Employers have a responsibility to support employees' mental health through workplace wellness programs. While attitudes are improving, many employees still face stigma around mental health issues. Implementing a wellness program can benefit both employees and employers. It can save businesses up to £8 billion per year through reduced absenteeism and improved productivity. Employers should identify at-risk groups, promote open communication, provide manager training, take a proactive approach through individual support and company initiatives, and lead by example to create a supportive culture.

1. Employers responsibility for employees mental health – by Charles Linden
Let’s look at how employers can encourage good mental health practices within their
daily operations to better support staff, and retain their best people even under
challenging and stressful job circumstances.
While attitudes towards employee health and wellbeing have improved significantly in
recent years, there is still a lack of understanding and support for mental health issues
in the modern workplace. But are employers truly still living in the dark ages about
mental health, or are we as a society progressing further towards openness and
understanding at work?
Disturbingly, a 2018 study by Business in the Community (BITC)https://wellbeing.bitc.org.uk/issues/mentalhealthsurvey
found that an alarming 15% of employees who chose to divulge a mental health issue faced dismissal, disciplinary action
or demotion. In the same BITC study, 77% of employees said they have experienced symptoms of poor mental health,
while 62% of employees attributed their symptoms to work. Yet only 8% of UK businesses have a tailored, standalone,
wellbeing (or ‘mental health wellness’) programme to support mental health issues.
What advantages are there to a business taking a more caring approach to
employees mental health?
By taking care of employees’ wellbeing, an organisation can also improve its
business health: better mental health support in the workplace can save UK
businesses up to £8 billion per year, according to the Sainsbury Centre for
Mental Health.
How can a workplace wellbeing programme boost business?
While an employee health and wellbeing programme is centred on individually
supporting your staff, it can positively impact the business as a whole. You will be
rewarded with higher attendance, as one of the most consistently high reasons for
absences from work in the UK across the last few years has been mental health. You’ll also find that
more effectively supporting and promoting employees’ health and wellbeing in the workplace creates a
much healthier workforce. This means optimum efficiency, increased productivity and reduced
absenteeism, as well as decreased employee turnover.
How does a wellbeing programme impact your ability to attract and retain staff?
Having an effective workplace wellness programme is a huge positive for professionals
looking for new opportunities. Higher level candidates are increasingly likely to apply
for jobs with ethical, caring companies. If your organisation has a mental health
wellness programme and a progressive attitude towards the mental health of your
employees, you’re more likely to find that attracting top-level candidates is easier than
if you ignore the issue.

2. How should my workplace implement a mental health programme?
By following the guidelines below, you’ll find implementation of your new policies can be accomplished without causing
too much disruption to your standard business operations.
1. Identify employees most at risk of mental health symptoms.
Age and gender both have an impact on the likelihood of an employee suffering poor mental health. Women
generally feel more comfortable talking about their mental
health with colleagues, and as line managers to their
employees. In terms of age, younger employees suffer more
from poor mental health and struggle with the confidence to
communicate this in the workplace. Keeping this mind when
implementing an employee health and wellbeing programme
means you’ll be able to focus on the people that need the
most support. Tailor your company’s initiatives to help
improve communication and build trust.
2. Open the lines of mental health communication.
Nurturing a culture of transparency and support for mental health and wellbeing issues is the first step to
combating the negative associations of mental health problems in the workplace. BITC’s Mental Health at Work
Report found that 35% of employees didn’t ask for support the last time they suffered a mental health issue.
Similarly, 86% of employees would be wary of approaching a colleague who they were concerned might be
experiencing mental health problems. This culture of silence may arise from fear of the consequences of
speaking out: the report found that 9% of employees who had mental health
symptoms experienced disciplinary action – including dismissal.
Creating a working environment where employees feel safe to be open about
their health and wellbeing – without fear of disciplinary action – is important to
build trust between your business and staff. As well as boosting morale, this
positively impacts productivity.
3. Training and managerial support.
Your employees will not feel comfortable discussing mental health problems overnight, or immediately after the
introduction of a health and wellbeing initiative, so you must work proactively to support your staff. Although
76% of line managers include employee wellbeing under their professional responsibilities, only 22% have had
some form of training. They may be unsure of how to talk to employees, and what to do if an employee
approaches them about mental health problems.
Basic training, as well as instruction in how to roll out a business-
wide wellbeing programme should be provided to all senior staff.
Creating an employee group that is passionate about health and
wellbeing will give staff at all levels the chance to be involved with
offering suggestions, implementing initiatives, and providing
feedback.

3. 4. Take a proactive approach.
Having a company wellness programme and managing it effectively are two very
different things, and the costs of mismanaging health and wellbeing issues can be
huge. To be successful, you must ensure that health and wellbeing initiatives are
regularly advertised internally, readily available and running smoothly.
While an overarching programme is great for inclusivity, it’s also important to
keep sight of the individual. As well as meeting employees’ general health and
wellbeing needs, regular one-to-one meetings will enable line mangers to stay in
touch with each individual and offer tailored support through your organisation’s
health and wellbeing initiatives.
Ultimately, the wellness and wellbeing of your employees is your responsibility
while they are in your workplace. The more proactive, positive and nurturing an
environment you are able to provide; the better your staff will feel and the more
productivity and attendance you will get out of them. It should be a collaborative
effort to create this new environment, but as the business leader it’s important
that you set the tone and lead by example all the way on your new proactive
initiative.