UK employees on verge of ‘health and safety crisis’ due to work-related stress

New campaign comes after 17 million working days were lost last year because of work-related stress, anxiety or depression, Kate Ng reports

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Workplaces in Britain need to undergo a “culture change” if they want to avoid a “health and safety crisis” among employees, a campaign has warned.

The initiative, launched by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), said that mental health issues are now the main reason given for sick days, with more than 17 million working days lost last year due to stress, anxiety or depression.

The regulator said its new campaign aims to help businesses recognise the signs of work-related stress, and is calling on workplaces across the UK to ensure psychological risks are treated the same as physical ones.

It comes after the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) Labour Force Survey revealed in October that the number of cases of work-related stress, anxiety and depression has increased significantly since 2019. The conditions accounted for 51 per cent of all work-related ill health cases and 55 per cent of all working days lost due to work-related health between 2019 and 2020.

Analysis by Deloitte published in January 2020 found that poor mental health costs UK employers up to 45bn each year, up by 16 per cent since 2016, which is equivalent to an additional £6bn per year.

Rebecca George, Deloitte vice chair, said at the time: “This analysis shows very clearly that it pays for employers to provide mental health support at work and that early intervention is vital, for those experiencing poor mental health and employers alike.”

No worker should suffer in silence and if we don’t act now to improve workers’ mental health, this could evolve into a health and safety crisis

Sarah Albon

The coronavirus pandemic also exacerbated mental health struggles, whether it was due to ongoing restrictions, the impact of lockdown, fears over losing jobs or, on the other hand, being overworked and subsequently experiencing burnout.

Some of these issues have fuelled a phenomenon some economists have dubbed “The Great Resignation”. A survey of 6,000 workers by recruitment firm Randstad UK found that almost a quarter of workers are actively planning to change employers in the next few months.

One of the reasons for the exodus from the workplace is burnout, with many teams “running too hot for too long”, said Victoria Short, CEO of Randstad UK.

She told the Guardian earlier this month: “The pandemic has changed how some people think about life, work, and what they want out of both. It’s made people step back and rethink their lives. Covid has reminded them that life is too short.”

The new campaign by HSE urges employers to promote good working practices, including having an open environment where employees feel free to share concerns and discuss options to ease pressure that can lead to stress.

Chief executive Sarah Albon said: “Work-related stress and poor mental health should be treated with the same significance as risks of poor physical health and injury.

“In terms of the affect it has on workers, significant and long-term stress can limit performance and impact personal lives.

“No worker should suffer in silence and if we don’t act now to improve workers’ mental health, this could evolve into a health and safety crisis.

“The pandemic has highlighted the need to protect the health of employees who have faced unprecedented challenges. The government is committed to building back better and we want to make sure good mental health is central to this.”

This campaign couldn’t have come at a better time, given the impact the pandemic has taken on employers and staff

Dane Krambergar

In partnership with a number of organisations, including mental health charity Mind, the campaign also wants to highlight what could trigger stress, the legal duty of employers and how to manage the risks.

Dane Krambergar, head of workplace wellbeing services at Mind, said: “This campaign couldn’t have come at a better time, given the impact the pandemic has taken on employers and staff.

“We recently surveyed over 40,000 staff working across 114 organisations. Two in five employees told us their mental health had worsened during the pandemic."

Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Chloe Smith, added: “Making sure businesses have the right tools to recognise and support their employees with their mental health is key to creating healthy workforces across the country.

“Campaigns like this are so important and alongside our other measures to help reduce ill-health related job loss and initiatives such as Access to Work we can ensure even more people can stay in their job and thrive.”