At least one in every six employees struggle with mental health problems, from mild to severe, such as:

Anger: The instinctive reaction to deception or frustration that can turn into a problem when it becomes unmanageable and starts having a negative impact on many aspects of a person’s life.

Depression: Potentially, a long-lasting situation, burdening everyday life and activities.

Anxiety and panic attacks: The overwhelming feeling of worrying constantly, even for no apparent reason, with unpleasant physical and psychological effects such as regular panic attacks.

Bipolar disorder: A mental situation that stumbles between manic and depressive episodes.

Phobia: An anxiety disorder characterised by an extreme fear of a situation, a place or a certain object, even when there is no danger.

Post-traumatic stess disorder: The distressing or disorienting feelings that follow a traumatic event.

Psychosis: The perception or interpretation of reality in an unorthodox way, usually including hallucinations and delusions.

Paranoia: A persistent feeling that there is a threat, filled with excessive suspicions and delusions of potential latent harm.

Unless treated accordingly and timely, the above situations can potentially reach a point where the person suffering is unable to cope with everyday activities and, inevitably, performs badly at work. He or she starts feeling helpless, caught up in a labyrinth of fear, guilt, low self-esteem and despair. What triggers this even more is the long-standing prejudice against mental health problems in the office. Lastly, if an employee takes time off on a difficult day, it is merely a band-aid rather than a cure.

As demonstrated in the Government Green Paper ‘Improving Lives’, mental health is the most significant source of disability in the UK.

Source: Centre for Mental Health

ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) stresses how crucial it is for companies to take under consideration how mental and physical health has a huge impact on the viability of the working environment.

“It’s important to recognise that mental health is the greatest cause of disability in the UK and affects one in six UK workers. Employers and employees need to understand the impact it can have on working life and the adjustments, which may help. Creating the right workplace culture is crucial and starts from the top in organisations – leaders need to support and champion diversity and inclusion, so that practical measures are taken to help disabled people into work and help them stay in work”, as noted by Anne Sharp, ACAS Chief Executive, in their February article in response to the Government consultation on disabled people.

Another pain-point of companies, cost-wise and productivity-wise, is presenteeism, which is the phenomenon of low employee performance. They show up for work completely disengaged because of their poor health condition.

According to the Centre for Mental Health, the UK economy is burdened with mental illness costs, calculated at £15.1B annually, while absenteeism reaches £8.4B. What seems like a pivotal realisation for employers is the fact that when their employees go to work while they’re ill, it actually costs them more than giving them the day off.

Ksenia Zheltoukhova, a researcher at the Work Foundation, specialising in research, consultancy and advocacy for effective workplaces, stresses the importance of educating managers and employers on mental health problems, since this actually costs a business no less than £1,000 per person annually.

But what can you, as the employer, do to help? Fortunately, a proactive and systematic approach to this issue can lead to a creation of a more stable working environment and, consequently, increase engagement and satisfaction. Managing the problem not only reduces the short and long term costs of mental health illness, but also contributes to the development of a resilient and productive workforce without turnover and talent loss.

1. The first and most fundamental step is to acknowledge presenteeism; unlike sickness absence, presenteeism is not easily measured. Managers need to be trained and educated in order to be able to recognise it and act on the mental health needs of their staff.

2. Create and maintain a healthy and resilient work environment: ensure that all employees are treated fairly and help them cope with continuous stress by making it possible to talk about mental health in the workplace. Most employees feel uncomfortable to disclose mental health illness to their managers, fearing stigmatisation. Furthermore, the majority of managers are not trained on how to identify the signals, or more importantly, respond when someone reaches out for assistance.

3. Simple interventions go a long way. According to the European Network for Workplace Health Promotion, as a result of decreasing presenteeism and absenteeism while increasing motivation, approximately £4 could be saved for every 80p that is spent on promoting health.

There is absolutely no benefit for employers who look the other way; neglecting the tremendous impact of employees’ ill mental health on their engagement and performance, or pretend that this invasion will be pushed back without any plan or effort.

Employee Assistance Programmes can help businesses handle mental health issues in the workplace. Considering the fact that only a minority of employers make use of these external experts, we can see that there is plenty of room for improvement.

Employee Assistance Programmes provide solutions to employers, helping staff members cope with their personal issues; to remain healthy and productive through assessments and counselling for them and their families. By using this confidential advice service, when needed most, both you and your employees can focus on what’s really important.

Supporting your workforce to prevent the downward spiral and keeping their lives on the right track is in your best interest and, by far, one of the most essential elements of your company’s legacy.