Employee Outlook: Focus on mental health in the workplace - Mind

DECEMBER 2011EMPLOYEEOUTLOOKPART OF THE CIPD OUTLOOK SERIES<strong>Focus</strong>

EMPLOYEEOUTLOOKPART OF THE CIPD OUTLOOK SERIES<strong>Focus</strong> on mental health inthe workplaceMental health at work 3Supporting mental health in the workplace 5Conclusions 7Background to the survey 92 <strong>Focus</strong> on mental health in the workplace

Mental health at workMental health at workIn September 2011, CIPD commisioned YouGov to surveyover 2,000 employees (including sole traders) to identifytheir experiences and attitudes about mental health in theworkplace. More than a quarter (26%) of employees reportthey have experienced mental health problems while inemployment, with women more likely to say this is the case(31%) than men (22%). <strong>Employee</strong>s aged between 35 and 44are most likely to have experienced mental health difficulties.People working in the voluntary sector (39%) and publicsectors (37%) are significantly more likely than those in theprivate sector (23%) to say they have experienced a mentalhealth problem (see Table 1).Overall, seven out of ten people describe their current mentalhealth as good (41%) or very good (33%); however, morethan a quarter of respondents believe their mental health ismoderate (21%), while 3% describe it as poor and 1% asvery poor (see Table 2).Men are more likely to report their mental health as goodor very good than women, who are significantly more likelyto report their mental health as moderate. There is littlegender difference between those reporting poor or very poormental health.Workers in the voluntary sector are more likely to reportpoor or very poor mental health, followed by private sectoremployees and public sector workers, who are least likely tosay they experience poor mental health.Table 1: Have you experienced mental health problems while in employment? (%)All Men Women 18–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55+PrivatesectorPublicsectorYes 26 22 31 18 26 31 28 23 23 37 39No 71 76 66 75 72 65 71 76 75 62 582 2 3 7 3 3 2 2 2 2 4Prefer notto answerVoluntarysectorTable 2: Thinking about your current mental health, would youdescribe your mental health currently as…? (%)All Men WomenVery good 33 36 29Good 41 42 40Moderate 21 18 24Poor 3 3 3Very poor 1 1 2Don’t know 0 0 0Prefer not to answer 1 0 13 <strong>Focus</strong> on mental health in the workplace

Impact of poor mental health on absence andperformanceMore than half of respondents (57%) who describethemselves as experiencing poor mental health have takentime off work for this reason. Public sector employees aremore likely than either those working in the private orvoluntary sectors to have taken time off as a result of theirpoor mental health (see Table 5).However, more than half (53%) of people in this categorysay they always go to work when experiencing poor mentalhealth and 42% say they sometimes do, indicating thatmanaging people with mental health problems in theworkplace is just as important as managing their absence(see Table 6).The survey provides some interesting findings on the impactof poor mental health on performance in the workplace (seeTable 7).Four out of five respondents say that they find it difficult toconcentrate as a result of going into work with poor mentalhealth, with more than half saying that they have difficultyjuggling a number of tasks and take longer to do tasks.In all, 42% of respondents say that they put off challengingtasks as a result of going in to work with poor mental healthand 50% report they are less patient with customers andclients.In addition, 60% think poor mental health interferes withtheir ability to make decisions and 37% believe they aremore likely to get into conflict with colleagues. A significantproportion (33%) of respondents say that they find it moredifficult learning new tasks.Table 5: Have you ever taken time off from work as a result of poor mental health? (%)All Men WomenPrivatesectorPublicsectorVoluntarysectorYes 57 63 53 52 74 55No 43 37 47 48 25 45Don’t know/can’t remember 0 0 0 0 1 0Table 6: How often have you gone into work whenexperiencing poor mental health (for example stress,anxiety or depression)? (%)AllPrivatesectorPublicsectorVoluntarysectorAlways 53 64 32 31Sometimes 42 31 63 69Rarely 3 4 1 0Never 1 1 0 0Don’tknow/can’tremember1 0 5 0Table 7: Ways in which poor mental health in the workplaceaffects performance (%)AllFind it difficult to concentrate 80More likely to get into conflict with colleagues 37Have difficulty in making decisions 60Find it more difficult juggling a number of tasks 57Take longer to do tasks 62Put off challenging work 42Rely more on colleagues to get work done 11Less patient with customers/clients 50Find it more difficult to learn new tasks 33Other 10Don’t know 0Not applicable/it does not affect my performanceat work34 <strong>Focus</strong> on mental health in the workplace

