Poor mental health
Health and Wellbeing
triggers work-related illness Stress, depression and anxiety were the cause of half of all work-related illness in the last year.
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hat’s the main conclusion from new research from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
According to the HSE, more than 820,000 people experienced work-related stress, anxiety or depression during the period, with around 1.7 million workers in total suffering from a work-related illness in 2020-21. The study said 645,000 workers reported that their work-related illness was caused or made worse by the coronavirus pandemic; 70 per cent of these were cases of stress, depression or anxiety. A total of 93,000 workers reported catching COVID-19 at work, with 52,000 of them working in the human health and social work sector. Aside from the strains caused by COVID-19, rising workloads, lack of support, violence, threats or bullying and changes at work were all cited as causes of poor mental health at work.
❛❛Whether people are
She said: “Whether people are working from home or back in the office, employers can proactively support staff by encouraging twoway conversations about health and wellbeing. They can also support their line managers with the skills to recognise the signs and have conversations with staff who are struggling. “Employees can also look after their own mental health by being open and honest with their line managers about their difficulties and taking steps to support their own wellbeing, including putting in work boundaries, making time for activities they enjoy and keeping active.” The research follows analysis by Glassdoor which found that employee burnout has doubled since lockdown ended, while a poll by Reassured found that more than a third of UK workers have felt more stressed since lockdown restrictions eased last year.
working from home or back in the office, employers can proactively support staff by encouraging two-way conversations about health and wellbeing. They can also support their line managers with the skills to recognise the signs and have conversations with
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staff who are struggling.
Sarah Albon, HSE’s chief executive, said: “The 12-month period in question coincides with the first national lockdown and the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic. There have been significant impacts on the labour market, which is reflected in our reporting. “The latest figures on work-related stress reinforce our previous concerns around the scale of this issue in workplaces.” Andy Bell, deputy chief executive of the Centre for Mental Health, said the findings were worrying but not surprising. He said: “The last two years have put people’s mental health under unprecedented pressure. Many people have experienced anxiety, trauma and loss as a result of the pandemic, and economic uncertainty is an added pressure for many more. “Employers can help to provide people with safe working conditions, in workplaces that are open about mental health and where help is at hand when it’s needed.” Emma Slaven, mental health and wellbeing senior business partner at Acas, said there were ways for employers and staff to support mental wellbeing at work.
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