Employees still struggling with stress

Stressed office workers are suffering in silence and employers aren’t doing enough to resolve the problem. This was the principal finding of a poll recently carried out by mental health charity Mind.

Almost half of all workers surveyed (45%) said they were expected to cope without mentioning stress at work, while a third (31%) claimed they would not be able to talk openly to their line manager if they felt stressed.

Mind has also found a huge difference in the perceptions of managers and other staff about how mental health is addressed in the workplace. Only 22% of workers felt that their boss takes active steps to help them manage stress.

Paradoxically, many managers seem to think that they are doing enough to support staff with over two thirds (68%) saying that they would find ways of helping staff who were stressed or experiencing a mental health problem.

Other key findings from Mind’s survey of more than 2,000 workers include:

• 36% believe that looking after staff mental wellbeing is an organisational priority

• 42% believe that in their workplace stress is regarded as a sign of weakness or being unable to cope

• Only a third (32%) think time off for stress is treated as seriously as time off for physical illness

• Nearly half (42%) believe that time off for stress is seen as an excuse for something else

Mind is inviting managers to sign up to its free webinars this autumn at mind.org.uk/work. The charity also offers numerous resources aimed at employers that provide valuable information on creating mentally healthy workplaces and supporting employees who are experiencing stress and other mental health problems.