Companies are as much to blame as employees for creating a culture that prioritises vapid mental health initiatives above interventions that can make a real difference, says Theresa Bischoff
Statistically speaking, having a job is better for your mental health than not having a job. Great news for bosses – in theory. In reality, inactivity has reached dizzying heights, as a cross-generational mental health crisis rips through the nation, all against a dire fiscal backdrop. The government’s pocketbooks are drained – and so is the UK’s workforce.
Economic inactivity is the UK’s growth kryptonite. The recent surge in inactivity has been “U-shaped by age” according to the Resolution Foundation. People aged 16-24 and 50-64 make up 90 per cent of the increase – with vast numbers of young people out of work or training because of poor mental health. That’s nothing short of a ticking economic timebomb.
So, what’s the politician’s answer to this conundrum? Take Mel Stride, the recently appointed shadow chancellor, for example. As work and pensions minister, he claimed that mental health culture had “gone too far”. As a zillenial – stuck somewhere between a millennial and Gen Z – I’ve grown increasingly tired of the view that we are all too focused on mental health and, according to some, too woke to understand what it takes to be a productive worker. It’s an argument that seems particularly fashionable at the moment.
HR box-ticking
So, I was naturally taken aback when one of my peers – a Gen Z no less – told me that they weren’t actually opposed to the idea that mental health culture has gone too far. A small, but not insignificant rupture to my carefully curated echo chamber. They felt that corporates use vapid mental health initiatives that lack real substance as a shield from real conversations about mental health – and the measures that can actually make a difference. In other words, HR box-ticking exercises that stroke the C-suite’s ego.
Now arguably that’s a bit harsh. There are plenty of companies that have taken real strides when it comes to looking after their employees. Take the legal sector, for example, where some firms offer to test their staff for neurological conditions, including autism and ADHD. Quicker diagnoses allow for quicker treatment and quicker adjustments at work. But concrete measures like this are not universally available by any means. The UK is running behind international competitors when it comes to providing workplace support. The government can play a part in fixing that.
Enter Liz Kendall and Wes Streeting. A duo intent on joining up work, health and skills with the Get Britain Working plan, expected this week. Rolling out the pitch, they proclaimed that “good work is good for health and good for the economy”. Music to my ears. Taking an integrated approach – aligning health, skills and work – will be far more effective than tackling them each in silos. But what does good work really mean?
Good work that is good for health requires firms taking a more active role in looking after their people, with an emphasis on prevention. Of course, those with deepest pockets can do more to take care of their staff’s health. But the government needs to support those with fewer resources – through tax incentives to make it easier and more affordable to invest in employee wellbeing.
And there’s more to making work good. A lot of my friends are motivated, passionate young professionals. Over our regular lunches, I hear stories of managers that are making their experience at work anything but inspiring – and in some cases, simply unbearable. I’m sure that comes as a surprise to pretty much nobody. Older generations have had to deal with this sort of behaviour forever. Younger people feel powerless – but are simply unwilling to put up with it. Many of them resort to “job-hopping” – switching jobs frequently – or dropping out of the workforce altogether.
Younger people feel powerless – but are simply unwilling to put up with it
We know that managers can have a huge impact on the mental health of their staff – more so than their therapist or doctor. So, it’s time for a real conversation about how we can grow good managers – otherwise companies end up paying for problems they themselves have created. At best, throwing money at self-inflicted problems is counterproductive. Yet, it’s the reality in plenty of London offices. Many firms already understand that a healthy workplace is a non-negotiable to stay attractive to their employees, and those they hope to employ one day. But many more need to get on board.
The government can’t single-handedly change workplace cultures across the country. And firms can’t always afford the measures their staff need to feel supported with their health. To fix our economic inactivity problem, firms and politicians need to work as a team – or they’re set to miss out on chunks of talent and economic growth. With a cross-departmental approach, the government has shown it has the right mindset to nurse our workforce back to health – now it has to show it has the right policies to back them up.
Theresa Bischof is an independent writer on health and wellbeing with a particular focus on economic inactivity due to mental health