October 24 2021
Stress and poor mental health in the workplace are growing problems and My Occ Health is working hard with employers, HR teams and line managers to help them identify and address the issues through several layers of support – including our hugely beneficial counselling and talking therapy offerings.
Poor mental health is costing employers between £33bn and £42bn a year and remains the biggest cause of working days lost through sickness and absence with the number of employees reporting mental health issues continuing to rise rapidly.
More and more businesses are realising that early intervention is key with nearly 50% now looking at some sort of improvement or addition to their workplace offering, including mental health and stress management services – simple steps which can be taken with the help of My Occ Health.
Stress is not an illness and can be difficult for the individual or those closest to them to identify, but if prolonged and left unchecked it can lead to anxiety and depression. It can have a serious effect on a person’s mental health and wellbeing and strongly impact on their ability to do their job efficiently, resulting in a cost to your business. Common causes of stress include:
Employers and line managers need to promote a healthy working environment, know how to recognise the signs of stress and take appropriate action. We often recommend peer support, a ‘support buddy’ or ‘welfare monitor’ within the workplace, and usually this is someone trusted, and slightly senior to the member of staff, who is asked to be mindful of their welfare and to be alert to some of the signs and symptoms.
Many workplaces have welfare monitors in place as routine for specific teams of people as being able to speak with a supportive supervisor is especially useful for team members who are dealing with stress, anxiety and depression.
This may be something employers want to look at as their teams and staff return from working at home.
Employee counselling interventions have also helped to reduce sickness and absence rates in organisations by as much as 50%. Counselling helps to maintain a healthy and happy workforce and is a proven cost-effective way of improving productivity while making employees feel valued and supported – benefitting staff morale and retention.
This form of intervention at an early stage means the employee is likely to recover their good health and wellbeing more quickly – a positive outcome for them and your business.
Our fully qualified team of experts are able to work with you on maintaining a healthy and happy workforce, providing full support from referral to treatment. This includes:
With only one in five employees suffering from a mental health condition feeling they can confide in their employer, it’s important to have the appropriate levels of support and good practices in place within your business for the benefit of those staff who may not ask for help as well as those who do!
My Occ Health has a proven track record in helping businesses achieve this. For more information of how we can help your company, call us on 0330 0945866 or email enquiries@myocchealth.co.uk
December 2021
The Christmas season comes loaded with many lovely things, including delicious meals, colourful parties, awesome family get-togethers, and more. Sadly though, there’s often a downside to Christmas, with a spike in illnesses often the unexpected gift that visits along with Santa each year.
December 2021
It is estimated that over 1 billion people in the world are dealing with one form of disability or another. This is a significant number, and as such, disregarding people with disabilities during the recruitment process would be discriminating against a large percentage of the global population.
November 2021
When flu season is in full swing, the risk of catching flu or a cold from others is heightened. The workplace can be a pool of germs — sometimes all it takes is a single sneeze to spread the virus and affect dozens of colleagues.
