Almost half of UK workers (44 percent) know a colleague who has had to give up work because of stress, while more than a third of people (36 percent) say that colleagues have complained about feeling stressed to their employer, but received no support.  As a result, most people (56 percent) don’t feel comfortable talking about depression or stress in the workplace. The fourth annual Employee Insight Report from Capita Employee Benefits, released to coincide with World Mental Health Day today (October 10) suggests that stigmas remain and companies should be doing more to encourage their workers to open up about mental health issues. The findings reveal that just 33 percent would feel comfortable talking to their employer if they have a mental health issue, like depression;  75 percent of respondents said they have felt stressed at work over the last 12 months but only 20 percent have taken time off work because of stress.

(more…)

Employee benefits that help promote a healthy workforce are increasingly important when you consider that (perhaps unsurprisingly) 69.8 percent of employees say they felt less productive if they come into work whilst ill. But these benefits are increasingly as important to employees as an aide to productivity. A range of employee benefits are still a crucial recruitment and retention tool, with almost three quarters (69 percent) of employees saying they are more likely to stay with an employer that offers a good employee package compared with 66 percent in 2015. New research from the fourth annual Capita Employee Benefits Insight Report also reveals that 44.8 percent of respondents would judge an employer based on the quality of the health and wellbeing packages they offer. This is particularly valued by higher earners where nearly half (48.8) percent of employees earning over £45,000 a year said they would evaluate their employer or potential employer on the strength of their commitment to employee wellbeing.

(more…)

There is a massive difference between employers’ perception of the way in which they address mental health in the workplace and those of their staff, according to a new report being published today. While the majority (97 percent) of senior managers believe that they are accessible if employees want to talk about mental health problems, almost half (49 percent) of employees would not talk to their manager about an issue. The findings from the Mental Health at Work report, by the charity Business in the Community are that more than three quarters (77 percent) of employees have experienced symptoms of poor mental health in their lives, and for 62 percent of employees work has been a contributing factor to their symptoms. Despite this, over half of employees (56 percent) who disclosed symptoms of said that their employer took no mitigating actions and only 22 percent of managers have had relevant mental health training at work.

(more…)

Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of employers still don’t record, monitor or even bother to manage sickness absence within their organisation, claims research from Group Risk Development (GRiD). Staff absence has remained static or is improving for the majority of employers, and of those that did record staff absence, 25 percent of companies say their absence has improved over the last 12 months, while for 10 percent it has worsened. Over half (55 percent) of employers said that, on average, their employees take five or fewer days off sick each year, 4 percent said on average their employees took more than 15 days off. It’s stating the obvious but given the fact so many employers disregard absence management, GRiD advises that the starting point is for companies to establish an absence policy. Their staff need to know what action to take if absent – such as who to call, and any absence needs to be recorded and monitored; as when companies know why their staff take time off work they can put appropriate measures in place.