Sufferers now make up 15-20% of the workforce with impressive knock-on costs to match; FirstAssist’s Tim Ablett, reveals the latest research into workplace interventions for people with common mental health problems.
The British Occupation Health Research Foundation (BOHRF) organised a research working group to read the research papers on techniques to prevent, and to help people with common mental health problems related to work.
It found that sufficient evidence exists to back the use of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for people with common mental health issues, to help them stay at, or return to work. The Evidence Review was sponsored by FirstAssist and brought together industry experts to consider the new evidence and how it can help businesses and their employees.
The review revealed that 15-20% of workers may have a mental health problem of some kind, which is not necessarily associated with work. It also highlighted some very important strategies that can be implemented to reduce the loss of work by people suffering from mental ill health. The opportunities to improve workplace attendance should be welcome news for employers.
Defining mental health
While mental health problems are common, most are relatively mild in their effects and are dealt with by family doctor and primary health care services without professional psychiatric help. These mild to moderate mental health problems are the ones that the BOHRF focused on for the review.
Common mental health problems affect between one in four and one in six of the working population, whereas severe mental health problems affect only between 1-3% of the working population so most employers will have very limited exposure to the issue.
Counting the costs
Output losses as a result of mental health issues amount to £23 billion and the human cost is estimated at over £41 billion, with health and social care footing a bill of £12.5 billion. The costs are clear and can hit businesses hard. But by adopting best practice in the workplace, employers can prevent the loss of skilled employees, as well as increase productivity.
DWP Minister, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, explains: “The fact that mental health problems are so common means that the overall costs to society of associated sickness absence are huge, and of course they ultimately fall on business and individuals. There are the losses to output, the costs of health and social care for those who require services to help them cope with their problems, and their personal costs in lost wages and the impact on families, and impact on self esteem.”
A helping hand
The guidelines produced as a result of the review advise line managers to keep in touch with staff, who are off work due to sickness caused by mental ill health, at least once every two weeks. The BOHRF research shows that regular contact as well as CBT facilitates an early return to work. In addition, stress management techniques improve people’s ability to cope with stress and avoid stressful situations at work. Research also revealed techniques such as teaching problem-solving skills, exercise and relaxation to be useful aides.
The evidence presented by the review suggests that good medical management of anxiety and depression helps people to stay in employment. In particular line managers, occupational health professionals and GPs need to work together to enable employees to have the best chance of rehabilitation.
“Businesses who recognise that investing in wellbeing improves productivity and profits, will also find it pays off even more as the average age of the workforce increases,” explains Tim Ablett, Chief Executive, FirstAssist. “It is time to think about health promotion, active management of absence and return to work rehabilitation schemes as one integrated approach.”
Hunt agrees, “The evidence suggests that the mental health of those out of work worsens and their physical health too. So, it is entirely right that occupational health practitioners should be helping employers to reduce that burden. We need employers to do more, in their own interests as well as those of their disabled employees and society as a whole.”
The way forward
British business and the UK economy as a whole cannot afford to ignore the issues of health and wellbeing in the workplace. And in particular the issues surrounding common mental health problems. However, the BOHRF review demonstrates that upfront recognition, that is not being afraid of the issue can be the answer.
Research suggests that implementing solutions on an individual basis, rather than a sweeping organisational level is the most effective way to manage common mental health problems, helping people stay at work.
However, there are clearly ways that employers can integrate sickness absence management into their organisation’s HR policy, helping to identify causes of ill-health in order to reduce them. And occupational health solutions can provide hands-on support and expertise to address specific health and wellbeing issues.
Ablett concludes, “The fact that the strongest evidence came from interventions with health care professionals, reinforces the importance of businesses addressing workplace stress and associated absence with an integrated approach. This should not only provide effective solutions once an employee reports sick, but create a sympathetic and supportive environment. Then employees can gain help and assistance which might alleviate the need to take sick leave in the first place.”
