KPMG is among a group of London employers who are taking part in an initiative to speak out about how they are supporting the wellbeing of their employees and urging other organisations to follow suit in taking action to encourage better mental health at work. Eleven executives from across sectors have contributed to Getting ahead: why mental health at work matters - a collection of thought pieces detailing how their organisation prioritises the mental health and wellbeing of employees
The publication is being launched today at an event supported by mental health charity Mind and the Mayor of London and includes contributions from Tony Cates, partner and UK head of audit at KPMG, and John Binns, wellbeing and personal resilience advisor and a former Deloitte partner. Other participants come from law firms, local councils, and financial sector organisations.
A survey of 1250 workers carried out by YouGov on behalf of Mind found nearly one in five (18%) said that they had developed depression as a result of workplace stress, while a quarter (26%) had developed anxiety. Workplace stress had caused 42% of respondents to consider resigning, while 40% had looked for a new job elsewhere. Nearly one in seven (14%) had actually handed in their notice because of workplace stress.
Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, said: ‘We are now at a tipping point, with increasing acknowledgement from employers that more needs to be done to help people stay well at work, tackle the work-related causes of poor mental health and support staff experiencing mental health problems.
‘By fostering a mentally healthy workplace culture and putting in place the right support, businesses are able to achieve peak performance. We now need mental health at work to become a priority for every organisation across the UK, beyond the capital.’
Boris Johnson, mayor of London, said: ‘We established the Healthy Workplace Charter to encourage employers to invest in staff health and wellbeing, including mental ill-health. Our own research has shown that the loss in productivity and other impacts of mental ill health cost the London economy £26bn a year, so there is an economic as well as personal price to be paid.’
The London Healthy Workplace Charter is a free self-assessment tool promoted by the Mayor of London with support from Public Health England (London) that recognises and rewards good employers who invest in workplace health and wellbeing, with promoting mental health and well-being a core component.
It is an evidence-based framework with three levels of accreditation – commitment, achievement and excellence. To date, 52 organisations have been accredited which represents circa 150,000 employees. More information is available at www.london.gov.uk/healthyworkplace
