Mental Health Day: Brits increasingly taking days off work to deal with stress and depression

A new study, conducted as part of Mental Health Day, has found that the majority of workers in the UK take time off to help with stress, depression and anxiety.

Wildgoose, a London-based events company, surveyed employees from 250 businesses across the country to try and gather insight into the mental health of workers in the UK.

The survey found that stigma surrounding mental health issues are still prevalent in today's modern workforce with just under half of those surveyed revealing that they called in sick with a different reason to the one they were actually suffering with.

Overall, 62% of UK employees have taken at least one day off in the past year in order to help combat stress, anxiety or depression.

But while many did take a day off to help with their mental health, 43% said that they would simply carry on as normal and say nothing.

NHS mental health nurse, psychotherapist and podcaster Aimee Leigh said that greater support for staff in the workplace was needed.

"To combat stress, one must learn to be present and grounded in their bodies, through the use of the senses. Developing a practice of mindfulness helps the mind become resilient. Managing stress by training the mind to focus on one point for sustained periods of time stops the mind fluctuating, racing and catastrophising.

"When a person isn't caught up in their thoughts, they're more able to be focused and productive. They're also less emotionally reactive and more proactive, productive and efficient", Leigh said.

The survey also revealed how men were more likely to take a day off for their mental health than women.

Job ranking also appears to be a factor when it comes to taking time off work, with interns and business owners the least likely (at just under 45%) to take time off. But those at an executive level were the most likely to take time off, at just under 70%.

Having a happy and engaged team was also deemed to be vital to help minimise levels of stress in the office, with 30% of people calling for more team-building exercises.

The data also found that users of National Rail services, 91%, were more likely to day stress-related days off compared those who used the London Underground, 63%, or the DLR 50%.