Continued support for the Mental Health at Work Commitment
22 October 2019
The Times has reported how 30 employers have recently signed up to the Mental Health at Work Commitment, with huge names such as Lloyds Banking Group, Unilever and John Lewis Partnership all pledging to honour the commitment, in a bid to improve mental wellbeing within the workplace.
The Mental Health at Work Commitment is underpinned by values originally laid out in the Thriving at Work review and in signing the commitment, businesses show their engagement with mental health at work and demonstrate that they are interested in the mental wellbeing of their staff. The six pledges of the statement, which have been devised alongside mental health charities, large employers and trade organisations are as follows:
- Developing a systematic programme of activity to prioritise mental health
- Being proactive in ensuring work design and organisational culture drive positive mental health outcomes
- Promoting an open culture around mental health
- Increasing organisational confidence and capability
- Providing mental health tools and support
- Increasing transparency and accountability through international and external reporting
Existing signatories include Royal Mail, Santander, Deloitte and Barclays, and there are a wide range of businesses from a variety of sectors that had previously signed up to the initiative. Figures released by the Mental Health at Work charity highlight the extent of the effect of mental health on individuals at work. It was found that 39% of employees had experienced poor mental health where work was at least partially responsible and that 300,000 people lose their jobs every year due to long term mental health issues. Only 51% of people felt comfortable discussing mental health problems at work which demonstrates that there is still stigma attached to the issue of mental health, which shouldn’t be perceived in this way in the 21st century.
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