Business leaders from across the North West have vowed to help set a new standard for employee well-being, which will make the region’s economy more productive and its people healthier.

An event organised by business advisers Grant Thornton drew together business leaders, HR directors and expert contributors from a range of organisations, all passionate about making a difference in this area.

Opening the discussion, Mike Herdman, a tax director at Grant Thornton, set the scene stating: “Ill health among working age people costs the economy approximately £100bn and sickness absence costs employers £9bn a year, so it’s absolutely vital that it’s an issue given the highest prominence.”

Herdman explained that Grant Thornton’s purpose is to shape a vibrant economy – based on trust, integrity and collaboration, and said the firm is keen to help businesses share best practice on workplace well-being, and in particular mental health awareness.

With increased media coverage of mental health issues, there was consensus among the attendees that businesses need to ‘mainstream’ the issue by creating a supportive environment for their staff to talk openly about any work and personal problems.

There are some hurdles to overcome though. With mental health problems estimated by the Centre of Mental Health to have cost the UK economy almost £35bn in 2016, research has suggested that around 70% of mentally ill people actively conceal their condition, with most doing so because they feared discrimination.

In addition, data published in 2017 by Business In The Community found that 15% of people faced disciplinary action, demotion or even dismissal as a result of telling their employer about a mental health problem.

It is not all bad news though; research from the London School of Economics published in July revealed that employees who felt able to speak openly about depression to their managers are more productive and take less time off work than those whose bosses avoid talking to them about their mental health.

With this in mind, Herdman said experimental work by Bupa shows that improving wellbeing can boost productivity by as much as 15%.

Occupational psychologist Susannah Robertson-Hart, who leads on mental health at the BBC, said that while increasing numbers of organisations are recognising the importance of mental health awareness, there is “clearly much more” to do.

She said: “Mental health first aid is really important. One really useful tactic I believe is to train departmental managers to identify the signs that members of their team are struggling, and then offering them the means to access the appropriate support.

“Good management training is therefore imperative. Often people are promoted to management roles because they are technically very good at what they do, but not everyone automatically has the right people skills to help others.”

Donna Smith from Grant Thornton said the firm had started to make significant strides in making all of its people feel that they can share problems with colleagues, and then access necessary support.

“We know we have more to do, but the response to what we have done has been incredibly positive,” she said.

Senior leaders who have encountered mental health issues at the firm have also written open blogs about their experiences, while a discussion page called ‘Where’s Your Head At?’ was launched on Grant Thornton’s intranet as a forum for discussion and support.

Jill Mead, HR director at Travel Counsellors, said creating a culture in the business where it is “OK to talk” about problems, be they at home or work, has been a key for them.

“We have tried to create a culture of care in our business. We have a counsellor available at head office, and we’ve worked with Mind who have done seminars with our people. We’ve also used our in-house TV channel to reach our home-based colleagues.”

The panel then debated the increasing blur of the working day, and how technology can be a double edged sword - both an enabler for flexible working and something that is inescapable in our 24-hour “always on” culture, meaning that staff can feel pressured to respond to their managers’ emails outside of office hours.

Chris Mitchell from Workplace Viruathon, an eight-week employee well-being education programme, said: “People just live on their phones these days – we can’t shut down and switch off. We all know we should eat five pieces of fruit and veg a day but why don’t we pay as much attention to our mental health as well as physical health?”

Lucy Tannahill, head of people at Peak, a fast-growing data analytics company, added: “We have a young workforce and we’re therefore very keen to avoid burn-out.

“We have tried to create a culture where everyone collaborates and shares ideas or problems. We have also encouraged our managers and leaders to share how they are able to manage their time and prioritise amid all the distractions of modern life.”

John Brady, from GreaterSport, a charity dedicated to making Greater Manchester the most active city region in England, said having the right culture in a workplace is “absolutely vital” to successful well-being at work.

While Emma Degg from the North West Business Leadership Team believes the right kind of leadership is the way forward.

She said: “The answer to this is leadership, authenticity and valuing people.

“There are some businesses in the region absolutely leading the way in employee well-being – Moneypenny is one. Their culture runs through that business like letters in a stick of rock.”

Rupert Pearce, who runs Growing Happy, a start-up employee well-being consultancy, said that while business leaders should set a good example to staff, a “top down” approach, is not always the best thing, adding that listening to all views across the business is key when new workplace policies are brought in.

Tangerine founder Sandy Lindsay agreed, stating: “I believe that stress at work comes in part from a lack of empowerment, and helplessness, so listening to people’s views has to be the right thing to do.”

She said that since Tangerine’s move to become an employee owned trust in July 2017, it had become an “incredibly energised place”.

The discussion then turned to the proposed plans for a Greater Manchester Employment Charter, and how the mental health and well-being agenda must be included.

Emma Degg said: “Perhaps this should be broader. Let’s all work towards creating a Good Business Charter in this region, and make it a place where employees and management work corroboratively to create an open and supportive culture, which will produce better results for all.”

The Panel included:

Mike Herdman, tax director, Grant Thornton

Jill Mead, HR director, Travel Counsellors

Louise Garforth, senior business development manager, Grant Thornton

Chris Mitchell, founder, Workplace Viruathon

Lucy Tannahill, head of people, Peak

Karen Campbell-Williams, tax partner, Grant Thornton

Emma Degg , chief executive, North West Business Leadership Team

Rupert Pearce, founder, Growing Happy

Susannah Robertson-Hart, mental health lead, BBC

Donna Smith, senior HR business partner, Grant Thornton

John Brady, development officer, GreaterSport

Sandy Lindsay, founder and chair, Tangerine Communications