2023工作场所健康报告+The+Workplace+Health+Report：2023

TheWorkplace

HealthReport

2023

Thetruestateofmentalhealth,

wellbeingandproductivityin

theworkforce

Publishedby

contributors

JAMIEBROADLEY

GroupHeadofHealth

&welbeingatserco

JENNBARNETT

people&cultureDirectorHeadof

Inclusion,Diversityandsustainability

atGrantThorntonUkLLP

KARLSIMONSOBE

chiefFuturistatFYLDandAdvisorto

theBritishGovernmentcabinetofce

CHARLESALBERTS

DirectorlGlobalHeadofwelbeing

andpeopleExperienceatclifford

chance

GEORGEBELL

LinkedlnTopvoiceonwork-Life

Balance&MentalHealth

DRRICHARDHERON

Health,work,welbeing&performance

consultantFormervicepresident,Health

atBP

STEVEBIRD

welbeingManageratcurrys

SARAHRESTALL

Directorofpeopleandclientservices

atweIIbeingwithcari

DRSTEPHANIE

FITZGERALD

FounderatSoyoLtd,clinical

psychologist,authorandconsultant

SIMONBLAKEOBE(HE/HIM

CEOatMentalHealthFirstAid

England

ROBSTEPHENSON

FounderofFormscore

SEANMAYWOOD

MentalHealthFirstAidInstructor

SIMONJAY

commercialDirectoratTellmi

JACKGREENOLY

Doubleolympion,Headof

performanceatchampionHealth

LAURADALLAS

HeadofproductatchampionHealth

HARRYCORIN

MentalHealthFirstAidInstructor

andFounderfcorin&co

WENDYROBINSON

Headofservicesatcampaign

AgainstLivingMiserablyCALM)

ALICEHENDY

FounderofR；pplesuicidepreventfion

FRANCISGOSS

DirectorpeopleExperience

consultingatGalagher

LOUISEASTON

wellbeingDirectorat

Businessinthecommunity

RYANBRIGGS

FounderofFinWELL

DANIELLABRACKPOOL

SeniorRewardManageratWickes

ANDYHOLMES

ClientPartneratKornFerry

SANDY-LEECONNOLLY

GroupHeadofTalentandDiversity

atKellerGroupplc

PAULDOCKERTY

HRBenefitsandWellbeingManager

atHSBC

HAYLEYFARRELL

GlobalWellbeing&Resilience

ManagerandGlobalAffinityGroup

ProgrammeManageratArcadis

JONATHANGAWTHROP

ExecutiveDirector,Wellbeing

SustainabilityandAssurance

atEMCORUK

JAMIEDOUGLAS

GlobalHealthandWellbeingLead

atBabcock

RICHARDJACKSON

Co-founderofChampionHealthPlus

JULIEROBINSON

FounderofMenoHealth

ZOEECCLESTON

WorkplaceHealthandWellbeing

Consultant

GETHINNADIN

Award-winningpsychologist,

authorandChiefInnovationOfficer

atBenefex

ARTIKASHYAP-AYNSLEY

GlobalHeadofWellbeing&Inclusion

atOcadoGroup

BETHSAMSON

PeopleDirectorat

InvestorsinPeople

NICKDAVISON

HealthandWellbeingStrategist,

previouslyHeadofWellbeing

atJohnLewis

RYANHOPKINS

FutureofWellbeingLeadatDeloitte

JAKESANDERS

GlobalWellbeingInitiativesLead

atPhillipMorrisInternational

Introduction

You’vesteppedup

Theenergycrisis,asoaringcostofliving,and

echoesofthepandemicresonatingacrossthe

globe.Theworldappearstobelurchingfromonecrisistoanother.

Whilethechallengefacingourpeoplemaybeenormous,I’veseenfirst-handhowtheemployercommunityhassteppeduptoprovidesupport.

Morethanever,peoplearelookingtotheir

organisationsfortheleadership,supportand

advicetheyneedtomeettoday’schallenges-andtheonesthatareundoubtedlyaroundthecorner.Thereissomuchthattheemployercommunitycandotosupportthehealthandwellbeingoftheir

people.

Foryears,ChampionHealthhasleverageddatatosupportemployeewellbeingatglobal

organisations.Byexploringthedatainthisreport,youtoowillgaininsightintothehealthtrends

prevalentwithinyourorganisation.

