‘Sicknote Culture’: Why It’s up to Employers to Change the Status Quo

An estimated 850,000 more people are currently economically inactive, according to reports.

And around 47% of all working days lost due to ill health are down to mental health reasons, though this doesn't seem to get discussed in as much detail as it should be.

Additionally, mental health and physical health are so closely correlated that some individuals are signed off for a physical health reason, but their physical symptoms are caused by stress or other mental health conditions like anxiety. Many also choose to report their symptoms as a physical health issue because of stigma.

Where does the responsibility lie?

There's always an element of personal responsibility, where if someone is unwell, there are steps that they’re going to need to take in order to get well, but they certainly can't do that on their own.

Access to services is vital. That's where the government has a responsibility in terms of providing what’s needed. And that's where a big part of this issue lies. For those who are off work with their mental health, the lead time to get mental health support is huge. In most major cities, individuals would be looking at a six-month lead time for counselling and therapy through their GP.

There have also been a lot of budget cuts over the years, and mental health services are significantly underfunded as a result.

This means that employers can now no longer rely on the NHS to help provide the solutions if and when employees need support to get over mental ill health.

Why employers must do more

Employers must step up to fill some of those gaps and have plans in place to help both prevent and support.

There are steps that workplaces should be taking to improve people's wellbeing and reduce the number of individuals that are being signed off sick.

Education is really important from a preventative point of view, because if somebody comes forward and their line manager, for instance, doesn't know how to respond, this could be particularly detrimental.

Having a basic understanding of mental health is key, as there is a lot of misinformation out there, as well as often, an old-school mentality surrounding mental health issues.

That's where mental health training becomes vital, such as Mental Health First Aid training for line managers to teach them how to support their teams.

That's also crucial when people return to work after experiencing mental health issues. There's often an expectation that someone is just going to come back and resume working as normal, but that’s not expected with physical health issues.

Having managers trained up to support individuals within their team effectively when they come back means that they're less likely to need to be signed off again.

Something invaluable that comes from mental health training is knowing how to make adjustments for people who may be struggling. Sometimes it's as simple as saying ‘if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed, just know that you can talk to me, and I'll help you any way I can’ or just letting them know they can take a break whenever they need to.

That means that employees are less likely to get to a point where they are feeling overwhelmed because they know they have options. It’s also about offering additional support such as employee assistance programmes or counselling and therapy services.

General mental health awareness training for HR and all employees can be really valuable, too, even if it’s something as simple as a short webinar on mental health awareness.

This type of support helps create a culture where mental health isn't stigmatised, reducing those instances where people bottle things up until it gets to the point where they need to take time off.

There’s certainly not just one solution that will work for everyone. But employers must take steps forward and put resources in place to safeguard their employees.

To learn more about the right resources to implement to help safeguard staff in workplaces, please get in touch.