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Taking Sick Leave For Mental Health Issues

Supporting Your Staff Through Mental Health Issues

A recent survey conducted by PwC found that 34% of employees in the UK are facing health and well-being problems. Two in five of those surveyed said they had taken time off because of mental health issues.

These days, people spend the majority of their time in work. This means your job has a huge impact on your mental health and wellbeing. BUsinesses cannot function correctly with mentally exhausted staff. With the cost of replacing staff lost due to mental health conditions reported to be £2.4bn per year in the UK alone, employers are taking steps to help their employees combat mental illness and building a culture of acceptance and support within the workplace.

We asked to Pam Rogerson, HR Director for the ELAS Group, about the issues employees face in the workplace. She said: “Mental illness now affects so many of us at one time or another during our working lives. HR departments are now more in tune than they are given credit for when it comes to mental health. Many have employee assistance programmes to specifically help with situations that can arise from stress within the workplace or factors in an employee’s personal life, encouraging counselling and support from experts where possible.

How Can It Affect An Employees Performance?

“If you are unable to work because of illness, whether that’s physical or mental, then the normal rules of sickness absence according to your organisation should kick in. People are more open about mental health in the workplace these days. This encourages others to feel more comfortable about telling the truth behind their reasons for absences. Employees are less likely to play off issues by claiming a headache or sickness bug.

“All employers should know that some forms of mental illness are a disability and, as an employee, you are heavily protected from any form of discrimination under the Disability Protection Act. Make your employer aware of any mental health conditions/concerns you have. This helps them put support measures in place to help. Whether this is making arrangements for flexible working, arranging counselling or just having someone to talk to. The support can be individually tailored in a way that is best for the company and employee. Mental health issues should not be a source of embarrassment for anybody.”

If you’ve got concerns about one of your team, call 08450 50 40 60 or complete the contact form and we’ll be in touch!