With200,000healthappsclamouringfor

attentionacrosstheAppleandGoogleappstores,

wellbeingisanoisyspace.Butyoualreadyknow

this.

Afterreadingthisreport,you’llbeabletocut

throughthatnoiseandmakeinformed,data-driven

decisionsabouthowtosupportyourpeople.

TheWorkplaceHealthReport:2023isforthose

thattakeresponsibilityforemployeehealth–

whetherthat’sthroughHR,wellbeing,rewardand

benefitsorDEI.Butthisreportisalsoforthoseof

youthatarepassionateaboutmakinga

difference,whateveryourrole.

Someoftheinformationinthisreportmakesfor

challengingreading.However,Ihopethatby

revealingandtargetingtheissuesthatreally

matter,wecanalldosomethingamazingforthe

peoplethatpowerourorganisations.

HARRYBLISS

Co-founderandCEOatChampionHealth

TheQuickRead

5KEYFINDINGS

Shortontime?Readthesefivekeyfindingsfromthereport.

1Financesarealeadingcauseofstress

Citedby37%ofemployees,financialpressureisnowthetopcauseofstressoutsidework.Plus,76%areexperiencingmoderate-to-highstress,anincreaseof13%year-on-year.

29%ofprofessionalsareexperiencingthoughtsofsuicideorself-harm

Thenumberofemployeesexperiencingthoughtsofsuicideorself-harmhasincreasedfrom8%to9%sincelastyear.

361%struggletobeproductiveduetotiredness

Tirednessisthetopcauseofreducedproductivityand42%ofemployeesareaimingtoimprovetheirenergylevels.

4Femaleemployeesaremoreaffectedbyanxietyanddepression

Femaleprofessionalsaremorelikelytoexperiencesymptomsofanxietyanddepressionversusmaleemployees,by22%and20%respectively.

598%aremotivatedtomakeapositivechange

Despitethechallengestheyface,thevastmajorityaremotivatedtoimprovetheirwellbeing,presentinganexcellentopportunityforemployerstomakeasignificantdifference.

Mental

wellbeing

Youremployeeshaveenduredthroughasoaring

costofliving,overseascrisesandthelongshadowof

COVID-19.Putsimply:thementalhealthimpactofthepast

threeyearscannotbeoverestimated.

Thedatainthischapterrevealshowtheseeventshaveshaped

thementalwellbeingofyourworkforce.Thisincludeslookingat

theprevalenceofstress,burnout,anxiety,anddepressionwithin

theworkplace.

You’llalsolearnfromtopworkplacehealthexpertsasthey

sharetheirbestpracticeforsupportingemployeemental

wellbeingintheworkplace.

Inside

stressandburnout

Mentalhealth

Demographicdifferences

Mentalhealthandperformance

Accessingsupport

suiciderisk

1

7

peopleareonlyabletperform

wellatmaximumcapacitybth

mentallyandphysical

serviceYoull

eWlkleeppushing

themsevesmentallyatadrenaline

overad,untiltheyburnout.

leaderswhosettheexample,notonlyby

prioritisingrestandrecoverythemselves,

butalsobyencouragingtheirteamsto

prioritisethis,setthetonefrmaximisin9

sustainablehighperformanceintheir

peope

JENBRNETT

people&cultureDirectorHeadof

Inclusion,Diversityandsustainability

atGrantThorntonUkLLP

stressandburnout

EachofUsexperiencesstressinadifferentway.

whatyouperceiveasahealthychallenge,

Employeesexperiencing

moderateto-highstresslevels

anothermayperceiveasstrenuousandstressfu

7

%

ongperiodf

muchstressovera

Experiencingtoo

eadtofee

and

ingsofphysica

,menta

timecan

lexhaustion.Thisisoftenreferredtoas

emotiona

burnout.

stressistheimpactftherebeing'toomuch

Toomanydemandstoomanychanges,too

muchtodoandtoomanydecisionstomake.

todep

eteyur

hronicstresshasthepotentia

iefiny○urown

e

energyvndermineyour

eadto

abi

urnout.

itiesandeffcacyand

2

2

22

23

ikethereis

ustnot

Burnoutmeansfee

ing

enough·Notenoughtime,energyenthusiasm,

yforshortperiods

oftime,andthenthehumanbodyneeds

restandrecoverytime.Inprofessional

abi

Y

ityandinnerresource.ltiscommon

ydrained

describedasbeinemotionall

'fee

be

in9emptyr

eto

ustnotbein9ab

myse

Ifanymore

NHSleadershipAcademy:stressandburnout

oftenfndthat

high-performinpeopl

Aftersuchadffcultthreeyears,

everyoneishurtinginsomeway

atthemomentsoourexpectationsof

eachotherneedtobemanaged.That

appiestoeaders,managersand

empoyees.

