ICAS ICAS logo

Quicklinks

  1. About Us

    Find out about who we are and what we do here at ICAS.

  2. Find a CA

    Search our directory of individual CAs and Member organisations by name, location and professional criteria.

  3. CA Magazine

    View the latest issues of the dedicated magazine for ICAS Chartered Accountants.

  4. Contact Us

    Get in touch with ICAS by phone, email or post, with dedicated contacts for Members, Students and firms.

Login
  • Annual renewal
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Find a CA
  1. About us
    1. Governance
  2. Members
    1. Become a member
    2. Newly qualified
    3. Manage my membership
    4. Benefits of membership
    5. Careers support
    6. Mentoring
    7. CA Wellbeing
    8. More for Members
    9. Area networks
    10. International communities
    11. Get involved
    12. Top Young CAs
    13. Career breaks
    14. ICAS podcast
    15. Newly admitted members 2022
    16. Newly admitted members 2023
  3. CA Students
    1. Student information
    2. Student resources
    3. Learning requirements
    4. Learning updates
    5. Learning blog
    6. Totum Pro | Student discount card
    7. CA Student wellbeing
  4. Become a CA
    1. How to become a CA
    2. Routes to becoming a CA
    3. CA Stories
    4. Find a training agreement
    5. Why become a CA
    6. Qualification information
    7. University exemptions
  5. Employers
    1. Become an Authorised Training Office
    2. Resources for Authorised Training Offices
    3. Professional entry
    4. Apprenticeships
  6. Find a CA
  7. ICAS events
    1. CA Summit
  8. CA magazine
  9. Insight
    1. Finance + Trust
    2. Finance + Technology
    3. Finance + EDI
    4. Finance + Mental Fitness
    5. Finance + Leadership
    6. Finance + Sustainability
  10. Professional resources
    1. Anti-money laundering
    2. Audit and assurance
    3. Brexit
    4. Business and governance
    5. Charities
    6. Coronavirus
    7. Corporate and financial reporting
    8. Cyber security
    9. Ethics
    10. Insolvency
    11. ICAS Research
    12. Pensions
    13. Practice
    14. Public sector
    15. Sustainability
    16. Tax
  11. CPD - professional development
    1. CPD courses and qualifications
    2. CPD news and updates
    3. CPD support and advice
  12. Regulation
    1. Complaints and sanctions
    2. Regulatory authorisations
    3. Guidance and help sheets
    4. Regulatory monitoring
  13. CA jobs
    1. CA jobs partner: Rutherford Cross
    2. Resources for your job search
    3. Advertise with CA jobs
    4. Hays | A Trusted ICAS CA Jobs Partner
    5. Azets | What's your ambition?
  14. Work at ICAS
    1. Business centres
    2. Meet our team
    3. Benefits
    4. Vacancies
    5. Imagine your career at ICAS
  15. Contact us
    1. Technical and regulation queries
    2. ICAS logo request

Why healthy minds matter at work

Healthy minds header
  • LinkedIn (opens new window)
  • Twitter (opens new window)
By Jennifer Constable

7 January 2019

Main points:

  • Initiatives such as Time to Change are tackling the stigma around mental health and helping to share best practice.

  • A key factor is ensuring that employees feel able to ask for help when they need it – so training for line managers and a supportive culture in the workplace are crucial.

  • CAs are in a position to achieve success for their companies in many ways, including bringing about positive change.

Firms need to manage their employees’ mental wellbeing if they are to foster a more productive workplace, writes Jennifer Constable.

Mental health is now an issue very much in the public and professional eye, partly thanks to the ardent campaigning of high-profile people such as Prince William and Prince Harry, and the increased visibility of politicians and other public figures speaking openly about their personal struggles.

With statistics showing that a colossal 49% of the sick days taken in Britain each year are lost to mental health complaints, industries can no longer afford to dismiss the previously taboo subject of mental illness, which affects one in four people in the UK each year.

As awareness of the importance of mental wellbeing grows, employers have started to take the issue seriously, with more measures being introduced to ensure the mental and emotional health of their staff.

CAs are in a position to achieve success for their companies in many ways, including bringing about positive change such as mental health initiatives.

Research conducted by Mind, a mental health charity that supports and advises those with mental health problems, found that one in five employees have called in sick as a result of workplace pressure. When asked how workplace stress affected them, a further 14% also reported that it had caused them to resign from their job, with an additional 42% having considered leaving.

Time to change attitudes to mental health

ICAS One Young CA 2017 winner Jonny Jacobs is Strategy and Transformation Director at pladis, the global snack company that owns brands such as McVitie’s biscuits and Godiva chocolate.

On average, one in three UK sick notes are driven by mental health issues.

He says: “On average, one in three UK sick notes are driven by mental health issues. So, if you’ve got an annual employee sick-pay bill of £10m, then that accounts for £3m to £4m of your employee sick leave, never mind the loss of productivity driven by mental ill health. However, the issue is much bigger than just about the workplace and cost: it’s also a wider social obligation.”

He explains that pladis has around 100 mental health ambassadors who have volunteered to help their colleagues.

Time to Change is an initiative set up by mental health charities to tackle discrimination and negative attitudes to mental health.

Jacobs says: “I was delighted when pladis joined 800 other companies and signed the Time to Change pledge; we said we’re going to break down the stigma surrounding mental illness and promote positive mental health, and this is a strong public commitment that we will do just that.”

The link between mental and physical health

Studies have revealed that an individual’s mental health is closely linked to their physical health, a discovery that has prompted many organisations to adopt innovative initiatives to encourage a healthy lifestyle within their workforce.

