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Featured

Sophie Cox

Senior Comms and Marketing Officer, Mental Health at Work

As you probably know, the Mental Health at Work Commitment is a simple framework to support employers in making a positive change around mental health. It builds on what we already know actually works: based on the  Thriving at Work  standards, pulling from the pledges and standards that are already out there, and using up-to-date research from UK employers and mental health experts.

Launched in 2019, we've seen almost 3,000 employers sign up - which means that over 5 million people at work are actively being supported with their mental health.

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Paying attention to mental health in the workplace has never been more important. Mental Health at Work is here to help you find what you need.

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We pride ourselves on supporting the community by designing free resources, packed with useful tips and tools to support your wellbeing and mental health.

Over the last couple of months, we've been sharing a lot of our thoughts about the importance of community and our need to experience a sense of belonging. Humans are social animals, and we cannot thrive without having meaningful relationships.

Being socially engaged and participating in social activities, interacting with others and positive social exchange give rise to feelings of acceptance, connection and support that are crucial to our overall wellbeing.

However, feeling that we belong isn't something that applies solely to our personal lives; it's equally applicable to our experience at work. Given that most of us spend over a third of our life at work, it's essential to our wellbeing that we feel valued and appreciated. Multiple studies support this, indicating that social connectivity is key to fostering a sense of purpose and wellbeing in the workplace.

Yet in today's world, many of us appear to lack a sense of belonging in our workplaces. The events of the last two years have seen countless numbers resign following a reassessment of their priorities. But while some have quit to pursue their dream careers, or to be a stay-at-home parents, the majority have resigned for a rather different reason: workplace culture and the way their employers treated them. Consequently, employers are now facing an unprecedented crisis which has been dubbed The Great Resignation.

The Great Resignation

The Great Resignation refers to the economic trend of employees quitting their jobs en masse. The phenomenon, which began in 2021, is still ongoing, with approximately a third of UK employees reporting that they are considering a change of career in 2022. Which begs the question, what impact will this have on those who remain?

Change, as the last couple of years, have demonstrated, is inevitable in life and business. And, with the Great Resignation showing no signs of abating, organisations that fail to adapt and respond to the changing needs of their workforce will ultimately fall by the wayside as employees continue to leave. Conversely, those who embrace change and strive to create a progressive culture, where employees feel valued and experience a strong sense of belonging, are the employers of the future.

If you would like to find out more about how we can support your organisation you can book a free business consultation with one of our experts today!

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Listen to Neil Shah discussing the impact of stress, our use of technology and how the past year has tested our resilience on BBC Radio London and Talk Radio Europe.

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Over the last couple of months, we've been sharing a lot of our thoughts about the importance of community and our need to experience a sense of belonging. Humans are social animals, and we cannot thrive without having meaningful relationships.

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Understand what is meant by mental health and mental ill health

Identify triggers of mental ill health

Identify a range of mental ill health problems

Identify prejudices associated with mental health problems

Understand what promotes good mental health and wellbeing

Learn how to provide support

Indentify sources of support for mental health and wellbeing.

Understand how to look after your Mental health at work

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Mental ill-health is an issue that affects all of us. Over four million Australians will experience mental illness this year alone. Many more of us will be affected as family members, friends or colleagues.

Defining mental ill-health

Mental ill-health is an umbrella term often used in policy documents and prevention work to describe both mental health concerns and mental illness.

While it is currently used by governments and organisations, it is not a preferred term to be used in community or with people who have personal or lived experience.

As the term is used differently by different stakeholders, it is necessary to consider the context in which it is used and check preferences of your audience. If used, the term 'mental ill-health' should be used as an umbrella term rather than to refer to mental health concerns or mental illness individually.

For some culturally and linguistically diverse groups, the word 'mental' may be taboo or have a negative connotation. A focus on wellbeing may be preferred.

Mental illness

A mental illness is the most commonly used term to describe conditions diagnosed by a medical professional that significantly affect how a person thinks, feels and interacts with other people.

Mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are diagnosed according to standardised criteria.

Alternative terms include:

Mental disorder

Mental health diagnosis

Usage guide:

A person living with mental illness

He has a mental illness diagnosis

Mental health problems

A mental health concern can interfere with how a person thinks, feels and behaves, but not to the extent that it meets the criteria for a mental illness diagnosis.