JMIEBRDLEY

GroupHeadofHealth

&elbeingatserco

Tounderstandtheroleoftheworkplacein

employeestress,weaskedemployeesabouttheirexperienceofstressatwork.

First,it’simportanttorecognisethatstressisn’t

alwaysunhelpful;therightamountofstresshelpstomotivateanddriveusforward.

Thisisreflectedpositivelywithinthedata:54%ofemployeesareexperiencinga‘perfectamountofstress’.

Attheotherendofthespectrum,37%of

employeesreportthatthestresstheyexperienceatworkishavinganegativeimpact.

Experienceofstressatwork

Responsestothequestion:Whichstatementaboutstressatworkdoyoumostagreewith?

Asupportiveorganisationalandteamculturereduces

employeestress.[1]

Herearethreeroutestoimprove

organisationalculture.

1DevelopKPIsthatincentivisepeopletohelponeanother,ratherthan

competewitheachother.Aligning

yourKPIstooverallcompanygoalsisonewaytoachievethis.

2Createclearanddefinedpathwaysofcommunicationinwhich

employeescanraiseconcernsor

makesuggestionsforimprovement.Ensuretheseareacteduponor

clearlycommunicatedifnoactionistaken.

3Workwithyourleaderstoensuretheyarerole-modellingyour

organisation’svaluesdaily.Culturestartsatthetop.

[1]BJPsychBulletin,2016

3

Tounderstandhowtheemployercommunitycan

improvesupportandreduceemployeeburnout,weanalysedthecausesofstresswithinthe

workplace.

Ourfindingsshowthatworkloadisthemost

commoncauseofstress,greatlyoutrankinglackofsupport,lackofcontrol,andseniorstaff.

Thefactthatworkloadisthe

standoutcontributortonegative

mentalstresswithinemployeesmeanswecontinuetohavesomanyorganisationswithaculturewherethereisafearof

reprisalshouldemployeesspeakupaboutthechallengestheyface.

KARLSIMONSOBE

ChiefFuturistatFYLDandAdvisortotheBritishGovernmentCabinetOffice

Causesofnegativestressatwork.2023.2022

Reasonsfornegativestressatwork.Multipleoptionscouldbeselected.

DiscoverhowStratareduced

work-relatedstressby68%

READNOW

4

Theseresultsshowtheimpactof

peoplewhoinfluenceeach

employee’sworkload-peersandseniorstaff.

Tomanagethis,leadersneedtoengagewithalloftheirpeopleandhaveopendiscussionsaroundtheimpacttheirworkishavingontheirlives.

CHARLESALBERTS

Director|GlobalHeadofWellbeingandPeopleExperienceatClifford

Chance

1

2

3

4

5

Whatwe’reseeinghereinthestats-workload,control,

support,wellbeingconversations-thesethingsallflowthroughmanagement.

Andyetmanyinthesepositionsare

ill-equippedtohandlethesechallenges.

Byfocusingonhelpingyourmanagerstoleadwithconfidenceandcare,you’llbelayingthegroundworktohelptackle

manyoftheissueswe’reseeingintheworkplace.

GEORGEBELL

LinkedInTopVoiceonWork-LifeBalance&MentalHealth

EMPLOYEEWORKLOAD

Fivequestionstoaskyourself

Areindividualaccountabilitiesclearacrosstheorganisation?

Docapabilitiesmatchwelltothequalitativeandquantitativedemands

ofemployeetasks?

Arecolleaguessupportedwithintheirteams?

Arecolleaguesabletoworkflexiblywhentheyneedtoandwhere

possiblecontrolwhereandwhentheywork?

Docolleaguesfeelthattheywillbesupportediftheyraise

challengeswithworkload?

