2. Mental health and the recession

A recent Acas discussion paper noted the impact of the recession on the mental health of workers. It quotes an Occupational Health magazine report which states that “studies of previous downturns suggest there will be an increase in GP and hospital appointments, particularly among men, and higher rates of smoking, drinking and drug use, as well as separation and divorce.”

Acas points to obvious links between the economic climate and mental disorders. An economic recession can provide many potential stumbling blocks — tipping individuals from ‘coping well’ into stress, or from stress into anxiety or depression”.

A 2009 survey by the IRS Employment Review found that almost two-thirds (65%) of employers surveyed reported that stress had increased among employees who had survived one or more redundancy programmes and a similar amount (64%) agreed that “it is difficult to ensure employees continue to trust us following redundancy programmes”.

More recently, mental health charity Mind’s 2010 survey of 2,050 workers found that about a third were working harder and nearly half worried about the security of their jobs because of the recession. Nine per cent had been to their GP as a direct result of pressure related to the financial squeeze, and seven per cent were prescribed medicines like anti-depressants to help them cope. One in five said work stress had made them physically ill, and one in four had been reduced to tears at work because of unmanageable pressure.

The charity found there was a worsening stress crisis at work. The numbers of people reporting having left a job due to stress rose from six per cent in 2004 to eight per cent in 2009 and those who say they lack support from their managers increased from eight per cent to 11 per cent. Mind is calling on companies to improve the atmosphere in workplaces and to show more understanding about mental health problems.

The findings coincide with new government statistics showing the biggest rise in antidepressant prescriptions ever, with a record 39.1 million issued in 2009, up from 35.9 million in 2008.

Over the next five years Mind’s “Taking care of business — mental health at work” campaign, which has the backing of the TUC and some major UK companies, aims to improve working environments and working lives.

Mind is calling for:

• recognition that mental health problems affect every workforce;

• an end to mental health stigma at work. Employers and employees should stop seeing mental health problems as a sign of weakness and start finding solutions;

• employers to promote a culture where employees can discuss stress and mental distress openly without fear of the consequences; and

• organisations to introduce workplace mental health policies that promote wellbeing for all staff, tackle work-related mental health problems and support staff who are experiencing mental distress.

Research published in The Lancet (July 2009) concluded that rising stress brought on by job losses could prompt a 2.4% rise in suicide rates in people under 64 years of age. David Stuckler and other researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Oxford University estimated that at least 25 to 290 suicides would occur as a direct result of the financial crisis.

Rise in the level of “presenteeism”

According to a survey by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists (CSP) in its October 2010 report, Sickness costs, a quarter of workers fear being sacked or earmarked for redundancy if they take time off sick. This fear is contributing to a worrying rise in levels of “presenteeism” — meaning coming to work when ill.

Mind’s recent survey referred to above confirms this trend, suggesting that millions of British workers feel forced to lie to their bosses about having to take stress induced sick leave. Of the one in five workers who admit to having called in sick because of stress, 93% claim to have given an alternative explanation for their absence. Seventy per cent of respondents said they would prefer to be able to be open with their boss about the reason for their absence.

Presenteeism is, by its very nature, hard to monitor, but trained reps can play a crucial role. Reps who understand the causes of presenteeism are able to notice its signs, can have open and supportive conversations with sufferers and can help access appropriate support. The TUC’s learning and skills organisation Unionlearn offers regular courses for reps on tackling stress in the workplace.

A study by the Work Foundation in April 2010 was the first to suggest a link between presenteeism and poor performance, raising the spectre of a vicious circle for workers who feel that they have no choice but to come to work when ill and who are then penalised for underperforming as a result. The three reasons offered most frequently for presenteeism in the Work Foundation study were work-related stress, perceived pressures from colleagues and managers to come to work and personal financial difficulties.

Welfare initiatives like the Better Health at Work Award, supported by the TUC, could help provide a platform for combating presenteeism through workshops targeting its underlying causes. The TUC “Work your Proper Hours” campaign also works to raise the profile of this issue.