Mental health issues are the number one reason given for sick days in the UK. Last year almost 18 million working days were lost as a result of stress, anxiety, or depression. Eltel-UK is supporting the Working Minds campaign, led by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), to help businesses to recognise the signs of stress and make reaching out and responding to issues routine.
Chief Executive of HSE Sarah Albon said: “Work-related stress and poor mental health should be treated with the same significance as 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 wellbeing, this could evolve into a health and safety crisis. “The pandemic has highlighted the need to protect the wellbeing 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.”
HSE is reminding businesses that no matter where people work, employers have a legal duty to assess the risks of work-related stress in the workplace, not just in terms of potential hazards and physical safety and should also promote good working practices.
Ms Albon added: “Our campaign is focused on giving employers a clear reminder of their duty while championing good mental health at work.” Working Minds’ is aimed at specifically supporting small businesses by providing employers and workers with easy to implement advice, including simple steps to reach out, respond, recognise, and reflect to make managing stress risks routine.
Employers and workers wanting to know more about the Working Minds campaign, including the legal obligations, advice, and tools available, should visit: www.workright.campaign.gov.uk/working-minds
