The World Health Organisation recognises World Mental Health Day on 10 October every year.
The day provides an opportunity “for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide”.
This year’s theme set by the World Federation for Mental Health is mental health in the workplace.
According to YouGov research launched last week, supported by Mental Health at Work and commissioned by BITC, 15% of employees who disclosed mental ill health face dismissal, disciplinary action or demotion. Not only that, 60% of employees say they have experienced mental health issues in the past year because of work, yet the research exposes a vast shortfall in the way that mental health is viewed in the workplace:
• Less than a quarter (24%) of managers have received any training in mental health.
• 35% report not having any workplace facilities or services to support employee mental health and wellbeing.
• Only 11% of people felt able to disclose a mental health issue to their line manager.
We urge all organisations to use these research findings as an opportunity to reassess their approach to mental health and begin to make real headway in removing the stigma