Nearly nine out of ten of UK employers (85 per cent) believe they have a significant responsibility to provide a work environment that promotes mental wellbeing, according to a new Buck Consultants at Xerox survey report, ‘Promoting Mental Wellbeing: Addressing Worker Stress and Psychosocial Risks.’
Our 2015 Global Survey on Health Promotion and Workplace Wellness Strategies found that more than one in four UK employers (28 per cent) rate the stress level within their organisation as ‘high’ or ‘very high,’ with just 12 per cent believing their workplace has ‘low’ or ‘very low’ stress levels.
To help employers fulfil this responsibility, as part of wider wellbeing programmes, here at Buck Consultants at Xerox we are running our second annual Wake up to Workplace Wellbeing Month during September. We will be providing seminars, and resources on the key areas of workplace wellbeing to encourage UK businesses to reassess how they are addressing the overall health and wellness of their employees.
Anne-Marie Ayre, head of health and productivity at Buck Consultants at Xerox said: “Employee wellness can be a challenging proposition for employers to think about, but it’s encouraging to see so many acknowledging and addressing the importance of mental wellbeing in the workplace. A good employee programme will not only address the more obvious physical wellbeing, but tackle a wide range of issues, including the perhaps less obvious areas, such as mental health and financial wellbeing.
“The available wellness techniques and technologies continue to diversify, so businesses need to regularly review and update their programmes to keep employees happy, healthy and engaged. The resources available during Wake-up to Workplace Wellbeing Month provide a simple place to start.”
Wake up to Workplace Wellbeing Month
During September and across the following weeks, Buck Consultants at Xerox will be holding seminars, with MetLife, on mental health resilience, as well as producing a series of materials that can help employers guide their staff through a range of physical, mental and financial wellbeing situations. These resources will be part of a toolkit that will provide businesses with everything they need to identify and tackle wellbeing issues.
In November, Buck Consultants at Xerox will also be holding a seminar with HCA hospitals, to help employers deal with the workplace effects of cancer.
Ayre continues: “The benefits of having a successful wellness programme are felt throughout any business, as once the wellbeing of employees is being cared for, they can effectively fulfil their duties and drive the company forward.
“More than half (51 per cent) of the companies surveyed in our report rate their organisation as very or extremely supportive of the mental well-being of their employees. Over two-thirds (67 per cent) believe that this support comes from the culture they have within their business.”