The findings also suggested that line managers are concerned about saying or doing the wrong thing and so are often reluctant to broach the subject with their staff.
Commenting on the study, which was carried out in prior to Mental Health Awareness Week, IOSH said that is shows mental health remains a ‘taboo’ subject in many British workplaces. In response, it has urged businesses to develop ‘prevention-first’ approach to dealing with it.
Other key findings from the survey, which quizzed 400 employees from a variety of businesses across Britain in order to get a clearer picture of what is being done to support workers with mental health problems, include:
Duncan Spencer, Head of Advice and Practice at IOSH, said: “These survey results are deeply worrying. They demonstrate that while much work has been done to remove the stigma of mental health, is still a taboo in many workplaces.
“Businesses need to work hard to break down these taboos, by creating more open lines of communication. Line managers are vital in creating workplaces that are positive for people’s mental health and wellbeing, but they need to be equipped with the right skills and knowledge to do this.
“We encourage businesses to create a prevention-first approach to managing mental health and wellbeing.”
In this episode of the Safety & Health Podcast, ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.
We provide an insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.
having been a successful HSE person for more years than I care to mention: I have been stigmatised and judged incapable of work – I ensure you I am not
Ensuring that our workforce has the right skills, knowledge, and experience to work alongside people who may challenge is an important part of any model of care and support.
Creating a Model of Care is not rocket science.