Research: the stigma around mental health is beginning to ease, so what’s next?

The number of people affected by a mental health condition during their lifetime is usually quoted at around one in four. However, the latest figures from Business in the Community (BiTC) in partnership with Mercer Marsh Benefits are higher; 30% of the UK workforce have been formally diagnosed with a mental health condition at some point in their lifetime. And those are just the ones with a diagnosis.

Acknowledgement that mental health is a critical part of an employee wellbeing programme has well and truly been cemented, and employers are setting in motion initiatives to support mental wellbeing and normalise conversations around mental health. But there is much still to be done.

Time to take ownership

BiTC and Mercer’s research Mental Health at Work 2019 found that progress has been made with increased awareness and positive action. However, improvements are not happening with the scale and speed needed. The report warned that some employers are still contributing to psychological harm through poor business practices and cultures.

Around two in five employees were found to have experienced poor mental health due to work, or where work was a contributing factor, in the past year. The top three causes were: too much pressure, workload impacting on ability to take leave and a lack of support.

The report urges employers to create good work that enhances mental health. Currently 70% of managers say there are barriers to them providing mental health support, while 41% of employees experiencing a mental health problem reported that there had been no resulting changes or actions taken in the workplace.

The report makes four main recommendations. Among them is the need for leaders to take ownership for the impact their organisations have on mental health and support their staff better.

Mental health strategies

REBA’s Employee Wellbeing Research 2019, in conjunction with AXA PPP Healthcare, found that 46% of its respondents had a mental health strategy in place in 2019, up from 16% in 2018. And among those with a mental health strategy, 77% offer line manager mental health training, highlighting the improvements that have been made so far.

Fundamentally linked to mental health strategies is company culture. Only through a transparent and open culture can the stigma around mental health be overcome and root causes of workplace-related stress and anxiety eradicated.

Companies with a defined mental health strategy were more likely to have mental health factors woven into their overall HR practices. Nearly all (91%) respondents with a strategy in place said their policies and procedures supported employees’ mental health, compared with 77% of those who did not have a defined strategy. Likewise, mental health was included in the diversity and inclusion strategies of 84% of companies with a mental health strategy, but only in 50% of firms without one.

With regard to putting mental health front and centre, 69% of those with a defined strategy thought their employees and managers were able to discuss mental health problems and seek support without fear of ridicule or stigma, compared with 57% of employers without at strategy. While in companies with a strategy, 68% of managers made it clear to employees that mental health is a priority, compared with just 32% in firms without a strategy.

Words into actions

As we’ve seen, employers are doing more to tackle poor mental health. Metlife’s Mental Health and Stress: building resilience in the fourth industrial revolution report revealed that there has been an increase in the number of organisations offering benefits to tackle this issue. These include: wider use of employee assistance programmes, flexible working, access to mental health advice and training, access to gyms, additional holiday and more financial wellbeing support.

However the research argues that, even with policies in place, organisations must work hard to ensure that the benefit of these policies is being felt. The communication and culture within an organisation is critical to drive impact from initiatives that businesses invest in.

The study showed that employers feel much of the issue around stress is driven by culture: 45% of employers said that their organisational culture created stress. Despite this, 40% believed they have worked hard to create a caring and inclusive culture. However, employees disagree: just 18% feel the same way.

Keep your foot on the gas

The stigma around mental health is falling away and employees are beginning to feel more confident talking about such issues. However, more still needs to be done to highlight the initiatives reward and benefit practitioners are working so hard to introduce. Communication and culture should now be focussed on to ensure employees are aware and get access to the right support at the right time.

Further reading – other recent mental wellbeing reports available in REBA’s reports library:

The author is Dawn Lewis, content editor at REBA.