How can SMBs benefit from bespoke mental health and wellbeing programs and solutions?
What is the impact of Mental Health on SMBs?
There is an enormous cost to the economy of poor mental health – £300 billion every year, from which £101 billion is the loss for businesses. Nearly 75% of the £300bn is due to the lost productivity of people living with mental health conditions and their families. Therefore, a radical change to the approach to mental health needs to be made. The priority should be given to the prevention which can result in improving wellbeing for all and reducing the cost to the economy.
What can employers do for their team with a bespoke wellbeing programs?
According to the recommendations based on the latest report by IRPR commission on health and prosperity (2023), there is a need for more effective prevention, faster treatment and workplace inclusion to boost UK-wide prosperity. This report begins to set out a framework, including three key principles:
- Treatment shift – Faster access to the NHS, earlier diagnosis and innovative treatments will create a healthier and more productive population.
- Social shift – Some people will inevitably have to live with health conditions; however, by having better social care services, stronger routes to work and more inclusive workplaces, the barriers can be removed.
- Prevention shift – Preventing illness is both effective and cost-efficient. Many of the conditions impacting the labour market, such as cardiovascular diseases, can be prevented. Unknowingly to many, mental health is affecting people’s physical health and generates harmful behaviours. For example, depression has been linked to many chronic illnesses such as diabetes, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and arthritis.
Having this knowledge, employers can start investing in employee’s mental health by delivering early intervention for mental health.
How can companies deliver early intervention for mental health?
- Finding an online specialist therapist as soon as problems arise;
- Having access to specialist therapists at a short notice;
- Having consultation on support of specific mental health matters;
- Enabling employees to access high quality psychotherapists;
- Setting up a supportive culture in the business starting from the top;
- Develop mechanism for feedback and use existing wellbeing data through staff surveys, turnovers and patterns.
What can we do for you?
We can deliver affordable mental health and wellbeing programs. We work closely with our clients and their teams, and regularly we review the outcomes of their progress.
We provide wellbeing and mental health consulting on specific areas to small and medium sized companies by discovering what their specific needs are.
We support companies to prioritize their employees to achieve the best mental health and wellbeing outcomes for them.
If you want to hear from us, contact us and we will get back to you to set up a free consultation.
References
https://www.ippr.org/media-office/revealed-mental-health-problems-most-common-condition-among-the-sick-forced-out-of-uk-workforce
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/how-does-mental-health-affect-physical-health
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/about-us/news/mental-health-problems-cost-uk-economy-least-gbp-118-billion-year-new-research
