Employees feel comfortable discussing mental health with employer

A third of UK employees would feel comfortable discussing mental health issues with their employer, according to a survey by Capita Employee Benefits.

The research, which surveyed over 3,000 employees in the UK, found that employees would feel comfortable discussing issues such as depression, whilst 31 per cent would speak to colleagues about taking time off work for mental health issues.

Support

The survey also showed that 44 per cent of respondents know a co-worker who left their job as a result of stress, whilst 36 per cent said that they know colleagues who have complained to their employer concerning issues such as stress and not received support.

While a third of employees would feel comfortable discussing stress or depression with an employer, over half of respondents said that they would not feel able to discuss these issues with other employees.

Over 70 per cent of employees have experienced stress at work over the past year, with 20 per cent taking time off as a result of stress.

The report also showed that some employees have received support at work, with 10 per cent having access to an employee assistance programme (EAP) at work.

Responsibility

Commenting on the findings, Capita Employee Benefits Head of Health Management, Alistair Dornan, said: “Our research reveals that a significant proportion of the UK’s working population believes employers have a responsibility towards the personal health and mental wellbeing of their staff. And yet many [employees] are still uncomfortable speaking to their bosses about mental health, while a worrying quarter of the population say they have complained but nothing was done.”