Workers are more open to bosses on mental health
A new survey of 8,000 UK adults has highlighted an increase in mental health transparency in the workplace.
This year, 35% of UK employees said they had called in sick due to poor mental health – but gave another reason.
While this is a significant percentage, it is four percentage points lower than the findings from Nuffield Health’s 2022 report.
Only 29% feel comfortable enough to disclose to their employer if they need time off due to poor mental health.
Mental health prevention lead at Nuffield Health, Lisa Gunn, said: ‘As well as the day-to-day worries that come with our personal and working lives, employees have also had to deal with the impact of a global pandemic and now the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
‘All these stressors combined can significantly affect the mental health of employees, so it’s more important than ever that businesses find ways to create open, transparent and connected workplace environments.’
She said that, in the past year, 48% said their work had negatively impacted their physical/mental health, so it was imperative companies were equipped to recognise signs of mental distress, like anxiety, in others.
The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 8,000 nationally representative respondents across the UK. The data was collected between 17 February and 6 March 2023.