DRRICHARDHERON

Health,Work,Wellbeing&PerformanceConsultant

FormerVicePresident,HealthatBP

5

Thisdatarevealsthemostcommoncausesofstress

outsidetheworkplaceandhighlightsthe

importanceofconsideringeachindividual’suniquesituation.

Strikingly,financialpressureisnowthemost

commonexternalcauseofstress,affectingmorethanone-in-threeemployees.Thisisanincreaseof23%versuslastyear,highlightingtheimpactoftheglobalcostoflivingcrisisonemployeewellbeing.

ThedataalsodemonstrateshowCOVID-19is

recedingfromviewformanyemployees.Only5%ofprofessionalsnowconsiderCOVID-19tobeasourceofstress,comparedto18%lastyear.

Despitethisreduction,COVID-19continuesto

presentachallengeforourpeople–whetherthey

areconcernedabouttheirownhealthor

protectingsomeonevulnerable.

●2023.2022

23%increasein

employees

experiencing

financialpressureversuslastyear

5%consider

COVID-19tobeasourceofstress

Causesofstressoutsidework

Reasonsfornegativestressoutsideofwork.Multipleoptionscouldbeselected.

6

Mentalhealth

Ourpeoplecontinuetofaceuncertainty.And,asexpected,currenteventsareimpactingthementalwellbeingofourcolleagues.

Symptomsofanxietyanddepressionremainhigh:60%ofemployeesfeelanxiousand56%are

experiencinglowmood.

Ourdataalsoshowsthat1in4meetthecriteriafor‘clinicallyrelevantsymptoms’ofanxietyanddepression,suggestingtheywouldbenefitfromfurtherassessmentandsupportfromaqualifiedmentalhealthprofessional.

60%ofemployeesfeelanxious

56%ofemployeesareexperiencinglowmood

Employeesexperiencingsymptomsofanxietyanddepression

SymptomsofanxietyanddepressionasmeasuredbytheGAD-7andPHQ-9.

Mildsymptomsdefinedasscoring≥5.Clinicallyrelevantsymptomsdefinedasscoring≥10

MildsymptomsClinicallyrelevantsymptoms

60%

56%

25%

Depression

Anxiety

25%

Iseethisasadirectlinktothecostoflivingcrisis,withlotsof

colleaguesfeelinguncertainaboutwhatthefutureholds.Ialsofeelthisisadirectlinkto

peoplefeelingmoreopentosharetheir

symptomsthantheywouldhavebeenbefore.

STEVEBIRD

WellbeingManageratCurrys

Thedataalsorevealsthat,despitetheprevalence

offeelingsofanxietyandlowmood,just1in5professionalsarereportingamentalhealth

diagnosis.Thissuggeststherearemany

undiagnosedmentalhealthconditions.

Mentalhealthdiagnosesaremadebymentalhealth

professionals-likeaGPorpsychologist-basedonanevaluation.

Mentalhealthdiagnosescanhelpindividualsunderstandandmanagetheirsymptoms.Theycanalsobeahelpful

stepintheprocessofseekingtreatmentandsupport.

Peoplewhoneedclinicalsupporthaven’tgottothatplace

overnight.There’sagreyareabetweenthrivingandsurviving–theareaof

presenteeism.That’swherethe60%withmildsymptomsofanxietycurrentlyare

andit’swhereemployerscanhavearealimpactwithearlyintervention.

SARAHRESTALL

DirectorofPeopleandClientServicesatWellbeingWithCari

19%ofemployeeshavea

currentmentalhealthdiagnosis

Wehavebeenlivingthroughextraordinarytimesforalmost

threeyearsandtheworldfeelsturbulent.Thishasinevitablycausedstrainand

amplifiedexistinginequalities.

Nowwearefacingspirallingpricesthatwillaffecteverybody,althoughagainnotallequally.Thishasofcourseinevitably

impactedonindividualandcollectivewellbeingatworkandinour

communities.

Whilstpeoplehaveadaptedincrediblywell,manyarefatigued,languishingandworriedaboutthefuture.

Workdesignedwellcanbe

health-promoting–itcanprovideasense

ofpurposeandstructure,create

connectionandrelationshipsandbeagatewaytopeerandprofessional

support.

