Transparency is extremely important to us, so we are letting you know that we may receive a commission on some of links you click on from this page. See our disclaimer.

The challenges of helping employees with mental health concerns — as well as helping managers and business leaders recognize the growing need to assist — is an increasing focus of well-run workplace wellness programs.

Yesterday we reported how a new UK report asks if more focus could go towards assisting employee mental health. Workplace Insight writes: “Although mental health in the workplace is the top priority for almost three in five (60 percent) CEOs in the UK and the area of employee wellbeing with which their Board is most concerned, currently, the key drivers of wellbeing strategies are to improve engagement and culture. Well over a quarter (30 percent) of respondents said wellbeing strategies are primarily driven by a desire to increase employee engagement and 23 percent to improve organisational culture.”

We've also reported that many employees assume their managers can help. A study from Time to Change, a UK-based campaign run by charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness found that “46% of respondents felt that they were con dent in their manager being able to implement support tools but around a third were not (34%).”

Now a new Workplace Insight post highlights the need for even more focus within companies.

The post is titled “Stress and mental health growing priority at board level but bosses struggle to support staff.”

It states: “Two new reports published today reflect increasing concerns about stress and mental ill health at work and a lack of understanding by many organisations in how to combat the problem.”

Findings on Mental Health

The findings from a Bupa study are stark:

• “Mental health is now a priority at board level for almost two-thirds (65 percent) of businesses, rising to 72 percent among large corporates, while mental health is now a bigger issue than physical illness among employees for nearly a third (29 percent) of businesses.”
• “Yet while an overwhelming majority (96 percent) of businesses want to help support their people, many (57 percent) do not know how to best support employees with these challenges.”
• “Two in five (39 percent) admit that awareness and understanding of mental health issues is still low across their organisation.”

The piece notes that “these findings are echoed in a report carried out by Perkbox.” This report finds:

• “Work is by far the most common cause of stress (59 percent).”
• “Yet almost one in two (45 percent) of British businesses do not offer anything to help alleviate this, despite the fact that 1 in 4 (25 percent) struggle to be as productive at work when stressed.”
• “At least 1 in 10 (10 percent) people will call in sick due to stress, while 7 percent will look for a new job.” 

Said Alex Perry, CEO, Bupa Insurance UK: “Mental health is one of the biggest people issues that businesses – big and small – face today.”