Mental health issues can not only affect people’s personal lives, it can also have a significant impact on their performance at work.

Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week, which took place between the 12th and 18th May, mental health charity Mental Health Foundation revealed that almost one in five people from around the UK feels anxious a lot or all the time.

A report commissioned by Depression Alliance found that one-third of adults struggle to cope at work because of depression, stress or burnout and that 80% feel isolated or lonely as a result.

Providing confidential support for staff dealing with these problems is not only socially responsible, it also benefits staff retention and productivity.

With workplace absence due to sickness costing firms an average of £595 per employee per year, it makes sense to make the health and welfare of your staff a corporate priority.

At YourGP, we offer a range of counselling and support services, including stress and depression counselling, as well as drug and alcohol testing, advice and support.

Dr Marikie Benade leads the delivery of corporate health and occupational health assessments at YourGP, and she explains: “The things we see mostly in occupational health are mental health issues such as work stress, depression and low mood.

“Personal stress often flows into the workplace causing work related stress, and it is very difficult to differentiate which came first.

“Most of the times, there is some conflict in the workplace; someone is not happy about something and it is sometimes simply that there is a lack of open communication.

“We also know there is a connection between lower back pain and work satisfaction, so as well as mental health issues, we also see a lot of people with musculoskeletal issues such as backache and upper limb disorders.”

Our expert therapists, including Marikie, help patients address and develop ways of coping with problems such as anxiety, stress and depression in a supportive and confidential environment.

If you want to reduce the amount of money that sickness is costing your company, boost profitability and reap the benefits of a healthier and happier workforce, email [contentblock id=email] or call us on [contentblock id=phone].

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