1 in 4 and £32.7 billion by 2030

When researching for my KMA blogs about working together to help end the stigma of mental health and the workplace, I came across these thoughts. They are from Karen Johnson, Head of Large Corporates for Barclays in the North East of England.

“Approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK experience a mental health problem each year and by 2030 the estimated cost of staff mental health related issues is set to rise to £32.7 billion.

As responsible businesses we all have an obligation to get involved and take an active interest in the wellbeing of our staff whilst creating environments where those in need can get the help and support required both now and in the future.”

Have a read of our other blog on how to increase productivity in the work place!

As an Occupational Therapist with such a great team alongside me at Kate Meads Associates I think there are three key takeaways in all this:

  • The 1 in 4 statistic is always food for thought. It’s a high percentage so as a society we need to do as much as we can to break the stigma around it.  There are lots of ways we can do this. Just by talking to others and really listening is one small way we can make a bid difference.

  • The figure of £32.7 billion by 2030 shows just how important all our work is in this area. And it’s worth remembering that the cost doesn’t just relate to those individuals affected by mental health issues. It’s also all those around, them, family, friends and work colleagues who are all impacted in different ways.

  • The quote ‘As responsible businesses we all have an obligation to get involved’ shows progress is being made in raising awareness of mental health in the workplace and helping those people who need our help. However, we have much further to go – this is an ongoing and continuous process. Early interventions at all levels are essential so success.

This is me

Karen Johnson, Head of Large Corporates for Barclays in the North East of England helped launch the This is Me campaign in Manchester this year. This is Me campaigns to end the stigma around mental health in the workplace, almost 200 businesses and the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, were at the launch, which was held during Mental Health Awareness week 2016.

The This is Me campaign was developed by The Lord Mayor’s Appeal in London and initiated by Barclays.

We have a previous blog that touches on workplace well-being!

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