Shocking number of employees work when mentally unwell

Mental health is an issue that’s taken the fore in HR remits over the past few years, as more and more HR leaders have begun the recognize the importance of protecting their employees’ wellbeing.

However, despite the best efforts of organizations, employees are still keeping schtum when it comes to their own internal battles. A recent survey from Mind found that 84% of staff would continue to go into work even if they were suffering from mental health issues. Furthermore, just two fifths of those asked felt that their manager was capable of spotting the signs of poor mental health in their workplace.

“As we mark Mental Health Awareness Week, it is worrying to discover that half of employees still don’t feel able to speak out,” added Emma Mamo, head of workplace wellbeing at Mind.

“Too many people struggling with poor mental health, such as stress, anxiety and depression, still feel they need to stay silent. For some, reasons include; not feeling comfortable disclosing their mental health problem, worrying their employer will think they can’t do their job and not wanting to be treated differently.”

This culture of presenteeism seems to shift when it comes to employees’ physical health. Whilst eight in ten workers would come into work when experiencing poor mental health, just over half would come to work if they were physically unwell.

Furthermore, one fifth of employees believe their current workload is unmanageable, which in itself is impacting on their mental health.

HRD Canada recently reported on another mental wellbeing survey, which found that job strain is directly linked to onset mental illness.