Great Britain : 30 major businesses commit to mental health

Thirty employers including banking names Santander Bank, Barclays Bank and Lloyds Banking Group, the Royal Mail, multinationals such as Unilever, and the advisory firm Deloitte have promised to recognize the importance of mental health at work and have signed the Mental Health at Work Commitment. This landmark agreement includes six core commitments stemming and formulated from the 2017 UK Government commissioned report, Thriving at Work (c.f. article No. 10928). The first commitment is to prioritize mental health in the workplace by developing and delivering a systematic programme of activity. The second is to proactively ensure work design and organisational culture drive positive mental health outcomes. The third is to promote an open culture around mental health, while the fourth aims to train staff on this issuer, and the fifth intends for the provision of mental health tools and support. The sixth and final commitment seeks to increase transparency and accountability through internal and external reporting. Sir Ian Cheshire, chairman of the Thriving at Work Leadership Council and chairman of Barclays UK, stated, “As employers, there are lots of things we can do that can make a difference to how our employees feel at work.” The CBI employers’ body also signed the commitment agreement. Only 51% of employees in the UK dare to speak openly about mental health at work while 39% believe they have suffered from mental ill health in the past (survey by the Business in the Community business-led charity).