SIMONBLAKEOBE(HE/HIM)

CEOatMentalHealthFirstAid

England

8

Demographic

differences

Identitymarkerslikeageandgendershapean

individual’sexperienceofmentalhealth.Ourdata

reflectsthisandrevealsthedemographic

differencesinmentalhealthoutcomes.

Thisincludesourfindingthatfemaleemployeesare

22%morelikelythanmaleemployeesto

experiencesymptomsofanxiety.

Femaleemployeesare22%morelikelytoexperience

symptomsof

anxiety

Symptomsofanxietyanddepressioninmalesandfemales

MaleFemale

Depression

Anxiety

2.Prioritisechoiceandflexibility

Femaleemployeeswhoareabletoworkhow

theywantarelessburnedout,happierintheir

jobs,andmuchlesslikelytoconsiderleaving

theircompanies.

3.Role-modelchangeyouwanttosee

Ifyouwantyourorganisationstohaveequal

rightsandcareerprogressionthenyouhave

toshowthat.Thepositiveimpactforwomen

seeingJacindaArdernholdapositionof

powerwhilstpregnantwasbeyondfantastic.

9

Threewaystoimproveworkforfemaleemployees.

1.Offerremoteworking

Researchshowsonly1in10womenwanttoworkmostlyon-siteandmanyfemale

employeescitetheoptiontoworkremotelyasatopreasonforjoininganorganisation.

DRSTEPHANIE

FITZGERALD

FounderatSoyoLtd,Clinical

Psychologist,authorandconsultant

In2018,TheResolutionFoundationcalledfora

radicalnewapproachtosupporttheprospectsoftheyoungergeneration.

Despitetheseefforts,ourdatarevealshigherlevelsofanxietyanddepressioninworkersaged16-35versustheirolderpeers.

WeknowthatCOVID-19

affectedtheyoungmorethanthe

oldintermsofimpactonmental

wellbeing.Theissueisthatthesupport

availabletotheyoung,suchasCentresforAddictionandMentalHealth,cannotmeetdemandsoonenough.

SEANMAYWOOD

MentalHealthFirstAidInstructor

66%ofemployeesaged

25-35experiencesymptomsofanxiety

Symptomsofanxietyanddepressionacrossagegroups

Theyoungergenerationarefar

morelikelytoscrutinisewhatanemployeeisdoingwithwellbeing.Top

talentarelookingfororganisationsthat

gobeyondthetick-box.They’reexpectingarangeofwellbeingsolutions,choice,

personalisationandarecognitionoftheimpactthatworkhasonmentalhealth.

ROBSTEPHENSON

FounderofFormScore

10

Discovermoreactionableways

tosupportyoungemployees

WATCHNOW

Insightprovidedby

SARAHRESTALL

DirectorofPeopleandClientServicesatWellbeingWithCari

SIMONJAY

CommercialDirectoratTellmi

Quicktipsforsupporting

youngpeoplewithin

theworkplace

In2022,theChampionHealthteambroughttogether

agroupofexpertstosharetheirinsightsinsupporting

youngpeopleatwork.Herearetheirtips.

4JUSTASK

Unsurehowtocreateapsychologicallysafe

workingenvironmentforyoungpeople?Startbyaskingsomeyoungpeople.

Stitchthequestionintotheirfirstdayofwork:'Doyouknowhowyouworkbest?Howdoyouthinkwecanmakesurewearemaximisingyour

potential?’

1ONBOARDING

Revisityouronboardingandinductionprocessto

ensureitisrobustandinclusiveforallnewhires.

Whenitcomestoyoungpeople,consider

includingawell-plannedtwo-weekitinerarythat

includesplentyofbreaksandwillhelpsetthe

sceneforaworkingweek.

2LEADFROMTHEFRONT

5PEERSUPPORT

Datafrompeersupportapp,Tellmi,suggeststhatyoungpeoplearemorelikelytoapproachpeersthanlinemanagers.Considerwaystoencouragesupportfrompeersanddon’texpectyoung

peopletoalwaysreachouttotheirlinemanagers.

Yourpeoplewillmodeltheirbehaviourontheir

leaders.So,seniorleadersmustbelivingthe

valuesofyourworkplace.

Ensurethatishappeningandthatlinemanagers

arealsolivingthesevalues.

