The Workwell Mental Health Champions Group is looking to prioritise mental health issues in the workplace. The campaign will come from the collaboration of business leaders – starting with the group’s founding members; companies that include BT, Bupa, RBS, Mars and Procter & Gamble.

An inaugural report, ‘Mental health: we’re ready to talk’, was launched as part of Responsible Business Week. The report reveals that the current attitude towards mental health is having a negative impact upon the productivity of UK businesses. In contrast, businesses that engage with mental wellbeing see improved employee motivation, greater staff retention rates and increased competitiveness.

The report also identifies that 15.2m days of sickness absence across the UK in 2013 were caused by everyday conditions such as stress, anxiety or depression – a dramatic increase from 11.8m days in 2010. Fewer than half of those that suffer from mental health issues feel comfortable disclosing this information to their employer, potentially allowing their condition to worsen.

The Workwell Group is led by Business in the Community (BITC). Louise Aston, Workwell director, BITC, says, “There is a strong moral and business case for engaging in mental health – it is one of the biggest threats to the wellbeing of business and society. People are suffering in silence but it doesn’t have to be this way. Unless proactive, preventative steps are embedded into how businesses manage and nurture their people, issues that could otherwise be resolved simply can soon develop into ill health, absence and disengagement. Organisations that do not promote the mental wellbeing of their employees risk long-term problems, including reduced competitiveness, lower productivity and fewer prospects for sustainable growth. Conversely, the rewards for businesses that engage with this issue are huge.”

Workwell hopes to diminish the stigma surrounding mental illness and will encourage businesses to make mental health a priority for the benefit of employees and for a more productive business model.