While 54% of employers claimed to have asked what mental health provision employees need, only 15% of employees said they have actually been asked, according to new research by Benenden Health.
The healthcare provider surveyed 2,000 UK employees and 500 business leaders and found that 45% of employees said counselling services would be most valued, followed by mental health leave (40%) and workload reviews (32%).
The findings highlighted a disconnect in awareness of mental health services caused by a lack of communication between employer and employee, as 47% of employers said they offer regular workload reviews to their employees, but just 14% of employees said they receive this.
Similarly, 44% of employers said they offer mental health sick leave, yet only 19% of employees said they receive it.
Furthermore, employees in the education sector have the poorest mental health, with 54% rating their mental health as good. They also ranked the lowest when asked if they think mental health is considered a high priority by their employer (35%), compared to those in construction (42%), professional science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) (51%), and human health and social care (52%).
Stress was found to be the most common mental health issue across all sectors, with an average of 56%. Education employees had the highest levels of stress (61%) and burnout (22%).
Rebecca Mian, director of people services at Benenden Health, said: “It is reassuring to see that employers are prioritising mental health for their workforce, just as much as physical health support. However, there’s still work to be done to improve the communication gap, so employees know exactly what support they have at their disposal when the need arises in the same way signposting support does, such as mental health helplines or website that can help employees.
“One example could be to incorporate mental health support questions into regular confidential employee surveys. It could also be encouraging to add mental health conversations to regular reviews, planning meetings, and appraisals. Including open questions as simple as ‘How manageable are you finding your workload?’ or ‘How are you feeling today?’ can encourage employees to share.”
