Mental health problems in the workplace are costing UK businesses billions of pounds through lost working hours and low productivity, according to the NHS watchdog ‘NICE’.

Workers who feel obliged to work long hours even though they may be unproductive are damaging small business, say the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

The annual cost of mental health problems to a business with 1,000 employees is £835,355. However, reducing absenteeism and increasing performance could save up to £250,000.

At current pay levels, the overall cost to employers from conditions such as stress, depression and anxiety is £28.3 billion per year (13.7 million working days).

New working guidelines created by NICE hope to reduce those numbers and are already mandatory within the NHS. Small businesses could benefit from the same measures by allowing people to work part-time or from home whenever possible.

An improvement in mental health wellbeing provides clear benefits, according to Professor Mike Kelly of NICE.

‘Today’s guidance explains how employers can make simple changes that will improve the management of mental health in the workplace, including prevention and early identification of problems,’ he said.

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