Improved workplace mental health ‘could save money’

Promoting mental well-being in the workplace could see the average business saving hundreds of thousands of pounds a year, it has been predicted.

A recent report by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) stated that companies could find themselves making a typical annual saving of £250,000 simply by reducing stress among the workforce.

The report recommended employers and HR teams consider introducing a flexible working policy or rewarding people for doing a good job by giving them more days off.

Furthermore, promoting a "culture of participation, equality and fairness" based upon communication was also advised, while the group stated that employers should use frameworks such as Health and Safety Executive management standards for work-related stress in order to promote employee mental well-being.

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Yesterday (November 4th) was National Stress Awareness Day, organised by the International Stress Management Association (ISMA).

Ann McCracken, chair of ISMA, said that stress caused 13.5 million workdays being lost in the UK every year.