EEF urges health campaign to re-focus
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Manufacturing News, Source : TheManufacturer.com
Published : 31 Jan 2007 14:57
One of the UK’s leading business bodies has urged a government campaign to tackle mental health in the workplace to recognise that employers are part of the solution to a change in culture, rather than imply that they are part of the problem.
Responding to the Department of Health’s consultation on the Stigma action plan which closed today, the manufacturers’ organisation the EEF believes that by placing too great an emphasis on associating mental health problems with ‘discrimination at work’, that the campaign was ignoring the positive contribution that employers are making to tackle mental health problems and reducing stigma in the population.
Commenting, EEF health and safety adviser, Steve Walter, said: “Far from being the cause of the problem, we need to remember that work is good for us and that the workplace can be an excellent setting to help effect change in society’s views towards mental health issues.
“Bringing about a positive approach within companies and operating effective rehabilitation programmes is not just part of employment best practice, but can provide substantial business benefits in terms of reducing sickness absence.”
At present people too often assume that mental illness refers to people with severe, even dangerous conditions, overlooking the fact that stress, anxiety and depression affect one in three over their lifetime.
These more common mental health problems can sometimes be more difficult to manage. However, with the support of occupational health policies, employers should be able to identify the needs of individuals and, where possible, make reasonable adjustments to the work (schedule, content, pace, pressure) to accommodate these needs.
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