Businesses

The size of the problem

The 2017 Mental Health at Work Report produced by one of the Prince of Wales’ charities, the BITC contains some interesting statistics for all of those who run or own businesses.

There are 15.8 million work days a year lost to mental health conditions in the UK – and that is probably under reported as the stigma around mental health is still such that many employees hide their problems. (75% of employees say they wouldn’t talk to their line manager about their mental health, most commonly because they fear the consequences and wouldn’t want it on their record.)

However, almost 60% of employees report that they have suffered a mental health issue which is at least partly due to their employment – yet only 13% of employees have actually  talked to their managers about their mental health – and many then regret it. 15% of those who have done so report negative consequences, including demotion, disciplinary procedures and even dismissal.

The role of senior management

When confronted with those sorts of numbers, senior managers have begun  to recognise the importance of the mental wellbeing of their employees for their balance sheet and realise that well meaning offers to listen and help are not enough.

84% of managers now recognise that they have a role in supporting the mental health of their employees – up by 8% in the last year alone, and over 90% recognise that their own behaviour has consequences for their employees mental health.

Unfortunately, whilst 60% of those senior managers think they are doing enough already, a significant percentage of their employees would disagree (over 70%). A possible cause of  complacency could well be that only 24% of them have had any training around mental health in the workplace.

This is a problem for businesses that  is only going to get bigger – and most still just don’t know enough about the subject – which isn’t perhaps that surprising as most of us don’t know enough about mental illness – and it scares us.

The consequences

Though many businesses are coming to realise that they lack both knowledge of the signs of mental distress and knowledge of what to do when faced with managing mental health issues in their workforce when they arise, most don’t appreciate the serious risk that they run by not rectifying this.

The  legal definition of disability under the 2010 Equality Act includes ‘mental impairments’. In addition, the existing health and safety requirements  require businesses to have both written policies and practical plans around mental health in the workplace – but few companies have these in relation to ‘mental impairment’. To add to that, employees are increasingly willing to go to law when these laws are breached, and the government is also thought to be planning new legislation in this area.

The stigma around mental health is lifting – and we all expect better. Business leaders must now consider having adequate measures in place to avoid  mistakes made through ignorance or misplaced loyalty – these  can create nightmare scenarios very quickly. Neither the law nor the public regard such things lightly – and ignorance is not an excuse!

…and it gets worse

There is another, often unacknowledged, problem, that many senior management do recognise – and it may well be why so many have tried deny the problem for so long.  When businesses do start to take the mental health of their employees seriously they have to acknowledge that there is a  fundamental dichotomy between the needs of the company – and shareholders – and these legal responsibilities to their employees.  There is a conflict of interest.

Wrap around care

Psychiatry-UK LLP provides a complete mental health risk management system for your business which we design around your needs. By giving us responsibility for your business’s mental health, you avoid all of the pitfalls of trying to manage these potentially explosive problems in-house or just depending on local services to be there if things really go wrong.

We carry international corporate medical indemnity for all of our doctors and all of those working in our service are working under our medical supervision. The result is that  we can be there for your employees when no-one else is, wherever in the world they are.

Furthermore we will work with you in identifying problem areas within the organisation while easily improving the general wellbeing of your whole organisation –   a benefit that really shows your employees that you are looking after them.

With our service in place, your employees will not only be aware that you care, they will get the care they need, reducing absenteeism, improving wellbeing and increasing productivity.

How it works

It is a completely virtual system. We design the front end – the area that you access – around your specification and to your budget. Though based in the UK and subject to UK law and medical regulation, the system is accessible from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.

We put together a package, including confidential access to email advice, video consultations, emergency text messaging and online multidisciplinary support services. This can even include any local service interaction and shared care arrangements necessary, not just in the UK, but anywhere in the world.

We have immediate access to native language speaking psychiatrists with over 20  European, Asian and African languages between them, so in the worst case scenario, we can manage the interaction with local authorities anywhere in the world for you.

What does it cost?

That is determined by how  much support you want to give your employees. It could cost you as little as a couple of hundred pounds per month and we are confident  that any expense incurred now  will be saved with that reduced absenteeism, increased productivity and employee well-being.

There is usually an initial installation and development charge which is then followed by a monthly fee based upon usage.

Reducing your spend

All contacts from your employees are kept confidential, but we then provide a monthly report, giving you the statistics and data on the mental health of all parts of your organisation, telling you more about the real health of your whole business than any survey ever could.

This will result in an improvement in the general well being of your business, make you aware of potential problems areas, and, consequently, reduce your spending on our service with the reduction in the need for your employees to use our system!

If you would like further information or to arrange a virtual demonstration, please complete our enquiry form