November 10, 2014Although a drop in sickness absence from work has been recorded in the last year, 40 per cent of employers have actually reported increased incidences of depression and anxiety. This indicates how negative aspects of work can impact on any of us and it is estimated that the costs of working while ill – presenteeism – are even greater than those of absenteeism.
Legal and public health guidance encourages organisations to go beyond providing psychological support services in order to fulfil their duty of care and benefit employees and organisations alike.
While access to counselling plays a valuable role for those already experiencing distress, HSE and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence recognise a well-designed workplace can prevent stress-related problems. This can range from improving employee control over their work to provision for flexible working. Above all, manager behaviour can predict psychological health outcomes among employees and NICE are soon to publish guidance about this very topic.
Given the potential for such issues to impact on workplace success, the University of Salford is currently surveying organisations to establish their awareness of steps to improve psychological well-being at work.
Readers are invited to take part: http://www.survey.bris.ac.uk/salford/nice
Dr Ashley Weinberg will be giving advice on what organisations can do to address this issue at the RoSPA Occupational Safety and Health Congress on Wednesday 19 November. For more information, visit: www.rospa.com/events/congress
