Back to work as the festive season slips into the past, recovering from holiday hangovers, plagued by wintery grey skies, the realisation of money spent and waiting for a payday that takes forever to arrive... It is no surprise then that January is considered one of the most depressing months of the year!
This year Monday 16 January 2012 has been confirmed as 'Blue Monday', the date in January when post-Christmas gloom is at its worst, bringing together a dark combination of miserable weather, bad debt, failed resolutions and low motivation. Combine this with possible mental health issues an individual may be dealing with and given the continuing economic climate, the stress of this January may be worse than usual for many people. With David Cameron predicting another difficult year ahead, employers should be extra mindful of picking up on stress and depression issues affecting so many in these uncertain times.
A recent survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has confirmed that more than a quarter of employees suffer or have suffered from a mental health problem whilst in employment, but just 40% feel confident enough to disclose this to their employer and only 37% say their employer supports mental health problems in the workplace!
Why should employers care?
Stress is not in itself an illness, but may lead to or trigger other illnesses such as depression or heart problems. It can be difficult to identify stress in the workplace, but some example symptoms include declining ability to concentrate or work effectively, uncharacteristic errors, declining performance, indecision, loss of motivation, arriving late for work, crying, over-reaction to problems, malicious gossip, bullying or poor employee relations. Not only does stress affect those who continue to attend work and the business itself through lowered productivity, but stress is also the number one cause of long-term sickness absence.
Although there is no direct legislation dealing with stress, employers have duties under various avenues, such as health and safety, working time, discrimination and harassment legislation, common law duties and contractual duties. It is therefore important for employers to identify work related stress and manage the mental wellbeing of their employees, not only to lower the substantial and costly effect it may have on the business but also in accordance with employer duties.
So what can employers do?
In the short term, tips for a better Blue Monday include giving or receiving compliments, listening to music, hearing laughter, having a dress down day at work or padding round the office barefoot or in slippers! In 2011 an ActionAid survey showed people are happiest when helping those in need, and with that in mind, the charity spread some cheer last year through the City of London with space hoppers, smoothies and massages.
In the long term, measures to reduce stress in the workplace can include a system of open communications and support in the workplace, such as clarifying the company's objectives and the role of individual employees, matching responsibility and control over work and improving working conditions and processes. Employers could undertake stress audits, use return to work interviews after sickness absence, train managers to identify and manage stress, have in place an anti-stress policy and provide counselling or other employee assistance programmes. Most recently, specialist employer Remploy Employment Services is set to provide an in-work mental health support service lasting up to six months to enable employees to remain in employment, and is expected to assist more than 1,600 people.
Whatever you choose to do with your Blue Monday or 2012 as a whole, remember that supporting employees through difficult times does not need to cost a pretty penny and a smile is worth a thousand words.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
