You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE<br />
IMPROVING OUR APPROACH<br />
TO MENTAL HEALTH<br />
The PSA’s Andy Lenthall discusses the ostensibly different ways in which our industry deals with the<br />
physical and mental health problems faced by its employees; and what we can do to change things<br />
for the better moving forward.<br />
I had flu recently. I don’t believe in man flu. I had flu and some of you will<br />
know what I’m talking about. It was impressive, it had my full respect<br />
and admiration - I was useless. In my case, the flu lasted 5 days; 3 days<br />
off work and a wasted weekend. For others it took longer, perhaps due<br />
to a different strain, perhaps due to their physiological ability to cope<br />
with a viral invasion. So what? Because I managed to shake it in a few<br />
days, does that make me better that someone who felt the effects for a<br />
fortnight? Do they not need to just man up? Who am I to suggest they do?<br />
Physical illness affects different people in different ways, I understand<br />
that and that’s my approach to the physical wellbeing of my family,<br />
friends and colleagues. Can the same be said for our approach to mental<br />
health? We think there’s room for improvement.<br />
Hence the title, we make no apologies for the amount of times we will<br />
repeat that phrase. We’re not raising awareness, we’ve had quite enough<br />
of awareness, too many people have lost too many friends, we’re all very<br />
aware. What we now need is a better understanding of how to be more<br />
open, make it easier to talk and be better at encouraging people to seek the<br />
help that they might need.<br />
The great news is that some of the answers are out there already;<br />
it should be easy to make a positive change. We’re keen to encourage<br />
companies to sign up to the Time To Change employer pledge. As they say,<br />
when you sign the Employer Pledge you demonstrate your commitment<br />
to change how we think and act about mental health in the workplace<br />
and make sure that employees who are facing these problems feel<br />
supported. For those who need more than just the ‘it’s the right thing to<br />
do’ motivation, there are financial benefits. Looking after the mental health<br />
of your employees makes business sense: tackling stigma can make a real<br />
difference to sickness absence rates, presenteeism levels, staff wellbeing<br />
and productivity, and retention. Since signing the Employer Pledge, 95% of<br />
employers said it had a positive impact on their organisation.<br />
This is the point where we throw in a few figures:<br />
• 1 in 4 British workers are affected by conditions like anxiety,<br />
depression and stress every year.<br />
• Mental ill-health is the leading cause of sickness absence in the UK,<br />
costing an average of £1,035 per employee per year.<br />
• 95% of employees calling in sick with stress gave a different reason.<br />
Look at that last figure again. Ninety five percent of people with a valid<br />
reason for absence feel that they need to give another reason. How can an<br />
employer address the cause when employees don’t feel able to report the<br />
true problem?<br />
We do like to think that we’re a caring bunch, our door is always open,<br />
72