Supporting mental healthin the workplaceSupport provided to employees with mental healthproblemsIn all, fewer than four in ten respondents (37%) say thattheir organisation supports employees with mental healthproblems either very well or fairly well. In contrast, more thana fifth (21%) of employees report that their organisationdoes not support people with mental health problems verywell or not at all well (see Table 8).However, a further third (31%) of respondents do notknow what sort of support is available in their organisation,suggesting that either there is not much support available orthat it is poorly communicated to employees.<strong>Employee</strong>s working in large organisations are most likely toagree their organisation supports mental health very well orfairly well. This might be because large employers are morelikely to provide access to occupational health services andemployee assistance programmes that provide confidential24-hour helplines and in some cases counselling.Disclosing mental health problems at workJust a quarter of employees say their organisationencourages staff to talk openly about mental healthproblems. People working for micro businesses are mostlikely to say that their employer ‘very much’ or ‘a little’encourages staff to talk openly about mental healthproblems, followed by those working in large organisations.This is likely to be explained by the fact that people workingin very small businesses are likely to have close workingrelationships, which can encourage greater trust anddisclosure, while larger organisations are more likely toprovide greater support, such as line management training,access to occupational health services and employeeassistance programmes (see Table 9).More than four in ten respondents (45%) say either theirorganisation does not ‘very much’ encourage staff to talkopenly about their mental health problems or ‘not at all’.A further 22% of employees say they don’t know, whichsuggests there is no encouragement to support people totalk about mental health problems.Table 8: In your opinion, how well does yourorganisation support employees who experiencemental health problems? (%)All Micro Small Medium LargeVery well 11 17 9 10 11Fairly well 26 14 26 24 31Not very well 13 6 10 12 17Not at all well 8 5 7 9 9Don’t know 31 21 35 38 31Not applicable 9 36 13 7 1Table 9: In your opinion, does your organisation encouragestaff to talk openly about mental health problems? (%)All Micro Small Medium LargeYes – verymuch7 13 6 4 6Yes – a little 18 15 13 12 21No – not verymuch20 12 19 19 22No – not at all 25 16 27 33 26Don’t know 22 12 23 26 23Not applicable 8 32 11 6 15 <strong>Focus</strong> on mental health in the workplace

Would you feel confident disclosing unmanageablestress or mental health problems to your employer ormanager?Just four in ten (41%) employees would feel confidentdisclosing unmanageable stress or mental health problemsto their employer or manager. People working in microbusinesses are most likely to feel confident to disclose to theiremployer or manager. However, just 38% of staff workingfor large employers would feel confident disclosing a mentalhealth problem to their manager. This suggests that whilelarge employers may encourage staff to talk about mentalhealth problems in their policies, their employees have lessconfidence in actually disclosing to their manager that theyhave a problem than people working in smaller organisations.This could be because managers in large organisationstypically manage larger teams and so trust between managerand individual members of staff may not be as strong (seeTable 10).In all, 45% of respondents think their manager or employerwould be supportive if they disclosed unmanageable stress ormental health problems. Just under a third (30%) don’t thinktheir manager would be supportive and a quarter don’t know(see Table 11).<strong>Employee</strong>s working for micro and small firms are more likelyto think their manager or employer would be supportive thanthose working in medium-sized and large firms.Just over four in ten respondents (43%) who described theirmental health as poor have disclosed their stress or mentalhealth to their employer or manager, with women (47%)more likely to disclose than men (37%) (see Table 12).Where respondents had disclosed, their experience wasgenerally positive, with 37% saying their employer ormanager had provided a lot of support and 51% said theyreceived a little support. Just 13% of respondents said theyreceived no support at all (see Table 13).In all, 73% of those respondents that had disclosed theirmental health problems said they had not experienced anyadverse treatment as a result, with 27% saying they hadexperienced adverse treatment (see Table 14).Table 10: Would you feel confident disclosing unmanageablestress or mental health problems to your employer ormanager? (%)All Micro Small Medium LargeYes 41 51 43 41 38No 43 28 41 44 47Don’t know 16 21 15 16 14Table 13: Did you receive any support from your employeror manager to manage your mental health and the demandsof your job? (%)All Men WomenYes – a lot of support 37 41 34Yes – a little support 51 33 61No – not at all 13 26 5Table 11: Do you feel your employer or manager would besupportive if you disclosed unmanageable stress or mentalhealth problems? (%)All Micro Small Medium LargeYes 45 55 47 43 43No 30 16 24 36 33Don’t know 25 29 29 21 24Table 14: Did you experience any adverse treatment fromyour employer or manager as a result of disclosing stress ormental health problems? (%)All Men WomenYes 27 26 28No 73 74 72Table 12: Have you disclosed your stress or mentalhealth problems to your employer or manager? (%)All Men WomenYes 43 37 47No 57 63 536 <strong>Focus</strong> on mental health in the workplace

