One in four full-time employees find work the best space to help them to speak about their mental health according to a poll of over 5,000 people in the UK by Mind, Co-op, Rethink Mental Illness in England, See Me with SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) in Scotland, Inspire and Change Your Mind in Northern Ireland and Time to Change Wales as part of this year’s ‘Time To Talk Day’.
Despite increases in hybrid and remote working as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic, the research showed that many still find a chat with colleagues a great way to help our mental health – with a larger proportion citing work above over local cafes (21%), the pub (17%), gym (17%) or library (9%).
Two thirds (65%) of retirees surveyed never make space to speak about mental health, compared to a quarter (26%) of full-time employees surveyed and a third (31%) of part-time employees.
People in full-time employment are slightly more likely to deem conversations about wellbeing to be important – 82% say it is important to speak about mental health – compared to 77% of the general population.
A quarter (25%) of respondents who are employed full-time would welcome more information in their place of work n.
The cost of poor mental health to UK employers has been estimated to be between £53bn and £56bn according to the Mental Health and Employers Report published in 2022 by Deloitte, with presenteeism, the cost of not performing at our best due to ill health, making up the majority of this significant cost.
