Mind: UK Workers Suffer in Silence Over Mental Health Issues

Stressed workers are suffering in silence and bosses are not doing enough to tackle the problem, according to mental health charity Mind.

Nearly half the 2,000 workers polled in the association's latest survey said employees are expected to cope without mentioning stress at work and that nearly a third felt unable to talk to their line manager if they felt stressed.

The research also showed more than a third of respondents believed it was an organisation's duty to look after staff mental wellbeing while just under half (42%) said it was regarded as a sign of weakness in their workplace.

Despite only a fifth of repondents (22%) claiming their bosses would step in to help them manage stress, 68% of managers claimed they were actually doing enough to support their staff.

"These figures show that stress remains the elephant in the room in many workplaces. It also highlights the worrying disparity between how managers and other members of staff view their organisation's approach to mental wellbeing," said Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind.

"There is a real danger that companies are neglecting workplace mental health, with huge implications for staff wellbeing; not to mention productivity, motivation and sickness absence."