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Yesterday we reported that a large majority of employees recognize a connection between wellbeing and performance.

Workplace Insights notes that according to a 2017 Health Survey from Aon Employee Benefits, “96 percent of employers see a direct correlation between employee health, wellbeing and performance. The survey of 200 UK organisations also suggests that health and wellbeing is rising up the corporate agenda, with 96 percent of employers either agreeing or strongly agreeing that they are responsible for improving employee health behaviours.”

Of course, wellbeing goes beyond physical health. We reported on a study from Time to Change, a UK-based campaign run by charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, and others, that “aimed to understand gaps between policy and practice; differing opinions between managers and employees around support provided; management’s ability to provide support; and practical steps which can be taken to close these gaps.”

Some findings:

• 37% of employees reported having had to take time off work because of stress, low mood or poor mental health, 68% reported to having gone into work at some point when experiencing poor mental health.
• 59% of all respondents said poor mental health was a primary factor that impacted on their ability to concentrate at work. 40% of respondents reported that they found it dif cult to juggle a number of tasks, took longer to complete tasks (39%) and that they tended to put off challenging work (38%).
• Half of all respondents noted that poor mental health was a result of a combination of problems at work and in their personal life.

On the importance of focusing on mental health in the workplace, Workplace Insights notes that “The survey also showed that 43 percent of employers are looking to evolve their emotional health offering to support mental health issues further; this is showing high levels of considered activity and is no doubt fuelled by the widespread media coverage on this issue in the last couple of years.”

The post continues: “A significant 53 percent of employers are looking to improve the support available to employees through financial wellbeing initiatives, recognising the importance of this maturing theme in its own right but also perhaps acknowledging the established links between financial, emotional and physical wellbeing.”

More evidence that not only do employees recognize the need for mental health support in addition to physical wellbeing, but also that employers are looking to act as well.