AS AN employee of Stroud’s own Gloucestershire Counselling Service I have been tasked to write on the theme of mental health, which is clearly an honour but also something of a responsibility. 

For my first column I thought mental health and wellbeing in the workplace might be a timely subject given the amount of media exposure this thorny issue has been receiving of late.

There’s no way round it, the situation is alarming. 

The Mental Health Foundation claims that work-related stress, depression and anxiety are the leading causes of sickness absence from work. 

The recently commissioned government report, Thriving at Work cited the annual cost to the UK economy of poor mental health is at a staggering £99billion, with £42bn borne by employers. 

The authors of the report – Mind CEO, Paul Farmer, and mental health campaigner, Dennis Stevenson – said they were shocked to find the number of people forced to stop work as a result of mental health problems was 50 per cent higher than for those with physical health conditions.

This begs two questions - why are we facing such an epidemic and secondly what can we do about it? 

The report cites lack of support in the workplace as a major contributor to the problem and a survey conducted on a similar theme by Business In The Community, in partnership with YouGov, also found a shocking lack of employer awareness and responsiveness.   

When questioned, most managers (63%) said they felt obliged to put the interests of their organisation above the wellbeing of team members. 

Clearly the stigma around mental health is starting to shift but it has a very long way to go and the shame surrounding mental health is a huge barrier to addressing the problem.  

On a brighter note there is a lot that can be done to address the problem and it doesn’t take a government report to tell you that it makes financial sense to support your employees’ mental health. 

The government is calling for employers to commit to six core standards around mental health, including having a plan in place, increasing awareness among employees, stipulating line management responsibilities and routinely monitoring staff’s mental health and wellbeing.  

We are also starting to see the emergence of mental health first aid training and awareness in the workplace, for more info visit mhfaengland.org

Here at GCS we are supporting local employers through our Employee Wellbeing Service providing fast access to qualified and experienced counsellors, enabling people to reflect on difficulties and to clarify ways forward. 

GCS also provides training in listening and basic counselling skills proven to enhance workplace emotional health and wellbeing. 

For further information see gloscounselling.org.uk or call 01453 766310.