Encouraged by growing industry support for prioritising mental health in the workplace, Mates in Mind has renewed its calls to industry leaders to take a joined-up approach to addressing mental health.
Mates in Mind wants industry leaders to adopt a ‘Whole Organisation’ and ‘Whole Person’ approach that will benefit both the individual as well as the wider business.
A report published by YouGov last year found that 60% of employees feel their line manager is genuinely concerned for their wellbeing (compared to 55% in 2016).
45% of employees believe that their organisation does well in supporting those with mental health issues (40% in 2016).
However, the charity acknowledges that mental ill-health still poses a persistent challenge to UK workforces, with HSE reporting there were 15.4 million working days lost as a result of work-related stress anxiety or depression in 2017/18.
James Rudoni, Manager Director at Mates in Mind, said: “At Mates in Mind, we believe that the value of being able to support starting a conversation at work can never be underestimated.
“This should be seen as part of a long-lasting transformation of workplace mental health, through which organisations can go beyond tackling a crisis of mental ill-health and act to prevent it in the first instance.
“Mates in Mind has always advocated an approach that includes developing awareness and skills for those managing people within workplaces, to whom many employees are likely to turn to when they need to start a conversation about their mental health.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with others across all industries and encourage them to reach out to us.”
To find out more about Mates in Mind, or to contact them directly, visit: www.matesinmind.org
