New research from Peninsula Group shows the impact that mental
health is having on small and medium-sized businesses.
The global HR, employment law and health & safety
consultancy surveyed 79,000 businesses across Australia, Canada,
Ireland, New Zealand, revealing a 140% increase year-on-year
in the number of employers seeing the impact from poor mental
health across their workforce.
Alan Price, Peninsula Group Chief Operations Officer, says,
“Mental health is now the leading cause of absence, with an
estimated 17.1 million days lost to mental health in the UK alone1.
We wanted to understand more the pressures that SME owners are
under, and the real life impact this epidemic is having on
businesses around the world.
“The Lancet Commission estimates that by 2030 the cost to global
business from mental health will reach $16 trillion3. So it’s
critical that employers take this seriously. Healthy employees make
for healthy workplaces, so it’s encouraging to see many employers
are comfortable discussing both their own and their employees’
mental health. SMEs around the world are under pressure like never
before, and the impact this has cannot be underestimated.
“With increased pressure on traditional health services, more
businesses are turning to EAPs to provide meaningful and immediate
support to their employees. With an average ROI of 10:12 they are
an affordable and financially viable way of offering meaningful
support. And it’s good to see bosses leading from the front, with a
24% YoY increase in the number of employers using the
company EAP when they themselves are struggling.
“There is still work to be done to ensure that global workplaces
are healthy and happy, both physically and mentally, but it’s clear
that progress is being made. The willingness of people to speak
about mental health concerns and a change in workplace attitude
towards them are major steps in the right direction.”
Key findings include:
- A 30% increase in the number of employers experiencing
poor mental health
- Canadian employers are three times more likely to take time
off work due to mental health than UK bosses; twice as likely
as Irish employers
- Mental health related sickness absence increased 20% in
the last 12 months
- Australia saw the biggest increase YoY, with 43% more
employers reporting increased sickness absence than this time
last year
- 40% more employers offer support for mental health
- 1 in 5 UK SME owners and managers have experienced
mental health issues, compared to 1 in 10 last year
- 63% increase in the number of SMEs with mental health
first aiders in place
- Employers in the UK and IRE are bucking the trend on
work/life balance, both countries saw a decrease in the number
citing it as a priority
Mental health days
Our data found that Canadian and Kiwi employers are most likely
to offer mental health days in addition to personal leave
entitlement than any other. In comparison, 83% of employers in the
UK, 83% in Ireland, and 77% in Australia do not offer mental health
days or plan to introduce them in the next 12 months.
Whilst ‘duvet days’ certainly generate headlines; most SMEs do
not believe that they are the answer to addressing mental health
concerns. And the results look a lot different when compared to how
much annual leave employees in each country get.
Workers in the UK are entitled to 5.6 weeks paid annual leave,
whereas in Canada the standard is between 2-3 weeks. So it’s no
surprise that Canadian employers are almost 4 times as likely to
offer additional mental health days on top of this than UK
employers.
Employers in New Zealand are the most generous, with 20%
offering mental health days in addition to the four weeks’ annual
leave entitlement. Another 16% plan to introduce them in the next
12 months.
Work/life balance
The percentage of SME owners and managers prioritising work/life
balance fell in the both the UK and Ireland, as the drive to get
people back into the workplace full time continues. However it rose
by at least 50% across Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
Employer support
Globally there was a 66% YoY increase in the number of
businesses who have introduced mental health first aiders to the
workplace, with Ireland seeing an 86% YoY increase.
40% of UK businesses have introduced more support measures and
20% have mental health first aiders in place – double that of all
the other countries surveyed.
Significant steps have also been taken in Canada and Australia.
There was a 52% YoY increase in the number of Australian businesses
providing mental health first aiders, and a 76% YoY increase in
support measures across Canadian workplaces.
Worryingly when people do speak out about their mental health, 1
in 3 of those who spoke to their boss said that nothing was done.
One respondent commented ‘Whilst I am confident supporting
employees, I am not confident raising issues I personally have. As
a long-tenured manager, I feel my needs are overlooked/brushed
over, whilst support and adjustments are offered to younger
colleagues.’
Absence
Mental health related absence rose 21% globally over the last
year, including significant increases in both Canada and Australia.
However both the UK and Ireland reported a decrease in sickness
absence year on year, a potential indicator of presenteeism
creeping back into the workplace.
Notes to editor
Full survey data and in-depth analysis is available to download
at
www.peninsulagrouplimited.com/resource-hub/business-advice/uk-lagging-in-mental-health-conversations/
Alan Price, COO at Peninsula Group Global, is available for
interview.
Method of survey
The survey was conducted from 13-20 May 2024 across Peninsula
Group’s global client base.
Other resources
1 Health and safety statistics 2022 (hse.gov.uk) 2
EAPA-ROI-Report-2023.pdf 3 Lancet Commission_policy
brief_MHIN2.v3.pdf (mhinnovation.net)
www.healthassured.org/review-of-ha-2023-service-trends/
About Peninsula Group
Across the globe, Peninsula Group supports employers through
their toughest workplace challenges. Each day, small business
owners face hurdles of all different sizes. From HR to health &
safety, technology to tax advice, the Peninsula Group companies
have got you covered, providing familiar reassurance, expert
knowledge, and practical solutions to keep you compliant. It's how
more than 140,000 employers around the world reduce their legal
risk and free up more time for their business.
www.peninsulagroupglobal.com
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240619266656/en/
Miriam Payne – Associate Director of Group PR and Comms T: 07929
711809 | E: Miriam.payne@peninsula-uk.com