This research into the mental wellbeing of Britons was conducted after the inventor of income protection discovered that 7% of all claims made in 2018 were related to mental health.
The team at www.Holloway.co.uk conducted the research to find out how each sector was affected by absence relating to mental wellbeing. A total of 3,000 adults aged 18 and over from the UK, were quizzed as part of the study. Respondents were split evenly across 15 key sectors.
Initially, participants were asked, “Have you ever taken time off work for your mental health?” with the following emerging as the results for each sector:
- Healthcare – 26% (of employees have taken time off work for their mental wellbeing)
- Media – 23%
- Education – 21%
- Banking/Finance – 19%
- Public Sector – 17%
- HR/Personnel – 15%
- Retail – 13%
- Marketing – 12%
- Construction – 11%
- Transport/Travel – 9%
When asked to elaborate on the reason for their mental wellbeing-related absence from work, if they felt comfortable doing so, the vast majority blamed it on burnout/stress (68%).
Relevant respondents were found to have taken an average of three weeks off for their mental wellbeing; of which a third (34%) said they received their full pay during this time and 57% said they received reduced pay.
Of those who had suffered with their mental health, just 1 in 5 (21%) said that they had gone to speak to a professional about this, with those that didn’t citing long wait times (78%) and not knowing where to turn (20%) as reasons.
Finally, relevant participants were asked if they believed that their work had contributed to their poor mental health to which 9 in 10 (92%) said that they thought it had.
Georgia d’Esterre, Head of Marketing at www.Holloway.co.uk, said:
"Looking after your mental health is often far harder than looking after your physical self. After finding that 1 in 14 of our claims last year were related to mental wellbeing, we wanted to see how each sector is affected by this growing crisis. With mental health services overstretched and employees having to work harder than ever before just to make ends meet, we need to remember to take the time to look after ourselves.
“The horrid thing is that money is often a massive cause for worry which can contribute to mental health issues. Having to take prolonged time off work can be scary in these situations as your pay is never guaranteed. This is a prime example of why more needs to be done to educate people on the importance of income protection.”