Half of workers with a mental health problem hide it from employer

Almost half of British workers with mental health problems hide them from employers for fear it will block career progress, a new survey has found.

A poll by health tech firm Mynurva found 32% of full-time employees have suffered from some form of mental health issue in the workplace, equating to roughly 7.5 million people across the UK.

Of these, 33% have never sought any professional help, and nearly half (44%) have not opened up to their bosses about the problem.

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When asked why, 55% said they feared admitting their issues to a manager would hinder their chances of a promotion, while 59% thought it would negatively affect their relationships with colleagues if it became common knowledge in the office.

This figure rises to 71% among workers aged 18 to 34.

A separate study by consultancy firm Barnett Waddingham found workers on lower salaries feel less comfortable talking to their employer about mental health.

The survey of 3,000 UK employees found that for those earnings between £20,000 and £30,000 a year (the average UK salary), just two in five (40%) said they would be happy talking about mental health at work. Yet this rises to 50% among workers earning £50,000 to £60,000 a year, and 67% for those on £70,000 to £75,000.

Online recruitment website OnRec says “a lack of trust and training could be two of the biggest barriers to conversation and drivers of this trend”, while “another explanation for employees on lower salaries not wanting to talk about mental health is that they feel their company isn’t interested in them as individuals”.

Laura Matthews, workplace wellbeing consultant at Barnett Waddingham, says: “While some employers are really taking a lead on mental health, our research shows that it still feels like a taboo subject for employees, especially those on lower salaries who are most vulnerable if they lose their income.”

It is estimated that 91 million working days are lost in the UK every year due to people’s struggles with mental health at a cost to the national economy of £99bn.

A government review published last year showed that a staggering 300,000 people lose their job each year as a direct consequence of mental health problems.

On Sunday, 50 of Britain’s top executives wrote an open letter to Theresa May urging her to fulfill a manifesto pledge and make mental health first aid at work compulsory.