ConclusionsThe survey highlights why mental health in the workplace isan issue that employers cannot afford to ignore, now morethan ever. More than a quarter (26%) of employees reportthey have experienced mental health problems while inemployment, with women significantly more likely to say thisis the case (31%) than men (22%).The findings also reveal that people who have experiencedmental health problems in the past are also much morelikely to describe their current mental health as poor thanthose who have not experienced mental health while inemployment before. How employers manage people comingback to work after a mental health problem is critical tothem making a successful and lasting return to work. Unlessmanagers understand their role in supporting employeeswho are returning to work after experiencing a mentalhealth problem, it is likely the individual’s recovery and wellbeingwill be undermined.Managing mental health at work is not just about employersfulfilling their duty of care to their staff – it is also aboutgetting the best out of their people. Nearly four out of fiveemployees who report their current mental health is poorsay that they find it difficult to concentrate at work as aresult of their illness, and more than half say that they havedifficulty juggling a number of tasks and take longer to dotasks. In all, 42% of these respondents say that they put offchallenging tasks as a result of going in to work with poormental health and 50% report they are less patient withcustomers and clients.The survey indicates that presenteeism associated withmental health problems is just as challenging an issue foremployers as managing the absence of employees with poormental health. Although more than half of employees thatcategorise themselves as experiencing poor mental healthsay they have taken time off as a result, most continue toattend work regularly. More than a third (37%) of peoplesay they always go to work when experiencing poor mentalhealth and 61% say they sometimes do. In most cases, itwill be better for the individual if they are able to remain inwork with support where necessary – for example, workingreduced hours for a period – rather than being signed offsick. The longer people are off work sick, the less likely theyare to make a successful return to work.One of the difficulties of managing mental health at work isthere is often a number of factors behind people’s problems.For nearly two-thirds of people experiencing poor mentalhealth, their problems stem from a combination of bothwork and problems in their personal lives. For many peopleit is the complex interaction between the pressures they areunder both at work and at home that combine to createa situation where they feel unable to cope. Prolongedexposure to excessive pressure – in other words, stress – islinked to common mental health conditions such as anxietyand depression. It is therefore impossible to disentanglethe impact of various factors on mental health and so is inemployers’ interests to actively support staff with mentalhealth problems, whatever the original cause or trigger. Thewider knock-on effects for the employer are also significant,as positive employee engagement means staff feel valuedand are more likely to go the extra mile for the organisation.Despite the prevalence and impact of mental healthproblems at work, the survey suggests that the issue ofmental health remains one many employers would preferto brush under the carpet rather than take steps to manageeffectively. Just four in ten employees would feel confidentdisclosing a mental health problem to their employer ormanager, while only one in four say their organisationencourages staff to talk openly about mental healthproblems. This culture of silence means undetected mentalhealth problems can spiral into a crisis.This reluctance totalk about mental health in the workplace is likely to befuelled by inadequate support, for example no access tooccupational health services or counselling, as well as poorcommunication from employers of what support is availablefor people who are experiencing problems.When asked how well their organisation supports employeeswith mental health problems, 37% said fairly well or verywell compared with 39% who said not very well, or not atall well; however, a further 31% said they don’t know whatsupport is available.7 <strong>Focus</strong> on mental health in the workplace

