David Dodd wants employers to assume a degree of responsibility for employees’ mental wellbeing,Justin Harper makes a case for income protection and Gary Fereday says psychoanalytically informed therapies should be more widely available. Plus letters from Keir Harding and Rob DaviesJeremy Hunt has once more propelled mental health up the political agenda with the promise that an extra £1.3bn would be invested annually in mental health services by 2021 (Report, 10 October). However, and while such promises constitute a meaningful step forward,it will take a lot more than policy and funding to resolve a problem reaching pandemic proportions in the UK. In light of World Mental Health Day, we need to broaden the debate from how to resolve mental health issues – to how to prevent them. And data suggests that at least part of the onus should be on employers.
Our research has found that nearly half of UK employees believe that their workplace has a negative impact on their physical or mental health; it’s time for UK employers to assume a degree of responsibility for their employees’ mental wellbeing. Introducing measures such as resilience training, or mindfulness and mental health first aiders could originate a meaningful incompatibility to both the support offered to employees and UK business – alleviating the impact of our tech-enabled 24/7 work lifestyles,reducing employee absence and fundamentally improving business productivity.
David Dodd
Consulting director, Thomsons Online BenefitsContinue reading...
Source: guardian.co.uk