Employers join together to prioritise mental health at work

Thirty-three leading organisations have committed to prioritising the mental health of their employees as they return to work in an open letter published today.

The letter is published in The Times by employers including Unilever, Barclays, Lloyds, Morgan Stanley, Santander, National Grid and Eon as well as the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development [CIPD].

Anxiety about returning to work

It cites recent research by the charity Mind, which found that 35% of employees describe their mental health as either ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ and that the prospect of returning to work was causing them to feel anxious. Other research, including by the ONS, suggests adults’ mental health has significantly worsened since the pandemic began.

The CIPD’s research found that 43% of employees said their general mental health has worsened since the coronavirus outbreak, rising to 52% for those with an existing mental health issue. Some 88% of employers were concerned about the impact of the pandemic on employee mental health. ‘Fear and anxiety about themselves or a loved one becoming ill’ was by far the most common concern reported by employees.