Author: Simon White, Head of UK
Casualty–Retail, AXA XL
Employers
and employees alike in the UK are becoming aware of the need to talk about
mental health at work. The UK Government last year commissioned a review on the
subject as part of an effort to transform the way mental health is dealt with
at work, in schools and in the community.
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Simon White, Head of UK Casualty–Retail, AXA XL |
The
gradual breaking down of taboos about mental health and a move away from the
fabled British “stiff upper lip” mentality are to be welcomed, not only because
of the benefits to individuals affected but also to society and the economy as
a whole.
Employers
have a duty of care to their employees; there are benefits of properly managing
mental health for the wider workplace, and there are financial benefits too.
The toll of poor mental health
Poor
mental health costs employers between £33 billion and £42 billion each year,
according to a recent report by Deloitte. That estimate includes costs
associated both with absences and with presenteeism – employees showing up to
work while unwell.
Presenteeism,
Deloitte estimates, can actually cost employers up to three times more than
mental health-related absence.
As
with physical health conditions, mental health can vary by individual and
change over time, and can affect a person’s ability to thrive and work
effectively, the Deloitte report noted.
In
2017, UK Prime Minister Theresa May commissioned a review on mental health at
work. The review was carried out by cross-bench peer Lord Dennis Stevenson and
Paul Farmer, CEO of mental health charity Mind and chair of the National Health
Service’s Mental Health Taskforce.
The
report, Thriving at Work, found that some 300,000 people with a long-term
mental health condition in the UK fall out of work every year. It sets out a
series of mental health core standards, a framework of actions which, the
authors say, all organisations should be able to achieve.
Those
actions include:
·
Producing, implementing and communicating a mental
health at work plan;
·
Developing mental health awareness among
employees;
· Encouraging open conversations about mental
health and the support available when people are struggling;
· Providing employees with good working
conditions and ensuring they have a healthy work-life balance and opportunities
for development;
·
Providing effective people management through
line managers and supervisors; and
·
Routinely monitoring employee mental health and
well-being.
The
report, which drew heavily upon Deloitte’s findings, recommended that employers
should risk-assess and manage work-related mental health the same way that they
would work-related physical ill-health.
And
Deloitte’s report argues that employers should invest more in mental health
interventions to support individuals with mental health conditions.
Interventions
can produce good returns on investment, according to Deloitte, which said an
overview of research on the topic suggested that the return-on-investment for
workplace mental health interventions averages 4.2:1.
Having
a set of procedures in place to manage mental health, making it possible for
employees to feel comfortable talking about mental health, and intervening and
enabling rehabilitation are all ways that employers can help to reduce the
human and economic costs associated with mental ill-health.
How insurance can help
Insurers
have a part to play too.
The
role of the insurer in getting ill or injured employees back to work can go
beyond writing a cheque in the event of a claim, for example working with
independent clinical specialists on both pre- and post-claim solutions to
improve outcomes for all and ultimately improve the claims experience.
Insurance
plans can give employers access to expertise in rehabilitation, which ultimately
benefits both employees and employers.
Workplace
rehabilitation is aimed at finding ways to enable employees to retain their
valuable work skills and return to the jobs they had before their illness or
injury – or to a suitable job that uses their expertise.
As
well as ensuring that valuable skills and personnel are not lost,
rehabilitation can help to keep claims costs down by enabling a speedy and safe
return to work.
Rehabilitation
providers can provide employees with access to online and digital services that
enable them to access therapy without the perceived stigma attached to
attending a clinic or speaking to someone in person, if they wish.
Next steps
The
Stevenson/Farmer report praised the efforts of the many UK employers that are
already making great strides to manage and address mental health issues in the
workplace.
Both
recommended that all employers can – and should – do more to put into place a
series of “enhanced” standards.
Those
standards require employers to:
Increase
transparency and accountability through internal and external reporting;
Demonstrate
accountability;
Improve
the disclosure process;
Ensure
the provision of tailored, in-house mental health support and signposting to
clinical help.
Many
of us will at some point in our lives be affected by mental health issues. And
employers of all types, across all industries, have both a duty of care to
their staff and a financial and productivity-driven incentive to prevent and
manage mental health issues where possible.
The
Stevenson/Farmer report outlines ways in which the UK can become a world leader
in the relation to mental health at work. That will take a concerted effort,
but with the help of insurers focused on prevention and rehabilitation, it
could, we hope, one day become a reality.
(Views are personal)
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