Two-fifths (40%) of employers cite rising workloads as the main reason for staff being off work with mental health illness, according to research by health and wellbeing provider HCML.
Its survey of 503 employees in organisations with more than 50 workers, and 200 HR leads, HR directors, heads of wellbeing and people directors at businesses with between 50 and 5,000 employees also found employers that said mental health conditions were the main reason for staff absence in the last six months, recognised that an increased workload is a significant cause of their mental ill health. One-third (31%) of employees felt workload pressures would ease if fewer colleagues were off sick.
Increased expectation around work performance contributed to mental ill-health absence, with 27% of employer respondents stating this as a main reason, while 65% cited the cost-of-living crisis. Those employed by bigger organisations were found to be more likely to be absent.
Meanwhile, 22% of employer respondents suggested a lack of support due to hybrid and work-from-home situations was a reason for mental ill health absence, while 24% cited conflicting home and work demands, 15% said job security, and 46% said personal and home life circumstances.
Pamela Gellatly, strategic development director at HCML, said: “What’s interesting is that although employers are citing rising workloads as a main reason for mental health sickness absence, they also believe other lifestyle factors are at play. Managers have a duty of care to ensure that employees are not overwhelmed while their colleagues are off sick or on annual leave. When absences are known in advance, it is important to review the workload to ensure it doesn’t impact the employees who are covering.
“Having strategies in place that assess not only the presenting symptoms but the underlying causation as well, can help employers understand what they need to address to reduce the occupational factors whilst employees can benefit from tailored care to ensure they received the most appropriate intervention and not just the standard five to six sessions of counselling.”
