MIND is a leading mental health charity for England and Wales and has been a vigorously campaigning for a society that promotes and protects good mental health for all. Their goal is a society where people suffering from mental distress are treated fairly, positively and with respect. As an organization, they also target campaigns that could identify possible causes of mental distress and how the lives of people with experience of mental health problems can be improved.

One of their on-going campaigns is Taking Care of Business: Mental Health at Work which is designed to help people understand and start talking about the costs of neglecting mental wellbeing in the workplace.

They believe that 1 out of 6 workers is experiencing depression, anxiety or stress but their research showed a more alarming result which is that workers are afraid of being fired or forced out of their jobs if they admit to feeling stressed or depressed

The survey done by MIND on 2000 workers established that work is one of the leading causes of stress with 41% of them admitting to being very stressed about work.

Unfortunately 1 out of 5 workers believe that admitting you are stressed because of work could put them first in line for redundancy.

The charity has found that the worker’s fears are not unfounded since 22% of those who have made known a mental health problem in their previous jobs have either been fired or forced to quit.

Half of those questioned were scared to take time off sick especially because two out of three workers had been put under more pressure by managers since the economic downturn and a third felt stressed by budget cuts in their workplace.

And worse, more these professionals in work clothes believe that their boss would not help them cope with stress.

The global economic crisis has in fact worsened the situation when workers stress levels are increased with issues of budget cuts and job losses as well as excessive workloads and unrealistic targets.

MIND voiced concern about the mental health situation in the workplace. They compared it to an elephant because it is something really big but most often is unaddressed or ignored.

Firms and employers are urged by MIND to tackle stress in the workplace by investing in staff wellbeing and encouraging an open culture, where staff is able to open up about their feelings, the stress and pressures being experienced, and feel that they are being supported by their company. The management should not only be seen as boss in business clothes but as human beings who care for their workers.

Making the necessary changes to ensure a workplace that is more mentally healthy need not be expensive. Simple and practical changes like making sure staff take proper breaks and giving them the chance to talk can make a huge difference.

Nurture a positive workplace culture by treating your people well, promoting their health and wellbeing and also by being there to support them when things get them down. It can be an employer’s best investment as it will reduce sickness absence and have a productive and committed workforce.

Mental health problems at work should be properly addressed by companies and it is high time they start doing it NOW!