More employees seek help for mental health problems
Published by: LifeWorks,
One of the world’s largest Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and Wellbeing providers, LifeWorks recorded a 40 percent increase in the number of calls to their UK service from staff suffering from anxiety and depression last year and first quarter figures this year show a 25% increase on the same period in 2016. Over the last five years, there has been an overall increase of 174 percent.
The company provides services for over 6 million employees in the UK and has a network of over 600 clinical experts. Anxiety and depression is the most common reason for calling by a significant majority, representing 37 percent of all calls to the service. The second most common reason for calling is personal relationship problems at just 7 percent.
LifeWorks has also seen an increase in the demand for emotional support, up by nearly a third last year (27 percent) and more than three-fifths (55 percent) over the last three years. First quarter figures this year show a 27% percent increase on the same period last year.
Commenting on the figures, LifeWorks UK Clinical Director, Colin Grange said, “Whilst this upward trend may seem alarming, given one in six British workers are affected by mental health issues, it indicates staff are taking up the support provided by their employers. This hasn’t always been the case; the stigma of having a mental health issue and a general lack of awareness of workplace support tools have been significant barriers. This is a sign that organisations are starting to embed mental health wellbeing into their workplace philosophy.”
The majority of callers to the service say their performance at work remains normal or satisfactory despite their reasons for calling, but ten percent say their work is impaired or severely impaired and nine percent are on sick leave or absent as a result.
Colin adds, “The ideal scenario is that people contact us for help before things get so bad for them that they can no longer go to work. It’s reassuring to see employees taking action sooner and we must encourage this.”
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Notes to Editors:
The statistics are UK statistics from 2011 to End March 2017.
LifeWorks is an all-in-one holistic wellbeing solution that delivers everyday wellbeing for employees. It services 49,000 businesses, provides a network of 20,000+ clinical experts and 16,000 retail merchant partnerships
LifeWorks is on a mission to help companies play a meaningful and significant role in their employee’s wellbeing by driving down healthcare costs, preventing absenteeism and boosting community and company culture through pro-active and preventative programs that employees love using everyday.
Clients include J.D. Irving Limited, Marriott International, Sodexo, giffgaff, Ceridien & Worldpay. In 2016, it was voted the next Great HR Technology Company at HRTech Chicago.