3AUTHENTICITY

Youngpeoplearecomingtoourworkspaces

alreadymoreequippedtospeakopenlyabout

whotheyarethanoldergenerations.Actively

createanenvironmentwherethisispossible.

11

Theseresultsshowthatanyone

responsibleforhighperformancewithinanorganisationisalsoresponsibleforsupportingmentalwellbeing.

Beinganemployeeisjustpartofbeinghumanandnoonecanseparatethetwo.AsadoubleOlympian,IranatmyfastestwhenIfeltatmyhappiestandmost

supported.Theseresultsaretellingthesamestorywithinourworkplaces.

Itisyourresponsibilitytobeawareof

stressesandpressuresbecausethey

impactperformance.It’snotalwaysyourresponsibilitytofixthem,butit’syour

responsibilitytobeawareofthem,andtosupportyouremployeeswhereyoucan.

Because,asthedatashows,supportingthementalwellbeingofyourteamis

supportinghighperformance.

Asemployerswemustdoallwecanto

helppeopleinourteamsnavigatethe

challenges,findwaysofworkingthat

workforthemandthebusiness,andin

doingsosupportthemtobothsurviveandhopefullythrive.

Mentalhealth

andperformance

Pooremployeementalhealthisoneofthetop

challengesfacingorganisationstoday.Ourdata

showsthatthisisnotpurelyamoralchallenge,it’s

alsoasignificantbusinesschallenge.

Exploringanonymisedresponsestovalidated

mentalwellbeingassessments,werevealhow

poormentalwellbeingaffectstheday-to-day

experiencesofourcolleagues.

Thedataoverleafhighlightsthechallengeof

employeetiredness:over80%ofprofessionalsare

experiencingfatigueatworkand71%ratetheir

sleepqualityas‘average’orworse.

Theimpactofanxietyisalsoclear:71%of

professionalsarestrugglingtorelax,andover

60%ofprofessionalsarestrugglingtosleep.These

arecommonsymptomsofanxiety[1].

Thedataalsopointstochallengeswithfocus.

Almosthalfofallemployeesarestrugglingto

concentrateandalmostoneintenareacting

indecisively.

Poormentalhealth

negativelyaffects

theperformanceof

JACKGREENOLY

DoubleOlympion,Headof

PerformanceatChampionHealth

1in5employees

Readthechapter‘Productivity,energy

andculture’forrelatedfindings

[1]NHSInform

12

12%

Can’tthinkclearly

9%

Can’tactdecisively

71%

Can’trelax

52%

Feeldisinterested

Whatourpeople

areexperiencing

12%

Can’tdealwith

problems

59%

Can’tcontrol

worrying

81%

Feeltired

49%

Can’tconcentrate

62%

Struggletosleep

Thisdatacomprisesaggregatedanswerstovariousquestions

fromGAD-7,PHQ-9andtheWarwick-EdinburghMentalWellbeingScale.

13

Accessingsupport

Thepandemicbroughtmentalhealthsupporttotheforefrontofmanyorganisations’workplacehealthstrategies.

Whilemanyorganisationscurrentlyinvestin

mentalhealthsupport,ourdatarevealsthatnotenoughemployeesareengaging.

Only10%ofemployeesarecurrentlyseeking

supportfortheirmentalhealth.

Thisisdespiteourdataalsoshowingthat60%of

employeesareexperiencingsymptomsofanxiety

and56%areexperiencingsymptomsof

depression.

60%

Experiencing

Anxiety

10%

Seeking

Support

2.Makeyoursupportvisible

Ifyou’vegotit–shoutaboutit.Don’tbury

yourservicesinthedepthsoftheintranet.

Wherepossible,ensuretheseservicesarejustoneclickaway.

Howtomakewellbeingsupportmore

accessible

Everyindividualisdifferentandmanyfactors

willinfluencewhethersomeonedoes(or

doesn’t)accesssupport.

3.Considerthetypesofsupportavailable

Noteveryonecan(orwillwantto)accesssupportinthesameway.Consider

introducingalternativeoptionsliketext

support,alongsidemoretraditionalphonelinesorin-persontherapy.

However,therearepracticalactionsyoucan

takenowtoimprovehelp-seekingbehaviour

atwork.

1.Createspaceandopportunity

LAURADALLAS

HeadofProductatChampionHealth

Employeesneedspaceandopportunityto

lookaftertheirmentalhealth.Thisstartswith

anopenculturethatgivesemployeestimeto

prioritisetheirwellbeing.

