Gill Hasson - Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace: A Practical Guide for Employers and Employees

I welcome this practical resource that clearly helps to provide authoritative advice on this key subject. Mental health and wellbeing are important, and too often ignored, it is great to see clear explanation and practical advice in this comprehensive text.

Dr Steven Boorman CBE, Director of Employee Health

This book is a valuable resource in helping us meet the challenge of recognising mental health issues in the workplace. As a society, we're gradually chipping away at the stigma that still exists, and through Gill and Donna's work on this book and the work pioneered at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals, we can continue to change attitudes and promote genuine wellbeing at work.

Dame Marianne Griffiths, Chief Executive of Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

This is a valuable resource, especially for employers, managers and employees but also for all concerned about mental health at work. It tackles some of the most important challenges in today's workplace, and makes good use of recent evidence.

Professor Dame Carol Black, Expert Advisor on Health and Work to the Department of Health and Public Health England

Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace is a must-have book for both employees and employers.

Beautifully written, easy to follow and packed with vital knowledge and practical strategies. This is not an opinion-based book. Its' evidence based, referencing fascinating studies because the expert authors have really done their homework and brought this together with their wealth of actual experience on the subject. With the ever-growing crisis of stress related illness in the workplace and mental health problems in society at large, these experts have given readers a true gift in knowing how to properly support self- care and for employers, the caring of others.

Dr Margot Sunderland, D.Psych - Director and Founder of The Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education

Gill Hasson

Donna Butler

This edition first published 2020

2020 Gill Hasson & Donna Butler.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is Available:

Names: Hasson, Gill, author. | Butler, Donna (Donna Margaret), author.

Title: Mental health and wellbeing in the workplace : a practical guide for employers and employees / Gill Hasson, Donna Butler.

Description: Chichester, West Sussex : Wiley-Capstone, 2020. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020004334 (print) | LCCN 2020004335 (ebook) | ISBN 9780857088284 (paperback) | ISBN 9780857088307 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9780857088291 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Psychology, IndustrialGreat Britain. | EmployeesMental healthGreat Britain. | Quality of work lifeGreat Britain. | Employee health promotionGreat Britain. | Personnel managementGreat Britain. | WorkPsychological aspects. | Work environmentPsychological aspects.

Classification: LCC HF5548.8 .H353 2020 (print) | LCC HF5548.8 (ebook) | DDC 158.7dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020004334

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020004335

Cover Design: Wiley

Cover Image: Elaine Barker/Shutterstock

To our sons Jake and Tom who brought us together.

Adults in employment spend a large proportion of their time at work, so our jobs and workplaces can have a big impact on our physical and mental health and wellbeing. There is clear evidence that good work improves health and wellbeing across people's lives, both in terms of quality of life and economically. This entails working in an environment that is safe, as well as having a sense of security, autonomy, control, good line management and good communication.

However, for some people, work can also be a cause of stress and anxiety and alongside life's challenges, people's circumstances and experiences can further compound problems, which can lead to experiencing common mental health problems. This puts further strain on individuals and those they care for and about.

There is a growing emphasis amongst politicians, academics, trade unions, mental health organisations, employers large and small and workers on promoting good mental health and preventing mental ill health. This is important, as one in four adults experiences at least one mental health problem in any given year, and early signs of poor mental health, including feeling anxious, stressed, having low mood or trouble sleeping, can affect everyone. And in 2018, 17.5million working days were lost in the UK due to stress, depression, anxiety and serious mental health problem-related sickness absence. This costs UK employers an estimated 8 billion per year in lost productivity.

Supporting good mental health is about having a whole workplace approach as part of overall health and wellbeing, preventing problems, and intervening early and providing effective support and care to those experiencing mental illnesses. It is also about working in a way that encourages and supports good practice amongst managers and staff alike, and having a compassionate environment that values everyone.

At Public Health England, we have established better mental health as one of our ten priorities in our 2020-2025 strategy. Our aim is to ensure that mental health has parity with physical health, modelling the role that organisations can play as employers whilst embedding good mental health across our own work. We are also supporting the NHS on the mental health components of their Long Term Plan, including suicide prevention and new models of care to improve the health and wellbeing of people with severe mental illness.