Despite this, nearly half (45%) of respondents think theiremployer or manager would be supportive if they diddisclose they had a mental health problem, with 43%disagreeing and 16% saying they don’t know.These attitudes reflect quite accurately the reality of theproportion of people who do disclose their mental healthproblems. In all, 43% of those who said they had poormental health had disclosed that they had a mental healthproblem to their manager or employer, with 57% keeping itto themselves.Where employees do disclose, the response from theiremployer or manager is generally supportive. More than athird (37%) of those who had disclosed they had a mentalhealth problem said they had received a lot of support fromtheir employer or manager and a further 51% said they hadreceived a little support. Just 13% said they had received nosupport at all. This highlights the need for employers to takethe first step and create open workplace cultures, promotingthe message that the mental health of staff is valued and ifpeople are experiencing problems, they will be supported.The survey’s findings provide further compelling evidence asto why employers need to become more proactive in howthey manage mental health at work. CIPD research intoabsence shows that common mental health problems suchas stress, anxiety and depression account for most time lostto ill health other than musculoskeletal conditions. However,in many ways it is the time people who are experiencingmental health problems spend at work that employersshould focus more efforts on managing.The starting point for addressing this issue is good peoplemanagement by front-line managers and supervisors.Managers play a pivotal role – they can be part of theproblem or part of the solution. Managers that put excessiveworkloads on staff or have a bullying management style arelikely to either create or exacerbate mental health problemsat work. In contrast, managers who communicate well andconsult, coach and develop their staff are more likely tosupport positive mental health and resilience in the peoplethey manage.early stage before their problems escalate. In some cases,managers may even be able to help people cope with theirproblems through informal counselling by helping them totake stock and identify what is causing their distress andsuggesting possible solutions or sources of support, such asdebt or bereavement counselling.Employers that provide employees with access tooccupational health services are much better equippedto manage the issue of mental health at work. In manycases early referral to occupational health for people withmental health problems will help nip the problem in thebud; waiting until someone has been off work for a monthmay undermine the chances of a successful return to work.Employers should also consider the benefits of providingemployee assistance programmes, which often also offeremployees a number of face-to-face counselling sessions.In addition, all employers should conduct regular riskassessments for stress to help ensure that their workingenvironments support rather than undermine employeeresilience. Organisations have a duty under health and safetylaw to identify and manage stress at work. The Health andSafety Executive’s management standards on stress provide auseful step-by-step tool to conducting a stress risk assessment,which can help identify and resolve systemic problems such asexcessive workload, inadequate training or bullying.Looking ahead over the next few years, the business case formanaging mental health at work becomes even stronger asthe world’s economic outlook continues to remain depressed.Worries about debt, home repossession, job insecurity andredundancy mean that people are increasingly vulnerable tomental health problems. Add to these pressures increasingwork intensity, change and conflict in the workplace and youhave the perfect ingredients for a surge in mental ill health.Managers are also the people in organisations that shouldbe able to spot the early warning signs when someone isnot coping at work, for whatever reason, such as changes inperformance or behaviour. Managers can ensure that peoplewith mental health problems are referred to occupationalhealth where these services are available or advise themto see their GP if they have not already done so at an8 <strong>Focus</strong> on mental health in the workplace

Background to the surveyThe CIPD has commissioned a quarterly survey among UKemployees (including sole traders) to identify their opinionsof and attitudes towards working life today, particularlyduring these difficult economic times. YouGov conductedthe latest quarterly online survey for the CIPD of 2,068 UKemployees from 16–21 September 2011. This survey wasadministered to members of the YouGov Plc UK panel ofmore than 285,000 individuals who have agreed to takepart in surveys. The sample was selected and weighted to berepresentative of the UK workforce in relation to sector andsize (private, public, voluntary), industry type and full-time/part-time working by gender. The sample profile is normallyderived from census data or, if not available from the census,from industry-accepted data.Panellists who matched the sample profile (as explainedabove) were selected at random from the YouGov Plc UKpanel and were sent an email inviting them to take partin the survey. Respondents were drawn from a mixtureof public, private and voluntary organisations. Size oforganisation was classified in the following way: sole trader(one-person business), micro business (2–9), small business(10–49), medium (50–249) and large (more than 250).9 <strong>Focus</strong> on mental health in the workplace

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development151 The Broadway London SW19 1JQTel: 020 8612 6200 Fax: 020 8612 6201Email: cipd@cipd.co.uk Website: cipd.co.ukIncorporated by Royal Charter Registered charity no.1079797OIssued: December 2011 Reference: 5681 © Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development 2011