Less than half rate UK firms’ mental health support as ‘good’

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Only two in five UK workers think their employer provides a good level of mental health support, despite the increased attention given to employee wellbeing during the pandemic.
According to UK data taken from insurance firm AXA’s annual Mind Health and Wellbeing study, only 40% of individuals said their employer provided “good” support, with managers in particular at the highest risk of poor mental health (one in four).
The study, which looked at the mental health of 11,000 people in 11 countries across Europe and Asia, also found that the UK has the highest prevalence of mental health conditions in Europe, with 37% of UK survey respondents experiencing at least one mental health condition, and 24% reporting that they were “struggling”.
Fifty one per cent of UK respondents felt stressed, 19% had depression and 8% had anxiety.  Sixty-three per cent felt it had been difficult to “wind down” in the week before the survey.
Those in the UK were, along with France, most likely to react badly in difficult moments, getting angry with themselves or others, drinking more alcohol or acting recklessly.
The UK also counts relatively few people as “flourishing”, ranking behind only Hong Kong and Japan in AXA’s index.

The survey results also highlighted the challenges surrounding the provision of mental health support. Fewer than one in four people (23%) felt the NHS provided enough support for people with mental health conditions. Forty-six per cent disagreed that the UK’s public healthcare system provided the necessary mental health support.
AXA concluded that organisations that  prioritise mental health support can make a real difference to employees’ wellbeing, with the study finding that those who felt supported at work were 1.6 times more likely to be happy and almost twice as likely to be “flourishing”.