Results unveiled by Personal Group show that three-quarters of employees don’t think their workplace offers enough mental health support

Shocking new research released today by Personal Group, the technology-enabled employee services business, shows that despite a broader mainstream awareness of mental health, not enough support is given to employees suffering in the workplace.

A startling 39% of those surveyed said their workplace does not offer any mental health support for employees, showing a disregard by employers for the rising issue of mental health support. And of all employees surveyed 66% felt their employer does not offer enough support for employee mental health.

Corporate apathy

This corporate apathy felt by employees arrives at a time when awareness of mental health issues in the UK is on the rise. Eighty percent of respondents said they had noticed an overall increase in awareness of mental health generally in the UK, however, a staggering 62% said they noticed no change in the levels of awareness in the workplace.

There is also a growing appetite for education around mental health. Although 64% of employees believe they could provide support for someone struggling with a mental illness, more than half (58%) of employees would still like to be given mental health awareness training by their employer to develop their understanding and skills. Over half (60%) of respondents said they thought they would be able to notice the signs of someone suffering from a mental health problem; however, 36% said they were unsure.

“It is surprising, not to mention a real shame, that such a large number of employees still feel there isn’t enough mental health support available in the workplace, especially surprising as the topic has significantly increased in awareness in recent years. It is more important than ever that business leaders and decision makers break the culture of stigma and silence around mental health and start making it a management priority and ensuring that a range of support is available for those who need it.”

Rebekah Tapping, Group HR Director at Personal Group

The survey was conducted between the 28 September to 19 October 2018 and investigated issues ranging from the level of awareness of mental health wellbeing within the workplace and the current state of mental health support provided by employers for staff. There were 1,089 responses in total.

Interestingly, the survey was answered by more women than men, which may anecdotally highlight that women are much more comfortable talking about mental health issues than their male counterparts. However, more men than women wanted access to an employee helpline (28% vs 23%).

>See also: Lower paid staff are more afraid of discussing mental health issues with employers