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Some of the UK’s top employers have promised to tackle stigma and discrimination towards those with mental-health issues, to mark World Mental Health day (10 October).

The Department of Health, Pepsico, Shell, British Gas, Transport for London and Lloyds Banking Group have signed up to the Time to Change mental health anti-stigma programme, run by charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness.

Programme director Sue Baker said: “It is great to see some of our most high-profile employers making this commitment to tackle stigma and discrimination on World Mental Health Day. Our research has shown that 67 per cent of people said the fear of discrimination has stopped them telling an employer, or potential employer about their mental health-problem. Fifty per cent said they would be fearful of even applying for a job in the first place.

“By signing our pledge these employers are proactively showing that they are taking steps to make the workplace more open about mental health.”

The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day, which has been running for 20 years, is depression and governments and civil society around the world are being encouraged to address it as a widespread illness that affects individuals, their families and their colleagues and recognise it as a treatable condition.

The World Federation for Mental Health, which initiated and organises the day, estimates that 350 million people around the world are affected by depression and says this “alarming figure” should be “a wake-up call for us to address this global non-communicable disease”.

Earlier this month, the results of a survey by the European Depression Association revealed that Britain had the highest rate of respondents who had been diagnosed with the condition at some point in their lives.

Richard Nicolle, partner at law firm SNR Denton, warned that failure by employers to take appropriate action to address mental-health issues could result in substantial liability. He explained: “Employers are advised to have appropriate procedures in place whereby employees can feel free to raise concerns regarding mental-health issues on a confidential basis and receive appropriate support and assistance.

“Employers should be aware that many mental-health conditions will constitute disabilities under the Equality Act, and this places an obligation on an employer to make reasonable adjustments to working arrangements to assist the affected employee. In particular, employers should be mindful of exposing a potentially vulnerable employee to excessive pressure or workload, which could then trigger a relapse in their condition.’

The World Federation for Mental Health produces a range of information and education materials to help employers and campaigners promote the good mental-health message.