One in five workers fear stress will result in being sacked

Frances Molloy Chief Executive of Health@Work

A Liverpool company is raising the awareness of the effects mental health has on a business after statistics shown that one in five workers fear they will lose their job if they admit to being stressed.
Health@Work, who aim to improve the health and wellbeing in the workplace is offering support to employees to businesses in the city in the lead up to Mental Health Awareness Week next week (May 23-30), as the research from mental health charity Mind revealed that work is the most stressful factor is a person’s life.
Health@Work has joined forces with Liverpool PCT to offer businesses the chance to earn the Workplace Wellbeing Charter, which awards businesses on their committed to workplace health. The charter includes giving advice to both employees and employers on mental health.
There are many mental health conditions such as stress, sleep deprivation, anxiety and depression. According to the Mental Health Foundation, one in four British adults experience at least one diagnosable mental health problem in any one year.
Frances Molloy Chief Executive of Health@Work said: “Mental health can be a serious issue and be very costly for businesses and we want to tackle this problem in Liverpool. Our work with the Workplace Wellbeing Charter offers advice to employers to implement mechanisms to deal with mental health issues in the workplace and we can tell them how to spot the early signs of a mental health issue developing, so people can address the situation quicker.”

She added: “We encourage things like healthy eating and regular exercise- it is surprising how small things like this can have such a positive affect on a person’s wellbeing and can help prevent a mental health issue occurring.”

According to Frances there is clear evidence that shows a direct link between employee health and well being and financial benefits for the organisations. Some national organisations implementing their own wellbeing initiatives have recorded a 95% improvement in sickness absence rates and have reduced staff turnover by 25%.
The Charter focuses on seven key areas – leadership; sickness and absence management; alcohol and substance misuse; smoking; mental health and stress; healthy eating and physical activity.
For free advice and support on creating a healthier workplace and for more information on the Workplace Wellbeing Charter contact Health@Work on 0151 236 6608 or e-mail info@healthatworkcentre.org.uk

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