The UK’s oldest business representative body
today calls on Government to work with employers to ‘start a
conversation’ on mental health in the workplace. In a new paper,
A
little more conversation, the IoD
reports that large companies have adapted more quickly to
increase awareness of mental health and offer support to staff,
but smaller, more stretched businesses do not feel they have the
resources to do so.
The IoD is calling on Government to target SMEs
and larger businesses with guidance on mental health and how to
talk about it, and on companies of all sizes to institute formal
mental health policies and integrate mental health awareness into
line management training.
In the paper, based on surveys of IoD members
and citing OECD statistics that suggest poor mental health costs
the UK some 5 per cent of GDP, the business group argues that
mental health is a business issue on a par with physical health
and safety, and that increasing awareness of mental health across
the business landscape could play a key role in addressing
Britain’s “productivity puzzle”.
The report follows the Prime Minister’s
announcement of an independent review into mental health in the
workplace, to be led by Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, and
Lord Dennis Stevenson.
In A
little more conversation, which will be launched
at an event on
Thursday, the IoD proposes:
- Large firms to consider giving a non-executive board member
specific responsibility for ensuring mental health awareness and
training is integrated across businesses
- The Government to trial a training scheme for small business
owners to help them develop mental health policies
- The Government to make greater efforts to communicate
existing schemes, such as Time to Change, to a wider range of
businesses
In a foreword to the report,
His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge, writes:
“Catherine, Harry and I are spearheading the
Heads Together campaign to change the conversation on mental
health, as it is clear that mental ill health lies at the heart
of some of our greatest social challenges.
“Britain’s employers have a major role to play
in this. In recent decades, businesses have ensured their
workplaces are safe and physically healthy, with many actively
promoting and supporting healthy lifestyles among their staff.
But we would like this approach to be broader; to support the
mental as well as physical wellbeing of the 31 million people at
work in Britain.
“Through Heads Together, we want to help change
the conversation on mental health, I am delighted that
organisations representing large numbers of businesses, such as
the Institute of Directors, are starting these conversations and
supporting their members, employees, and the wider business
community through it”.
, Director General at
the Institute of Directors, said:
“The time has come for mental health to get the
recognition it deserves at work. Coming from a background in
construction, I know the lengths companies go to protect the
physical health of their staff, but their mental wellbeing has
often not received enough attention. Prevention is always better
than cure, so we need to ensure businesses are supported by
Government to create an environment where employees feel
comfortable enough to talk about their problems at an early
stage. The Prime Minister deserves credit for putting mental
health so far up the agenda, and removing the stigma of mental
health will require joint leadership from politicians, business
leaders, and practitioners.
“It can be hard for small businesses in
particular, who don’t have large HR departments to prepare for
staff dealing with mental health problems. There are already many
positive schemes out there than can help these companies, but
awareness is still too low. Equipping business leaders with
more mental health literacy could well contribute to a real
uptick in Britain’s productivity – this is not just an issue of
welfare, but of business and commerce too.”
