Poor Mental Health Amongst Workers – Costing Increase for Employers

According to a recent report by the charity Mind and recruitment firm Deloitte, the increase in prevalence of poor mental health amongst workers is affecting employers in more ways than just absence.

With many staff reportedly scared to admit to struggling emotionally to colleagues and management, time spent at work is often unproductive as opposed to that employee simply calling in sick.

Burnout is a big contributing factor also, as it is now easier than ever to flick through and action emails on your phone from home, or any other time away from your desk. On top of all this, simply more people are experiencing mental health issues in recent years.

Though sick days declined in the ten years between 2008-2018, ‘lost’ time due to poor emotional health increased. This cost was believed to sit at around £43bn in 2018.

Salaries paid to workers taking time off with mental health issues was one metric by which to measure costs spent, though this doesn’t factor in people who don’t truthfully disclose their illness.

Presenteeism

The new study examines ‘presenteeism’ – workers who show up to work but aren’t really fit. The research shows that though fewer people are taking time off, more are coming into work and being less productive as a result, creating a lose-lose situation. Presenteeism costs employers more than absenteeism, according to Deloitte.

Nurses and teachers

Public sector workers are more likely to take time off due to mental health issues, with a total of 81% of school, NHS or police workers stating that the mostly attend work in spite of admitting that they should stay away for the good of their mental health.

Young people

Mental health issues in young people has been likened to an ‘epidemic’, with younger team members being the most vulnerable, Mind reported. In younger employees, they are more likely to put holiday days in rather than take a sick day and chalk it down to a poor state of mental wellbeing.

Roughly 8% of the average young person’s annual salary in 2018 was lost to staff turnover, lost productivity and sickness, equating to an average of £1,723 per employee. This is the highest proportional cost of any age group, as the young generally receive a lower income.

Experts report that credit being almost on-tap to the younger generation, as well as lower job security can contribute towards negative impacts on the young.

WHAT TO DO NEXT

If your employer isn’t listening and you are struggling at work, believing that excessive workload, bullying or other factors caused by your job may be having a significantly negative impact on your mental health – contact our Stress at Work team for a free initial consultation on 0113 200 9787.

Article by Stuart Jones