14

Ifyoutellmenthat'mendon't

wanttotalkaboutmentalhealth'thenyousomehowtakeawaypermissionfromthosethatdowanttotalk.

Themajorityofmyclinicalcaseloads

havebeen100%male.Mendowanttotalkabouttheirmentalhealth,ofcoursetheydo,it'sasignificantpartofbeinghuman.Butwhenwecontinuallytalk

aboutthehard-to-reachpopulationandsaythatit'ssodifficulttogetmentotalk,we'remakingitsoundasthoughmen

shouldn'ttalkandsotheydon't.

Weneedtonormalisethemalementalhealthconversationeveryday,togivemaleemployeesthatpermissiontotalkthatforsolonghasbeendeniedtothem.

DRSTEPHANIE

FITZGERALD

FounderatSoyoLtd,Clinical

Psychologist,authorandconsultant

Ourdataalsohighlightsthatfewermale

employeesareseekinghelpthanfemales.

Thissuggeststhatmaleemployeesarestillfindingitdifficulttoreachoutforhelpandtalkabouttheir

mentalhealth-evenwhenthey’restruggling.

Empoyeescurrentlyseeking

mentalhealthsupport

Therefore,organisationsmustcontinuetofocuson

openinguptheconversationaroundmalemental

health,andmakethesupportthatisavailable

visible,accessibleandstigma-free.

TheCLASSApproach

A5-stepguidetosupporting

someonewhoisstrugglingwiththeirmentalhealth.

Connect

Maketimetoaskhowthepersonyou’reconcernedaboutisdoing.

Listen

Allowthepersonthetimetotalkthingsthroughandlistentowhat’sbeingsaid.

Assess

Assessthesituationandconsiderwhatsupportthepersoncouldbenefitfrom.

Support

Makeitclearthatyou’retheretohelp.Explorewiththepersonthesupporttheycouldaccess.

Signpost

Connectthepersonwithservicessotheycanaccesstimelysupport.MainpointsofcontactincludetheirGP,NHS111(if

out-of-hours)andconfidentialhelplines(seepage17).

15

Suiciderisk

Suicideiscomplex:thereisnoonereasonwhyan

individualmaydiebysuicideorexperience

suicidalthoughtsandbehaviour.

Despitetheprogresswe’vemadearound

normalisingmentalhealth,suicideremainsa

misunderstoodandtabootopic.

Ourdatashowsthatyear-on-year,thenumberof

employeesexperiencingthoughtsofsuicideor

self-harmhasincreasedfrom8%to9%.

Thismeansthat,inanaverageorganisationof

1,000employees,thereare90individuals

Regardingthelikelihoodofsuicidalideationandself-harm,ourdatashowslittledifferencebetweenmaleandfemaleemployees.However,it’sworthnotingthatourdatadoesshowthatfemale

employeesaretwiceaslikelytoaccessmentalhealthsupportcomparedtomalecolleagues.

experiencingthoughtsofsuicide.Putanotherway,

10morepeopleinthatorganisationarenow

experiencingsuicidalthoughtsversuslastyear.This

isatragicincreasethatcouldhaveadevastating

impact.

Takeactiontopreventsuicidein

theworkplace

READGUIDE

Relationshipbetweensuicidalthoughtsand

help-seekinginmalesandfemales

Employeesexperiencingthoughtsofsuicideorself-harmonatleast

‘severaldays’asmeasuredbythePHQ-9questionnaire

●seekingmentalhealthsupport

●ExperiencingthoughtsofsuicideorselFharm

16

Organisationsneedtogetmorecomfortablewithtalkingabout

suicidewithinthewidermentalwellbeingconversation.Indoingsotheycandiscussriskfactors,preventionstrategiesand

sourcesofsupportinanon-stigmatisingway.

Thiscanthenenableemployeesto

self-identifyandemployershaveaclearermandatetoengageinthesedifficult

conversations.

It'salsoimportanttowidenthesupportonoffertothosewhoarebereavedby

suicide.

Inthisway,peoplearesafetobringtheirwholeselvestoworkandforittobecomeasafeplacetobeinyourdarkesttimes.

WENDYROBINSON

HeadofServicesat