significant issue for employers, but one that is not always managed effectively. An exclusive survey carried out for Occupational Health at Work was designed to gauge the views of occupational health (OH) practitioners on organisational approaches to supporting mental health and wellbeing at work, and in particular their views and experiences of various workplace mental health initiatives, including Mental Health First Aid training. The first part of the survey report looks at the prevalence of stress and burnout across the workforce, their consequences for organisations and the common risk factors. It also examines organisational interventions on supporting mental health and wellbeing across the workforce. Part 2 in a forthcoming issue of this journal will focus on Mental Health First Aid training.