Blue Monday, said to be "the most depressing day of the year", took place on 16 January this year. Whilst the concept of Blue Monday was originally created in association with a travel company to help boost holiday bookings, it still serves as a reminder every year of the importance of taking care of our mental health. The focus on mental health in the workplace has increased over recent years and is perhaps more important now than ever, having gone from a pandemic to the midst of dramatic rises in the cost of living.  To make matters worse, many businesses are struggling with employee retention. The winter months can be especially difficult for some, particularly those suffering from seasonal affective disorder. It is a good time for businesses to think about what initiatives they might put in place to support staff with mental health issues and so reduce staff turnover costs.

Why should employers take responsibility for mental health issues?

Employers have a duty of care to their employees and must take reasonable steps to support their employees' health, safety and wellbeing. Supporting employees with their mental health may help reduce absence, increase productivity and make employees feel valued by their employer. It is also important to remember that a mental health condition may be considered a disability under the Equality Act 2010 if it has a "substantial" and "long-term" adverse effect on an employee's ability to carry out normal daily activities. This may not always be obvious but, if the clues are there, employers are expected to piece them together, not plead ignorance. If an employee's mental health condition falls under this definition, and the employer knows or should have known that to be the case, the employer is under a duty to make reasonable adjustments in order to support the employee to remain in work.

Even where the definition of disability is not satisfied, it is generally good practice for employers to take reasonable steps to support employees with their mental health. Doing so may improve the employee's morale and their ability to do their job more effectively.  In 2022, CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, found that poor mental health was the most common cause of long-term sickness absence in the UK workplace. Mental health research from Deloitte in April 2022 also estimated that mental health problems cost UK employers up to £56 billion a year – up by 25% since the start of the pandemic! Employees want to feel valued and tend to appreciate a "human" touch from their employer. Absence levels are likely to be lower and morale higher in organisations where this is the case.

What can employers do?

Common mental health issues employers should look out for include stress, depression and anxiety. Guidance from ACAS suggests it is important to talk openly about mental health and create a supportive environment to ensure employees feel comfortable voicing any issues. The first step to solving any problem is to first understand what the problem is – preferably before it becomes serious and leads to long absences.

CIPD, in partnership with Mind, a mental health charity, has developed a guide to assist managers in dealing with mental health issues. The guide makes clear there are actions to be taken at all stages, not just when it becomes apparent that an employee is struggling. Action can begin even before the recruitment stage – for example, by creating realistic job descriptions to make sure the right person is picked for the job, whilst taking into account the duty of reasonable adjustments if necessary. Additionally, creating a positive management culture and focusing on helping employees build resilience and stress management skills can help employees prevent stress effectively.

The CIPD/Mind guide also sets out some early signs of poor mental health which could manifest physically, psychologically or behaviourally. An ability to spot these signs can assist in early intervention. However, whilst such potential indicators may be useful, the key is always to talk to the employee directly and not make assumptions.  The guide also emphasises how crucial conversations about people's needs are to identify and implement appropriate support. Acknowledging that those conversations can be difficult, it contains helpful suggestions for managers on how to broach the subject and some potential questions to ask.

Once an issue is identified, appropriate support and sometimes workplace adjustments can be put in place to assist the employee. These could include:

• changes to how they perform their role (i.e. flexible hours or increased rest breaks);
• changes to the role itself (i.e. reallocation of certain tasks or redeployment); or
• providing additional support (i.e. increased supervision or additional training).

The focus should be on the needs of the particular individual – there is no one-size-fits-all solution. A conversation with the affected employee to ascertain what will actually help them is essential.

To be effective, conversations about mental health really need to take place on an ongoing basis. Mind's Time to Talk Day takes place on 2 February this year – a day dedicated to opening up conversations about mental health. The campaign aims to reduce the stigma around mental health and create supportive communities where people feel empowered to seek help. All employers can take part by visiting the Time to Talk Day site to get suggestions of activities that might be run to align with the day, and to access resources to help get the conversation going.