More than a quarter (28%) of employer respondents who currently have clear policies and tools in place to support mental wellbeing are looking to do more in this area, according to research by Legal and General.
Its Red report: mental health in the workplace, challenges and solutions report, which surveyed employer delegates attending its inaugural Not a Red Card forum event, also found that 38% of respondents are aware of the resources available to them when it comes to supporting employee mental wellbeing.
The research also found:
- 23% of respondents do not have policies and tools in place to support mental wellbeing, however they will be implementing something in the next 12 months.
- 16% of respondents do not have clear policies or tools in place that support employees with their mental wellbeing, compared to 10% of respondents who do.
- 84% of respondents believe their own performance at work has been impacted by their mental health.
- 48% of respondents do not think their employees would confide in a colleague if they were struggling with their mental wellbeing.
- 85% of respondents have seen improvements in mental health discussions in the workplace over the past five years.
- 97% believe the recent increase in media coverage of mental health stories from the sporting world has helped to destigmatise the topic.
Nigel Wilson (pictured), chief executive officer at Legal and General, said: “Understanding the barriers to discussing mental health in the workplace is the key to improving the quality and quantity of these conversations. Our Not a Red Card campaign launched last May, used the power of sport and iconic sports people to tackle the issue head on, and we were able to engage with 3.5 million people on social media alone.
“Our Red report is the next step to identify what is discouraging employees from being open and honest about mental health. I firmly believe that business leaders can learn a lot from talking to each other more about mental health and also by engaging across different sectors. Our sports stars who have spoken so bravely and openly on the topic, reinforce the fact that mental health should be given exactly the same time and care as physical health.”