It’s 12 months since the government-commissioned Stevenson/Farmer review was published. The report is a bit lengthy – over 80 pages! The Executive Summary is more accessible: just seven pages long and well worth a read. The information below is partly taken from the report as well as other online resources I have researched.
Why bother to focus on mental health as an employer?
Apparently it costs employers up to £42bn per year, and the overall British economy a staggering £99bn. Reports suggest 300,000 British workers will lose their jobs because of mental health issues and a recent survey revealed almost a third of businesses had seen an increase in employees affected by mental ill-health over the last three years. I’ve yet to come across anyone whether through work, family or friends that hasn’t experienced some sort of mental health issue themselves or has a loved one that has…
What can Employers do?
Ruth George - ruth@ruthgeorge.com
HR Consultant - 07899 920075. This is not legal advice and is provided for general information only. © Ruth George HR Consulting.
Apparently it costs employers up to £42bn per year, and the overall British economy a staggering £99bn. Reports suggest 300,000 British workers will lose their jobs because of mental health issues and a recent survey revealed almost a third of businesses had seen an increase in employees affected by mental ill-health over the last three years. I’ve yet to come across anyone whether through work, family or friends that hasn’t experienced some sort of mental health issue themselves or has a loved one that has…
What can Employers do?
- De-medicalise the conversation about mental health in the workplace: recognise it’s not the people who are failing and broken but the system that is failing them
- Encourage conversations about mental health: starting a conversation about mental health doesn’t have to be difficult. Encouraging an open culture where employees feel like they can talk to each other and/or managers will undoubtedly help
- Deal with the medical certificate: too often I come across Employers that are scared of sickness absence issues. It’s important for employers to understand that they can contact employees who are off sick. Finding out if work is a contributing factor and if there are any steps that can be taken to alleviate or eliminate the cause will help everyone.
- Maintain contact: you should stay in touch with employees during the entirety of their absence, that includes discussing what measures can be taken to help an employee return to work at the earliest opportunity.
- Don’t let matters drift during long-term sick leave: deal with issues head on when absence presents unacceptable levels of disruption to the business, rather than allowing the situation to drift to the point where the employee has been off for so long that dismissal looks like the only viable option
- What about disciplinary proceedings? A common problem for employers is that of the employee who, when told to attend a disciplinary hearing, goes off sick citing stress as the cause. Contrary to popular belief, the default position is not to postpone. In most cases, medical advice will suggest that dealing with the disciplinary issue will be more beneficial to the employee.
- Manage poor performance: where performance becomes an issue, discuss it with the employee promptly and explain that they are not performing to acceptable standards. If disciplinary action is necessary, ensure fair and appropriate procedures are followed via your internal policies or the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures.
- Consider reasonable adjustments: you may be able to consider reasonable adjustments to help an employee stay in work or return to work while they are experiencing mental ill-health. Flexible working is a potential option, e.g., allowing them to start later or finish earlier, reducing their working days, or providing them with remote access software and permission to work at home on set days
- Train your staff: training line managers and senior staff to recognise mental ill-health symptoms will help them to manage staff with varying degrees of mental health issues.
Ruth George - ruth@ruthgeorge.com
HR Consultant - 07899 920075. This is not legal advice and is provided for general information only. © Ruth George HR Consulting.