Ian Richardson

Employee wellbeing programmes are gaining in popularity in the UK. We see an abundance of free fruit, lunchtime yoga and healthy-eating menus provided by progressive employers. Most places have already tackled the standard occupational health and safety risks, and have a pretty good record when it comes to people leaving work in as good a physical state as when they turned up. This is genuine progress and should not be dismissed.

But we have a massive and growing problem worldwide – with managing health, and in particular mental health.

Wellbeing is often considered as a nice add-on, something that an organisation can pick up and put down depending on other priorities. So free fruit and exercise classes come in the good times and go in the bad. It’s rare that a link is made between employee well-being and organisational performance. Yet research from organisations as diverse as the World Health Organisation (WHO), Harvard and our own government is demonstrating this is a subject to be taken seriously.

If you don’t look after your workers’ wellbeing you’re ultimately going to lose money and be less efficient at doing whatever it is your organisation does.

The WHO states: "Mental health is not just the absence of mental disorder. It is defined as a state of wellbeing in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community."

It’s a complex statement which underlines a complex issue.

There is no quick fix for wellbeing or promoting good mental health. Free fruit is great, but it won’t help a staff member who is being bullied, or whose job is so dull that they have disengaged. A new, smartly designed workplace might reduce injuries and accidents but it will not improve the productivity of a depressed worker who feels excluded or denied promotion because of their race or gender. We need a much more holistic approach: where mental health is treated like physical health and wellbeing is recognised as crucial to success.

BSI has a number of publications in this area, including PAS 1010:2011 ‘Guidance on the management of psychosocial risks in the workplace’, and BS 76000:2015 ‘Human resource. Valuing people. Management system. Requirements and guidance’.

If you’d like to obtain copies of these publications please go to http://shop.bsigroup.com

Ian Richardson, standards publishing manager, BSI / board member and director, BSIF