STEP marked World Mental Health Day on 10 October with The Capacity Conversation: Best Practice, an event hosted by the Employer Partnership team and the Mental Capacity Special Interest Group in London.
Simon Hardy TEP of Kingsley Napley explained that clients need to plan for loss of capacity, but many have not done so. While the UK has 12 million over-65s, and an estimated 850,000 dementia suffers, little more than 3 million LPAs and EPAs have been registered. When assessing someone’s capacity, the best way is to let them talk, he said, making sure that you find out their wishes, while showing that you care and are compassionate.
Laura Brayston and Claire Tomkins of Freeths, one of STEP’s Platinum Employer Partners, discussed their firm’s holistic approach to mental health at work. Freeths has instigated a top-down approach, with senior managers, who are supplied with e-learning resources, supporting initiatives to care for staff in an open and inclusive environment. The staff feel invested in, and cared about by their employer, they value mental health resources and support groups, and also appreciate treats such as snacks and drinks on Fridays.
Dan Walshe of the charity, Rethink Mental Illness, observed that mental health includes emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. It affects how we think, feel and act, and like physical health, can change over time. With an estimated one in four people affected, mental health costs employers up to GBP42 billion a year. Presenteeism (working while unwell and not fully functioning) costs from GBP18-26 billion a year, with absenteeism and staff turnover each costing GBP8 billion.
Six key recommendations for employers from Rethink Mental Illness:
- Produce, implement and communicate a mental health at work plan;
- Develop mental health awareness among employees;
- Encourage open conversations about mental health and the support available to those struggling;
- Provide good working conditions for employees;
- Promote effective people management; and
- Routinely monitor employee mental health and wellbeing.
Resources from Rethink Mental Illness:
- What’s reasonable at work (pdf)
- How you can help (pdf)
To find out how other organisations are tackling mental health in the workplace read our STEP Journal article, Thriving at Work (pdf).
Laura Keith, Programme Manager – Employer Partnerships, STEP
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