Mental Health Awareness Week

Mental health problems such as anxiety and depression are thought to be the leading cause of work absences, accounting for up to 40% of sickness leave. In 2008, mental health accounted for 442,000 cases of work-related illnesses and had an estimated cost of £13.5 million. As a result, mental ill-health now accounts for a significant proportion of long-term sickness and early retirement, cited as the leading cause of illness for 20% of NHS employees. 

Despite positive action from the government, the coronavirus pandemic has increased levels of loneliness. According to the British Red Cross, 41% of people reported feeling lonelier since the first lockdown. 

Mental Health Foundation survey figures suggest that 7% of UK adults feel ‘often or always’ lonely now, compared to 6% who reported that they had felt ‘often or always’ lonely before the pandemic, mirroring the Office for National Statistics’ findings that the number of people feeling ‘often or always’ lonely had increased from 5% in April 2020 to 7.2% in February 2021.This means that around 3.7 million adults living in Great Britain feel lonely. 

For wider society, a government-commissioned report into the economics of loneliness conservatively estimated that the wellbeing, health, and work productivity cost of severe loneliness is at least £9,900 per person per year. Stigmatisation of loneliness remains an issue. Our survey* found that 25% of people feel ‘ashamed’ about being lonely, and that 35% of people would not admit to someone that they felt lonely. 

Security work can be a lonely environment on static sites, we have recognised this for many years and operate our EAP (Employee assistance programme) that is assessable for 24/7 for all our employees, we have welfare officers in place that visit our lone workers. While traditional working hours are 37 hours a week, the recent and dramatic rise in Britain’s working hours suggests this is likely to increase. 20.1% of the UK working population work 45 hours or more per week, most security officers opt out of the working time regulations, we have been encouraging staff to work less hours and enjoy a work-life balance. 

 

 

British Red Cross wellbeing and first aid toolkit https://www.redcross.org.uk/-/media/documents/brc-aviva-wellbeing-toolkit-adult-english-2022.pdf?la=en&hash=24901804D58044B093FF654B270F2AE032841FE6 

Guidance, support, and activities to boost your skills, confidence, and connections 

 

Mental Health Foundation https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week/loneliness-help-and-advice?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mhaw&bbeml=tp-EbFsTopOv0SfkgIhAgzciA.jSvA7G6coT06oOktNCSOZ4g.rzcp2EbRU6UaguuFGdZWjqg.lB78Ch9y5WU-_1kAUWgrg6w 

Help and advice on how to cope with loneliness and improve your mental Health.