Wellbeing has been given greater emphasis in the workplace over recent years, however resilience is essential and plays a significant role in cultivating wellbeing, to the point that organisations which nurture resilience have a significant competitive advantage in challenging times.

 

Wellbeing is actually made up of several key factors, including feeling good, functioning well and resilience. Not all mental health problems are preventable but, if we can build into business models the strategies to foster psychological resilience then we are helping to safeguard the mental health of employees.

 

From detailed research into the subject, I have evidence to highlight the universal phenomenon of work-related stress. This is connected to a diverse range of negative consequences impacting on an individual’s physical and mental wellbeing, the results of which are played out in negative organisational outcomes, such as poor performance and high employee turnover.

 

Whilst some may still believe wellbeing to be of ambiguous worth, there are hard facts to prove that as well as having a significant positive effect for employees themselves, offering mental health therapy can actually have a positive impact on company profit too.

 

The Mental Health At Work Report 2017, published by charity, Business in the Community, in October 2017, reveals that three out every five employees (60%) have experienced mental health issues in the past year because of work. Almost a third (31%) of the workforce have been formally diagnosed with a mental health issue, yet 35% report not having any workplace facilities or services to support employee mental health and wellbeing.

 

Furthermore, analysis of all FTSE 100 annual reports by Soma Analytics, published in October 2017, has found a statistically significant link between the reporting of employee mental health and wellbeing issues, and corporate earnings. Companies that addressed the issue in their 2016 reports showed up to three times more profit. The study suggests that companies that care about employee mental health issues to the extent that they report on them publicly, are more productive than those that do not.

 

Enduring high levels of stress can increase the likelihood of an individual developing burnout, a syndrome consisting of emotional exhaustion, low self-confidence and apathy. Burnout manifests itself primarily with increased absenteeism and reduced productivity, both of which have a detrimental impact on the company’s bottom line.

 

To offset such issues, it is imperative for employers to provide their employees with resilience training and mental health solutions, aimed at maintaining a stable, happy and focused workforce.