Brits suffering from poor workplace mental health

The report – which surveyed 8,000 UK adults – found that a higher percentage of women (48 per cent) reported that their work had a negative psychological impact, compared with men (40 per cent).

Women also reported being less confident in openly discussing their mental wellbeing with their employer, and were more likely to have gone into work more than 10 times in the past year (22 per cent), compared with 16 per cent of men When not feeling well??! (I’m hoping they have gone into work 10 times! Needs explanation here)

Over a third (34 per cent) of men have called in sick in the past year due to poor mental health, and were happy to disclose this information with their employer. This contrasts with only a quarter (24 per cent) of women. 

“There’s no single reason why more women are struggling with poor mental health at work than men, but the way societal structures and gender norms interact could have a substantial impact on emotional wellbeing,” said Lisa Gunn, Mental Health Prevention Lead at Nuffield Health. “To prevent losing female talent, organisations must consider their workplaces’ practices to ensure they are supportive for females and fit for purpose.

She added: “Managers need to fundamentally rethink company structures to promote fairness and equal opportunities and prevent poor mental health and burnout for all employees”.

Employers should take their workforce’s mental health concerns seriously, as many workers have reported valuing their mental wellbeing over higher salaries. Expat employees are particularly vulnerable, with over a quarter (28 per cent) self-reporting that they suffer from least one mental health condition in a recent AXA survey.