Every so often, there comes along a case which becomes the new baseline by which decisions in a particular field are made. In relation to employer liability for psychiatric illness caused by workplace stress, that case is Hatton -v- Sutherland in 2002, still going strong after 13 years and most recently upheld by the High … Continue Reading
Yesterday was ‘Time to Talk’ day, a day about getting people to talk about mental health. Why does talking about mental health matter to business? It matters because mental health problems cost UK business over £26bn per year and such issues are now recognised as the number one reason for time off work. However, absence … Continue Reading
We have written extensively on the issue of mental health recently. It is a subject getting a lot of coverage at the moment. Another previously taboo subject which has moved in the right direction in society, but, clearly, still has some way to go. As a big cricket fan, I am well aware of the … Continue Reading
For the next in our series on mental health in the workplace we take a look at some helpful guidance in ACAS’s booklet, “Promoting Positive Mental Health at Work.” Barring a surprising number of typographical clangers, this is actually a pretty good read. The plot is a bit thin, but there are some key messages … Continue Reading
At Thorpe Park in Surrey, actors dress up, hollow-eyed and gory, and chase terrified customers around a “Live Action Horror Maze” (says the website). If you really enjoy being scared out of your wits in the dark by strangers wielding chain saws then it sounds fun. However, the loose theme is that the actors are … Continue Reading
The statistic that approximately 1 in 10 employees in Europe is or has been absent from work due to depression, will come as no surprise to most employers or HR professionals. This statistic takes no account of ‘presenteeism’, where employees who are unwell attend the workplace because they feel they should, but who then perform … Continue Reading