FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Money and Mental Health Comment: Thriving at Work – the Stevenson/Farmer review on mental health and employers

A new government-commissioned report has found that 300,000 people with long-term mental health problems lose their jobs every year, and makes 40 recommendations about how employers and the government can better support employees to remain at work. This includes for all employers to create a ‘mental health at work plan’.

Commenting, Helen Undy, Head of External Affairs at The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, who contributed to the report, said:

“Five years ago this conversation would not have been happening; talking about mental health at work is becoming easier, but there’s still a long way to go. This report takes us another important step on that journey and we hope to see employers – from the Government to small businesses – embracing it and creating their own mental health at work plans.

“To be meaningful, these plans can’t just be warm words – employers need to start some honest conversations about the risk factors for poor mental health in their workplace. A quarter of employees are in a difficult financial situation, with debt and a lack of savings meaning a simple unexpected cost, like a broken down car, can cause real distress. For others, insecure work or a fluctuating income in the gig-economy affect mental health. These mental health plans are an opportunity for employers to understand the issues their employees are facing, and to tackle them head-on.”

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Notes to editors:

1. Money and Mental Health sat on the Expert Advisory Group for the Farmer/Stephenson review, which produced this report.
2. The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute was set up by Martin Lewis in spring 2016, registered charity number 1166493.
3. It conducts research and develops policies for banks, lenders, regulators, the health service and government to help people with mental health problems protect themselves from financial difficulties and get out of debt.
4. You can read the full ‘Thriving at Work’ report here.
5. Money and Mental Health recently produced new research on money worries at work, in partnership with Salary Finance. You can read the full report here.