Although April has been the official national stress awareness month since 1992, recognition of mental health within the workplace is becoming more apparent, with employers already promoting wellbeing and encouraging a healthy workplace culture. ACAS has also published guidance on ‘Dealing with stress in the workplace’.
A positive and proactive attitude to mental health is hugely beneficial for both employees and employers, as work-related stress was found to account for 40% of all work-related illness in 2015/16 in the UK. A happy and healthy workforce has also been found to be more productive and motivated.
ACAS has identified a number of factors attributed to work related stress including: the demands of the role and how it fits into the organisation, control over work, changes within the organisation, support and relationships.
If an employee is feeling stressed and this is affecting their work, this can have a detrimental impact on both the employee and the employer. If the employee does have access to support, whether that be inside or outside of the organisation, it may be hugely beneficial to utilise that support.
There are many actions that employers can take to support their employees:
Taking a positive and proactive attitude to mental health has benefits for employers as well as employees. Motivated and committed employees who have the knowledge and coping mechanisms to reach their potential make excellent ambassadors, and valuable assets, for their employers.
Click below to read the guidance published by ACAS:
Dealing with stress in the workplace
Promoting positive mental health in the workplace