This report details the results from the second National Employee Mental Wellbeing Survey by Business in the Community. The survey reveals key statistics about mental health in the workplace. Although the authors of this report talk of progress on workplace recommendations, the findings reveal that there is still a lot do in terms of organisations supporting their employees with poor mental health at work. The report also includes three “calls to action” by employers; talk, train and take action. Finally, the authors make some key recommendations for employers, senior practitioners, business leaders and line managers.

This paper explores the facilitators and barriers associated with the return to work (RTW) process of workers on sick leave due to common mental disorders (CMD). Using focus groups and interviews, the authors consider the RTW process from a multi-stakeholder perspective. Four focus groups which were conducted with General Practitioners, Occupational health professionals, Mental Health professionals and Managers. From this, seven themes for barriers, four themes for facilitators and five themes for the stakeholder’s role in the RTW process emerged.

In addition, workers were interviewed at the start of their sickness leave and on their RTW (or 6 months after if not returned). A range of themes were identified by workers as facilitating and hindering the RTW process and factors relating to sickness absence were also highlighted. From this, four practitioner recommendations were made and the contextual limitations of the results were discussed.

This report considers the design, implementation and evaluation of a program which supports the return to work (RTW) process following an absence for mental health problems. This report outlines the information collection process (including analysis of absence data and interviews with stakeholders involved), a review of the organisation’s RTW documents, a literature review of current evidence and analysis of the current practices used within workplaces for RTW following mental health absence. Together, this information contributes to the development of a model to create an integrated program that facilitates the RTW process and job retention. This program/model can be applied to large organisations with high rates of absenteeism in both the public/private sectors. The findings also revealed that success of such a RTW program requires a culture of trust and respect, effective communication and collaboration of all stakeholders involved.

Using both surveys and interviews, this study collected data to: 1) examine the presence of depressive symptoms in employees who are returning to work after long term sickness absence, 2) investigate the relationship between depression, the ability to function at work and quality of life 3) to understand how the design and management of return to work (RTW) effects the employee’s return experience and symptoms and 4) create a schematic model of depression and the workplace in terms of RTW. Across four different sectors (manufacturing, transportation, local government and healthcare) findings from both and employer and employee perspectives are discussed. From the findings the authors make three key recommendations; 1) to develop a more multidisciplinary approach to managing the RTW process 2) to have a longer period of monitoring and reviewing once the employee has returned and 3) a better understanding of depression amongst employers.

This report draws together research from a number of studies focusing on the role of resilience and its effect on return to work.  Focusing on failed return to work and long duration sickness absence claims, it identifies that individuals with lower resilience had more negative RTW outcomes (e.g. 45% of those who were not working and had never attempted to RTW also reported low resilience). This report highlights the importance of psychological resilience in the workplace and ways in which it could influence other organisational (sickness absence levels) and individual (ability to return to work/stay at work) outcomes.

This review considers evidence from a large body of evidence under three broad themes relating to common mental health problems in the workplace: prevention, retention and rehabilitation. Findings highlighted the importance of organisational interventions were most effective, compared to individual interventions, for employees at risk of mental ill-health. Such programmes focused on personal support, social skills and coping skills and approaches using more than one technique were found to be most long lasting in their effects. For those employees already experiencing common mental disorders, the most effective interventions were based upon short term (up to 8 weeks) one-to-one cognitive behavioural therapy.

The research report focuses on the key role played by the line manager in the return to work (RTW) process. By using both qualitative (interviews and focus groups) and quantitative (survey) methods, information was collected from a wide range of professionals to develop a competency framework for managers to support return to work. To do this the authors: 1) collected information using a multi method, multi perspective approach, 2) built a model of competencies that are required by managers to support a successful RTW, 3) tested the validity of the competency framework and developed a competency measure for managers and 4) developed guidance and tools which can be used by employers, managers and other professionals to understand the competencies required for effective RTW rehabilitation. 

Following the development of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, this study evaluates an Employment Adviser (EA) pilot programme (with the aim of testing the added value of EAs to the IAPT programme) and whether it reduces the incidence of health-related job loss, increase the chances of an earlier return to work (RTW) and reduces the number of individuals accessing unemployment benefits. Collecting information from surveys and interviews, this study involved clients of the EAs, the EAs and IAPT therapists. EAs gave advice and support in a number of ways including telephone/email support, helping the client to develop skills to address employment issues and intervening with the employer on the client’s behalf. Overall, findings were positive towards the EAs with 56% of clients commenting that their situation would have not improved without the EA intervention and 89% saying that they would recommend the EA service to others.