Mental health problems are more common and likely to resolve in time, but if a mental health problem persists or increases in severity, it may develop into a mental illness.

Alternative terms include:

Mental health challenges

Mental health issues

Mental health hurdles

Mental health difficulties.

Visit the Our words matter: Glossary of terms on the Mindframe program website for more guidance on terms relating to mental health and wellbeing, mental ill-health, self-harm, suicide, eating disorders and alcohol and other drugs (AOD)

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Understanding mental ill-health | Everymind

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Over four million Australians will experience mental illness this year alone. Many more will be affected as family members, friends and colleagues.

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Get to know us

Every year, one in four people will experience a mental health problem.

What do we do?

We're Mind and we're here to fight for mental health. We offer mental health advice and support to those who need it; through our charity shops, our mind networks, or our Workplace Wellbeing services.

Our Workplace Wellbeing Client Services team provides support for employers to help raise mental health awareness. We do this through training courses, eLearning, and advising on better mental health policies and practices, through our Workplace Wellbeing Index.

Why do we do it?

We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health. Considering how much time we spend working, it's not surprising that our jobs can have a significant impact on our mental wellbeing.

Our research shows that work is the biggest cause of stress in our lives. Even more than money problems. Stress can stop people from being their best. We can help your organisation understand how to best support people and create a mentally healthy workplace.

How can our team support you?

Poor mental health among employees costs UK employers £53bn - £56bn each year.
Deloitte: Mental health and employers, March 2022

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Workplace Wellbeing Index brochure 2023/24

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Our Workplace Wellbeing Index is a benchmark of best policy and practice, designed to celebrate good work and provide key recommendations.

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Find information and support for your mental health.

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This content discusses discrimination or discriminatory violence (such as homophobia, racism, sexism and ableism), which some people may find triggering.

Summary

how stigma and discrimination affect people with mental health problems

why people with mental health problems are discriminated against

what you can do about stigma and discrimination

what you can do if you are being discriminated against.

Mental health problems are common, affecting thousands of us in the UK. Despite this, there is still a strong stigma (negative attitude) around mental health. People with mental health problems can also experience discrimination (negative treatment) in all aspects of their lives.

This stigma and discrimination make many people's problems worse. It can come from society, employers, the media, and even our friends and family. You may even experience internalised stigma, where you come to believe the negative messages or stereotypes about yourself.

How do stigma and discrimination affect people with mental health problems?

Nearly nine out of ten people with mental health problems say that stigma and discrimination have a negative effect on their lives.

We know that people with mental health problems are among the least likely of any group with a long-term health condition or disability to:

find work

be in a steady, long-term relationship

live in decent housing

be socially included in mainstream society

Stigma and discrimination can also make someone's mental health problems worse and delay or stop them from getting help. Social isolation, poor housing, unemployment and poverty are all linked to mental ill health. So stigma and discrimination can trap people in a cycle of illness.

You may face more than one type of stigma: for example, you may also be stigmatised because of your race, gender, sexuality or disability. This can make life even harder.

Why are people with mental health problems discriminated against?

There are many reasons for this discrimination, including:

stereotypes. Society can have stereotyped views about mental ill health. Some people believe people with mental health problems are dangerous when in fact, they are at a higher risk of being attacked or harming themselves than hurting other people

the media. Media reports often link mental ill health with violence or portray people with mental health problems as dangerous, criminal, evil, or very disabled and unable to live normal, fulfilled lives

What can I do about stigma and discrimination?

Challenge stigma

Time to Change campaigned to change the way people think and act about mental health problems. The campaign has now closed, but there is still plenty of useful information on their website about challenging stigma and discrimination when you see, hear or experience it.

They have tips for talking to someone about their mental health, which can be as simple as asking someone if they're sure if they tell you they're feeling fine. Showing someone that there's no shame or stigma in talking about how they feel could make a huge difference.

They also have resources for your workplace or school if you want to help others understand mental health and challenge stigma.

In Scotland, the anti-stigma organisation See Me has ideas on challenging stigma and discrimination. They also have resources and activities you could use at work.

Join our network

If you want to do more campaigning around mental health issues, you could join OPEN, our experience network. It's an online community of people we ask to inform us what we do, through anything from quick feedback on a social media post to participating in a research project. We want to hear from people with a range of mental health experiences, whether yours is good, bad or something in between.

I'm being discriminated against - what can I do?

