Mental Health in the Workplace

Recognising, valuing, improving and protecting mental health in the workplace makes sound business sense, so we’re proud to be partnering with The Mental Health Foundation to highlight the importance of safeguarding employees' mental wellbeing.

Promoting a healthy culture and implementing polices that support people’s mental health isn’t a simple tick box exercise. Here we look at the challenges that businesses face, but also the opportunities that being proactive about mental health can bring.

A 2016 report produced by the Mental Health Foundation, Oxford Economics and Unum.

An at-a-glance look at some of the key mental health trends in the workplace.

A visual guide to share with your employees showing daily tasks that can help improve mental health now and in the future.

Enabling employers to be a part of the process is a vital part of tackling - and preventing - mental health issues in the workplace.

Mental health accounts for 17% of all Unum’s Group Income Protection claims, second only to cancer². By looking at mental health in the same way as we do physical health - as a state of health that everyone has - we can start to break down the stigma that still surrounds it.

^{2 Unum’s Annual Claims Statement. 2017}

As well as being useful day-to-day, this module can also be used to update your CPD hours.

A visual guide showing some of the potential signs of mental ill-health.

A visual guide showing some of the ways you can help support your employees' mental health.

Stress at work isn’t always a bad thing – it can help focus and prepare the body for action. But prolonged stress can lead to both physical and mental problems, and that's when it becomes an issue for both the employee and the company they work for.

In today's hyper-connected digital world, 73% of workers feel they are expected to be 'always on' and available for work³, which significantly increases their levels of stress and the likelihood of them leaving their job.

Nurturing your employees' mental health as well as recognising and knowing how to tackle stress, is something all companies, big or small, need to be prepared for. Here we look at the causes of workplace stress and what businesses can do to help protect their staff and themselves.

^{3 ‘The Future Workplace’ report, The Future Laboratories and Unum. 2014}

This online module looks at how to spot the signs of stress as well as how to support employees who may be struggling.

This guide looks at everything from how to recognise and tackle workplace stress to short and longer-term solutions to the problem.