TODAY holds the dubious title of ‘Most Depressing Day of the Year’, which is attributed to the dark winter nights, post-Festive ‘blues’ and the arrival of the predictably huge Christmas credit card bills.
As a ‘marker’, the day may help many Scottish employers to look at how mental health issues at work affect the productivity and reputation of their own businesses.
resolve business manager, Wendy Bates, explained that depression was recently named the most common UK illness by a GP poll*, with one in ten people currently undergoing treatment.
She said: “Recent research carried out by the CiPD** supports this finding and states that stress-related absence and instances of mental illness in the workplace continue to rise.”
Wendy highlighted how employers have a duty of care to protect the health, safety and welfare of staff and how resolve can help them meet their obligations.
“Fortunately, there are a number of routes open to employers to support the wellbeing of their employees caused by depression and other mental health issues,” said Wendy.
resolve works with businesses to both manage stress and promote positive mental wellbeing and was set up by mental health charity, Health in Mind, with funding from the Scottish Government Enterprise Growth Fund.
Wendy continued: “We train managers to spot the early warning signs of depression and help them to develop strategies for managing it.“
Some of the common signs of stress in the workplace to look out for include mood swings, poor performance, more days off sick, out of character behaviour and changes in personal appearance.
“With mental health issues at work estimated to cost Scottish employers over £2 billion every year, which is £970 per employee; the effective, personalised solutions offered by resolve develop employees coping strategies enabling them to continue or return to work.”
* Figures gathered from 8,000 GP practices and published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre
** Charted Institute of Personnel and Development Absence Management Survey 2012.
The resolve team can be contacted at the MWB Business Exchange, 9-10 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2AF or telephone 0131 718 6003.
ENDS
For further information
Contact Doreen Graham, Health in Mind Communications Manager on 075 9000 9953.
Notes for Editors:
- 40 per cent of all sick days are attributed to mental ill health
- at any one time, nearly one in six employees will be affected by a mental health condition such as stress, depression or anxiety
- the cost per employee is approx. £970
- the annual cost to Scottish business is in the region of £2 billion
Health in Mind is a registered Scottish Charity with over 30 years of experience in providing a range of mental health and wellbeing services including:
- information
- support
- training
- talking therapies.
The Enterprise Growth Fund is a £6m Scottish Government Fund.
The Fund is making strategic investments in ambitious and enterprising third sector organisations enabling them to develop, grow and become more sustainable.
It supports third sector organisations to realise their full potential and to make a key contribution to the National Outcomes of the Scottish Government.
The Enterprise Growth Fund is managed by the Wise Group with consortium partners CEiS, DSL and Social Value Lab.
resolve uses a guided self-help approach, the employee is supported by a psychologist qualified to use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) approaches during four one-hour sessions, over a six to eight week period.
Guided Self Help is recommended by NHS Scotland and NICE (the National Institute of Clinical Excellence) as an effective treatment for anxiety and mild to moderate depression.
MEDIA RELEASE posted by Health in Mind. You too can post media releases (aka press releases) on allmediascotland.com. For more information, email here.
Contact: Doreen Graham
Phone: 441312430137
Email: doreen@health-in-mind.org.uk
Website: http://www.resolvescotland.org.uk