The Equality Act 2010 protects you from discrimination and lets you challenge it. It makes it illegal to discriminate against people with mental health problems when you:

are at work, applying for a job, or leaving one

use services such as hotels, restaurants, public transport, hospitals, local councils and places of worship

deal with organisations carrying out public functions such as tax collection or law enforcement

buy or rent a property

To be protected, you need to show your mental health problem is a disability. You may not think of yourself as disabled, but the Equality Act could still protect you if you fit its definition of disability. You need to show you have a long-term mental health problem that makes your everyday life substantially difficult. Mind has more information on what this could mean for you.

There are different ways you can experience discrimination, including:

direct discrimination: if you're treated worse than others because of your mental health problem

indirect discrimination: if a person or organisation has arrangements in place that put you at an unfair disadvantage

discrimination arising from your disability: if you're treated badly because of something that happens because of your mental health problem, for example, if you're given a warning at work for taking time off for medical appointments

harassment: if you're intimidated, offended or humiliated

victimisation: if you're treated badly because you've made a complaint

There are different things you can do if you're experiencing discrimination. In general, it's best to try these steps to resolve things.

1. Talk to someone informally. Speak to the person or organisation who has discriminated against you. This can be a quick and easy way to resolve things.

2. Make a formal complaint. You can make a formal complaint if an informal conversation doesn't resolve things. Try to do it in writing if possible. Give a clear account of what went wrong and what you'd like to happen, such as an apology, explanation or better service in future. Your complaint should be properly investigated, and you should be told the outcome.

3. Complain to the ombudsman. If your formal complaint doesn't change things, you can take your complaint to an ombudsman. Mind has more information on which ombudsman to contact in England and Wales and how they work. There are different ombudsmen for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

4. Make a legal challenge. If you're not able to resolve things through the ombudsman, you may want to make a legal challenge.

You don't have to take any of these steps on your own. You can ask a friend or relative for help or help from a professional advocate.

Further resources and information

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How stigma and discrimination affect people with mental health problems; why people with mental health problems are discriminated against; what you can do about stigma and discrimination; and what you can do if you are being discriminated against.

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What is good mental health?

Looking after your mental health is not something we should just do if we are struggling, or feeling low, anxious or stressed. It's actually something we should think about all the time and really invest in, just like with our physical health.

Staying on top of our mental wellbeing is good for us now but also helps us deal manage difficult times in the future. Over time, it can also reduce our risk of physical health problems.

There are lots of things we can do to look after our mental health and wellbeing every day - make a start with these 7 top tips.

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Top tips to improve your mental wellbeing - Every Mind Matters

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Good mental health is essential to living happy and healthy lives. See 7 areas of life where simple changes can make a big difference. Why not start today?

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Understanding how to help someone

About 1 in 4 people experience mental health problems each year, so most of us will know someone who has struggled with their mental health.

We can all feel anxious, stressed or low at times, but it can be a problem if these feelings get worse, go on for a long time or affect our daily lives.

If you know someone who is struggling to sleep or is having issues with their mental health, there are things you can do.

It can take time for someone's mental health to improve, and some of us may need professional help, but there are ways to help and support someone get back to positive mental health.

We also have help and advice if you are worried about a child or young person.

If you're worried about a work colleague or employee, or want to learn more about mental health support in the workplace, Mental Health at Work has relevant information and resources.

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Helping others with mental health problems - Every Mind Matters

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Understanding how to help someone About 1 in 4 people experience mental health problems each year, so most of us will know someone who has struggled with their mental health. We can all feel anxious, stressed or low at times, but it can be a problem if these feelings get worse, go on for a long time or affect our daily lives.

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We all need good mental health and wellbeing - it's essential to living happy and healthy lives, and can help us sleep better, feel better, do the things we want to do and have more positive relationships. It can also help us deal with difficult times in the future.

Try our quick Mind Plan quiz to get personalised suggestions now, or find other tips, advice and support to help boost your mental wellbeing.

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Mental wellbeing tips - Every Mind Matters

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From a personalised plan to boost your mental wellbeing, to top tips to stay on top of your mental health and self-care videos for young people, we have loads of advice and support to help you look after your mind.

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I had a black dog, his name was depression

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At its worst, depression can be a frightening, debilitating condition. Millions of people around the world live with depression. Many of these individuals and their families are afraid to talk about their struggles, and don't know where to turn for help. However, depression is largely preventable and treatable.