Leaders of UK businesses including Bupa, BT, RBS and Mars are collaborating to launch a new campaign that aims to end the "stifling" culture of silence on mental health in the workplace.
Led by Business in the Community's (BITC) new Workwell Health Champions Group whose founding members include BT, Bupa, RBS, Mars and Procter & Gamble, the campaign will join members and business leaders to ensure mental health is managed on the same level as physical health within organisations.
Today the group launched its inaugural report, Mental Health: We're Ready to Talk, as part of Responsible Business Week, presenting evidence that a culture of silence around mental health is severely damaging UK business productivity and competitiveness.
The group's goal is to encourage members to make mental health a strategic boardroom issue while also supporting employers to take preventative and supportive action on employee mental health.
BITC's Workwell Mental Health Champions Group chair and Bupa Health Funding corporate director Patrick Watt said: "This report gives the strongest evidence yet of the business costs of ignoring mental health. It's the first time such high profile business leaders have come together to address this issue.
"It's time for the mental health agenda to move outside the realm of HR. It is a critical business issue and it must be led by the leaders."
According to the report, 15.2 million days of sickness absence in the UK in 2013 were caused by everyday conditions such as stress, anxiety or depression, a significant rise from 11.8 million days in 2010.
Yet despite one in six employees suffering mental health issues, the report found that businesses were not putting procedures in place to ensure the mental wellbeing of their staff. Fewer than half of those affected by mental ill health felt confident enough to disclose their condition, which the BITC warned could make existing problems more severe.
BITC workwell director Louise Aston said there was a "strong moral and business case" for employers to engage in mental health.
"People are suffering in silence but it doesn't have to be this way. Unless proactive, preventative steps are embedded into how businesses manage and nurture their people, issues that could otherwise be resolved simply can soon develop into ill health, absence and disengagement.
"Organisations that do not promote the mental wellbeing of their employees risk long-term problems, including reduced competitiveness, lower productivity and fewer prospects for sustainable growth. Conversely, the rewards for businesses that engage with this issue are huge," she added.
