MINDFUL EMPLOYER

Lynn Aggett

Vocational Advisor, WorkWAYS &

Associate Consultant National Institute for Mental Health England

Outline

• MINDFUL EMPLOYER

• Supporting employers - why is it important?

• Reasonable adjustments

• Case studies – employee, employer, Vocational/Employment Advisor

By Employers, For Employers Good Practices not ‘Great Promises’ Adapted and Adopted Safe People not Scary Places

Key Principles

MINDFUL EMPLOYER provides Easily accessible information and resources Signposting to supporting agencies Links to other employers who may have had similar experiences Training in mental health awareness Access to job retention services Local employer networks Practical, hands-on support

Charter for Employers

Training Events & Seminars

Improving Links with GPs

Mental Health & Social Inclusion

Website www.mindfulemployer.net

www.mindfulemployer.netInformation for employers, employees, GPs,

health services & supporting organisations

Online Discussion Forum

Personal stories & good practice

Resources & links, support & training

Contact details

A policy to implementA target to achieve

MINDFUL EMPLOYER is…About supporting employersAbout communication between employersAbout improving the workplace

MINDFUL EMPLOYER isn’t…

Supporting Employers: Why is it important?

Estimated annual costs to UK employers of mental ill health (SCMH 2007)

Cost per average Total cost to

employee (£) UK employers Per cent (£billion) of total

Absenteeism 335 8.4 32.4

Presenteeism 605 15.1 58.4

Turnover1 95 2.4 9.2

Total 1035 25.9 100

1The cost of replacing staff who leave their job due to a mental health problem

• On average, mental health-related sickness absences last 21 days (Royal College of Psychiatrists 2008)

• Mental health problems causes 25% of absences of less than 7 days – but 47% of long-term absences

(Spurgeon et al., 2007; CBI, 2007; Unum Limited IfES, 2001)

• Compared with common physical conditions, mental health problems often gradual in onset and long lasting. As well as trying to conceal the problem from their employer, they may delay seeking help until the problem is severe and so more difficult to treat

(Dewa and Lin, 2000; Dewa et al., 2007).

• Mental ill health often causes fatigue and impaired attention, concentration and poor memory which affects productivity

(Scheid, 2005; Lerner et al., 2004; Mancoso, 1990)

Supporting Employers: Why is it important?

• Longer off sick - the more difficult it becomes to return to work and the less likely they will return to work at all

(Unum Limited IfES, 2001; DWP, 2004).

• Fear that, no matter how good a recovery they have made, symptoms will be made worse by going back to work… especially so for those who believe work has caused their health problem or made it worse

(Jones et al., 2005).

• A person might be passed as fit to return to work before they have attained previous levels of productivity… risk that poor performance, lack of effort or motivation or competence create the conditions in which it is more likely that the person believes that they are starting to become ill again.

(RCPsych 2008)

Supporting Employers: Why is it important?

Why should employers bother?

• Shows employees they are a good employer

• Helps retain talented & valued staff

• Reduces recruitment & training costs –

cost of retaining: <£2500 (Oxford Economics 2007);

cost of recruiting: >£5000 (Angela Mortimer 2007)

• Helps towards complying with legislation

• Enhances business delivery & service to customers

Supporting Employers: Why is it important?

• 73% of employers have hired some people with depression & 61% of employers had positive or very positive experience of having staff who experience mental ill health (CIPD 2007)

• 85% of employers who do employ people with mental health problems do not regret doing so (RCPsych 2008)

• Employers are more persuaded by experience than business case (National Employment Panel 2007)

• Personal characteristics and soft skills more important than qualifications; core characteristics of motivation and flexibility; willingness to work & learn; appearance, behaviour, confidence; positive gestures and mannerisms (Newton et al. 2005).

Supporting Employers: Why is it important?

Reasonable adjustmentsThe DDA places a duty on employers to make reasonable

adjustments to enable disabled people to obtain and keep employment. What constitutes reasonable adjustments is judged by how far it deals with the disadvantage, the cost of the adjustment, the resources of the employer and the availability of assistance or specialist help

Examples of reasonable adjustments:

Schedule modification Job modification

Environment modification Policy changes

Providing human assistance Providing technological assistance

Special supervisory considerations

Supporting Employers

• 50% support for client; 50% support for employer – impartial, independent

• Employers are the prime customers of job retention services, with individual employees in a client role. Service providers can usefully offer job retention advice to employers. (Healthy Minds at Work 2007)

• The most strongly associated factor in successful job retention… is the support of the manager or supervisor.

(Grove, Secker & Seebohm, 2005).

Supporting Employers

Case Studies

Supporting Employers

Feedback

The Employer’s Point of View

What’s important to the employer?

What different factors influence their decisions and attitudes?

MINDFUL EMPLOYER

www.mindfulemployer.net

www.workways.org.uk

01392 208833