HSE has warned work-related stress and poor mental health are becoming a health and safety crisis in workplaces, as two in five employees report worsened mental health in the wake of Covid-19
Whilst the full impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is yet to be fully understood, mental health issues are the number one reason given for sick days in the UK.
Last year, more than 17 million working days were lost as a result of stress, anxiety, or depression. A recent survey by the charity Mind suggests that two in five employees’ mental health had worsened during the pandemic.
In response to this, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched its new ‘Working Minds’ campaign at the Health and Work conference.
The campaign aims to help businesses recognise the signs of work-related stress and make tackling issues routine.
While ‘Working Minds’ is specifically targeting six million workers in small businesses, HSE is calling for a culture change across Britain’s workplaces, to ensure psychological risks are treated the same as physical ones in health and safety risk management.
‘No worker should suffer in silence’
HSE’s chief executive Sarah Albon, said: “Work-related stress and poor mental health should be treated with the same significance as risks of poor physical health and injury.
“In terms of the affect it has on workers, significant and long-term stress can limit performance and impact personal lives.
“No worker should suffer in silence and if we don’t act now to improve workers’ mental health, this could evolve into a health and safety crisis.
“The pandemic has highlighted the need to protect the health of employees who have faced unprecedented challenges; the government is committed to building back better and we want to make sure good mental health is central to this.”
HSE aims to remind businesses the importance of worker mental health – that no matter where people work, employers have a legal duty to assess the risks in the workplace, not just in terms of potential hazards and physical safety.
The campaign also aims to promote good working practices, which in turn, encourages an open environment where employees can share their concerns and discuss options to ease pressures.
Albon added: “Our campaign is focused on giving employers a clear reminder of their duties while championing reducing work-related stress and promoting good mental health at work.”
HSE has partnered with a number of organisations to highlight the triggers of stress, the legal duty of employers and how to manage the risks.
The network of Working Minds champions includes the charity Mind, which supports and empowers anyone experiencing a mental health problem in England.
Working Minds is aimed specifically at supporting small businesses by providing employers and workers with easy to implement advice, including simple steps in its ‘5 R’s’ to Reach out, Recognise, Respond, Reflect, and make it Routine.
‘Promoting good mental health’
Dane Krambergar, head of Workplace Wellbeing Services at Mind, said: “We’re really pleased to be supporting HSE’s Working Minds campaign which aims to support businesses to promote good mental health among their staff.
“Mind has long been working with employers of different sizes and sectors to help them create mentally healthy workplaces, but this has never been more important. This campaign couldn’t have come at a better time, given the impact the pandemic has taken on employers and staff.
“We recently surveyed over 40,000 staff working across 114 organisations. Two in five (41 per cent) employees told us their mental health had worsened during the pandemic.”