For example, numerous offices now provide free fresh fruit to staff and some employees are enrolled in the UK’s Cycle to Work scheme.

In February 2018, the British Safety Council, whose core tenet is that “no one should be injured or made ill at work”, launched a range of mental health training courses, and now offers employers training and advice toolkits so they can help their employees manage stress.

This Is Me Scotland is a pioneering initiative to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health in the workplace.

The focus has been on promoting healthy bodies to alleviate pressure in the workplace, reduce absences and cultivate a happy, healthy working environment. However, now there is also a tangible financial incentive for employers to take an interest in their staff’s mental wellbeing.

Some companies have gone a step further in implementing mental health policy strategies for their staff.

“We have trained mental health first aiders in our offices, who are able to advise on mental wellbeing,” says PwC Partner and mental health focus team leader Philippe Guijarro. “There is external support available through private medical health care, which we make available to all our staff if they need it, and this could include referral to psychologists or psychiatrists. We’ve also got mental health advocates who are available independently and we have contemplation rooms.”

Guijarro is also the founding chairman of This Is Me Scotland, a pioneering initiative that PwC launched this year, in collaboration with Barclays, Business in the Community Scotland, SAMH and the Samaritans to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health in the workplace.

The Scottish Government have called This Is Me Scotland an “important step” in creating open environments to talk and support people to tell their stories. More than 150 professionals came together at PwC’s Glasgow offices for the This Is Me Scotland launch on 11 October to demonstrate their belief in the importance of talking about mental health.

Creating a more compassionate work place

Although there is an undeniable economic impetus for employers to invest in their employees’ mental wellbeing, many mental health advocates in industry also point to a gradual shift in societal attitudes as a driving factor in the creation of more compassionate and conscious working environments.

“There may be some economic benefits, with people being more effective at work, or more being present or off work less… but I don’t think that’s the motivating force right now. I think it’s about just doing the right thing,” says Guijarro, who took on his role as PwC’s mental health focus team leader three years ago, after he himself had suffered a difficult period of mental illness.

A large part of managing employees’ mental wellbeing comes down to the ability of organisations and management to open up a dialogue and encourage people to ask for help when they’re struggling.

The inclusion of mental health policy on business agendas is a positive sign that this issue is being taken seriously.

Research from Mind also found that employees are 11 times more likely to disclose a mental health problem if their line managers visibly support mental health.

Colleen Welsh, CA, Digital Solutions Senior with Johnston Carmichael, says: “Given that employees spend a great deal of time at work, employers have a duty of care to make sure that their staff are healthy and happy. A company’s employees are its biggest asset – and having a healthy, happy workforce is key to running a successful business.”

From a legal perspective, under the Equality Act 2010, mental health conditions come under the category of “disability”, constituting grounds for employees to legally challenge their employers if they feel they are being discriminated against at work because of their mental health.

In an increasingly mindful society, the inclusion of mental health policy on business agendas is a positive sign that this issue is being taken seriously.

Despite the steps some industries have already taken to support their employees’ mental health, however, more can still be done to promote further discussion and eradicate the stigma still associated with asking for help.

Welsh says: “Things are definitely moving in the right direction and employers are now actively implementing better policies surrounding mental health, but I still feel more can always be done.” She also advocates having mental health first aiders in every workplace – “the same way we have physical first aiders”.

She has prior experience of this, having introduced mental health first aiders in firms she’s worked at in the past.

She adds: “Management training, especially for line managers, is also key to supporting staff, who may be struggling with mental ill health."


Watch and read more positive CA stories about making a difference, in our new campaign:

Proud to be a CA

Ricky Munday CA Tile

Ricky Munday CA

Watch Ricky Munday discuss his career and the benefits of the CA qualification.

2022-11-mitigo 2022-11-mitigo
ICAS logo

Footer links

  • Contact us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Privacy notice
  • CA magazine

Connect with ICAS

  • Facebook (opens new window) Facebook Icon
  • Twitter (opens new window) Twitter Icon
  • LinkedIn (opens new window) LinkedIn Icon
  • Instagram (opens new window) Instagram Icon

ICAS is a member of the following bodies

  • Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (opens new window) Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies logo
  • Chartered Accountants Worldwide (opens new window) Chartered Accountants Worldwide logo
  • Global Accounting Alliance (opens new window) Global Accounting Alliance
  • International Federation of Accountants (opens new window) IFAC
  • Access Accountancy (opens new window) Access Acountancy

Charities

  • ICAS Foundation (opens new window) ICAS Foundation
  • SCABA (opens new window) scaba

Accreditations

  • ISO 9001 - RGB (opens new window)
© ICAS 2022

The mark and designation “CA” is a registered trade mark of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS), and is available for use in the UK and EU only to members of ICAS. If you are not a member of ICAS, you should not use the “CA” mark and designation in the UK or EU in relation to accountancy, tax or insolvency services. The mark and designation “Chartered Accountant” is a registered trade mark of ICAS, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and Chartered Accountants Ireland. If you are not a member of one of these organisations, you should not use the “Chartered Accountant” mark and designation in the UK or EU in relation to these services. Further restrictions on the use of these marks also apply where you are a member.

ICAS logo

Our cookie policy

ICAS.com uses cookies which are essential for our website to work. We would also like to use analytical cookies to help us improve our website and your user experience. Any data collected is anonymised. Please have a look at the further information in our cookie policy and confirm if you are happy for us to use analytical cookies: