Alarming research has found that around half of UK workers in the retail, hospitality and leisure industries have a hidden health issue which they don’t tell their employers about.1
Findings also revealed 63% of 16-23 year-olds and 60% of 24-38 year-olds don’t tell their employers about a health issue.
Just under half of UK workers in these industries said a strong health and wellbeing programme would increase their likelihood to join or stay with a business. But 69% of SMEs say they don’t consider a health and wellbeing package valuable in recruiting staff2.
Brian Hall, chief commercial officer at BHSF, believes its time for action and said: “These statistics must provide a reality check for employers, who need to be proactive in focusing on early intervention. A more open culture must be created in workplaces across the UK, and employers have to take responsibility for this change.
“When an employee opens up about their feelings and needs help, organisations need to have an answer. If employers cannot provide an answer and are not able to offer a competitive health and wellbeing package, no one will come to them. Employers need to get it right when it comes to providing support, make promises and fulfil them.”
Hall also adds that employers need to be doing more in helping employees, not just with physical health but also mental health. One in seven people in the UK experience mental health problems in the workplace3.
“Line managers should be trained to spot the first signs of poor mental health. For some employees, reluctance to discuss a mental health issue with their manager can be made worse by the fear it will harm their career prospects, result in poor grading during assessment or be seen as weakening a team.
“Providing mental health first-aiders or nominated responsible individuals is becoming increasingly popular. By encouraging an existing first-aider to be trained as a mental health first-aider, this can provide the business with a valuable asset.”
3 – https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/statistics/mental-health-statistics-mental-health-work
- Statistics provided by Benenden Health
