Written by Poppy Jaman – Chief Executive Officer, CMHA.
By 2030, it is predicted that mental health problems will be the leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally.
Currently, untreated mental health problems account for 13% of the total global burden of disease and, in the UK, suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45. These powerful figures highlight the global scale of our mental health issues. According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Mental Health Atlas, the world’s governments are the most commonly cited source of funding for mental health services. However, with health services under strain, businesses have in recent years realised the role they can play in accelerating progress in mental health.
The majority of people spend one-third of their adult life at work. With 1 in 4 people experiencing mental ill health each year, that’s a significant amount of time in which a large number of people are likely to experience a spectrum of mental health issues. The impact of poor mental health on the workforce is significant and tangible. In the US, NAMI research shows 62% of missed work days can be attributed to a mental health condition. The same study shows that in the case of depression, the disorder is linked to an average absenteeism rate of 2.5 days per month, resulting in costs of $3,540-$4,600 per year, per employee. In the UK, mental health problems in the workplace cost the economy approximately £94 billion annually and 91 million workdays are lost in the UK each year due to mental illness.
An overwhelming proportion of individuals with mental health challenges are not being treated. This is in part due to access issues, but it is also because of the stigma around discussing mental health. Despite the huge drive to raise awareness and challenge this stigma, the workplace remains the environment in which many people feel least comfortable discussing their mental health. A recent UK survey found that despite almost a third (32%) of adults saying they have suffered from mental health problems at work, 49% do not feel there is an appropriate culture in their workplace to enable people to open up about their mental wellbeing. More than half – 54% – said they were not aware what mental health support was available at their workplace. Another UK survey indicated that employers’ main concerns were that an employee with a mental health condition would be a threat to safety, incapable of handling stress, demonstrate unpredictable behaviour or underperform. These types of assumptions and negative attitudes must be overcome to foster a truly diverse and inclusive global workforce.