Does your industry support the mental health of their employees?

Did you know mental health issues cost the UK economy £118 billion a year?

That's a shocking figure, and it's time we all talked about it. 

In this blog, we’re doing just that, analysing which industries are truly supporting the mental health of their employees by offering Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) and giving you key insights to transform your workplace wellness strategy. 

Understanding Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP)

With 1 out of every 7 workers experiencing mental health challenges at some stage in their career, EAPs provide mental health support when needed.  

EAPs are digital platforms offering a variety of mental health resources which can be accessed anytime and anywhere. Offering access to these services can greatly improve mental wellbeing in the workplace.  

Industry insights: Which industries are supporting the mental health of their employees? 

Bravo Benefits surveyed 693 businesses across 54 industries ranging from pharmaceuticals to education. 

Let's look at what the data showed. 

How many industries are offering EAP?

Out of the 714 businesses surveyed, just over a third (33%) offer EAP as part of their benefits package. 

While this is a step in the right direction, the stats show that there is still room for improvement. 

Which industries are leading the way?

Accounting for just over half (60%) of industries, our analysis revealed 5 sectors which are the most proactive in supporting employee mental health. They are: 

• Real estate
• Public administration and defence
• Education
• IT and Communications
• Manufacturing

We also looked at how many companies within each industry were offering EAP as a solution. 

Let’s look at these 5 in more detail:

1. Public administration & defence 

Typically involving government and public service jobs, this sector might prioritise mental health due to the public scrutiny employees often face and the bureaucratic challenges that can come with public service roles. 44% of respondents in this sector provided their workforce with EAPs. 

2. Education 

With high-pressure environments and a high workload, the education industry's need for mental health support is apparent. Teachers, academics and educational support staff often face emotional, mental and physical exhaustion, making mental health support a priority. This sector saw 40% of interviewed businesses supplying EAPs to their workforce.

3. IT and Communications

Coming in at roughly the same point as the education industry, 35% of businesses in the IT industry that were interviewed offer EAP. This industry is known for its fast-paced and demanding work environment, characterised by tight deadlines and long hours. EAPs in this sector can help manage stress and prevent burnout among tech professionals.

4. Manufacturing

Positioned alongside IT as a top-performing sector, manufacturing jobs often involve repetitive tasks, long hours, and stringent production deadlines. Such environments can lead to high stress, physical fatigue, and even mental burnout. Recognising these challenges, 32% of manufacturing companies interviewed have started to see the value in providing mental health support to maintain employee efficiency and safety. 32% of those surveyed offer EAP. 

5. Real Estate 

This sector often deals with high-stress situations, including client management and high-value transactions which can be stressful. Offering EAPs may be seen as essential to maintaining a stable and effective workforce. 31% of respondents said that they did.

Which industries are lagging behind?

On the other end of the spectrum, some sectors such as arts, entertainment and recreation and mining and extractives show a reluctance to offer EAPs. 

There could be numerous reasons why these industries are not prioritising mental health support. These reasons could range from suffering smaller budgets or low-stress environments.

Moving forward

There's a clear need for increased awareness and education about the benefits of mental health support - not only for improving individual employee wellbeing but also for enhancing overall business performance. 

Did you know that for every £1 invested by employers in mental health interventions, businesses can save £5.30 through decreased absence and staff turnover? And that’s not all, read on to find out more benefits for your business. 

Why invest in employee mental health?

Investing in mental health has benefits for both employees and employers. Here’s why:

• Reduced absenteeism
• Increased productivity and creativity
• Enhanced employee engagement and morale
• Fulfillment of legal and ethical duty
• Improved overall workplace culture and employee retention

How to improve mental wellbeing?

Investing in mental health training for managers and promoting open communication channels can significantly improve mental health wellbeing in the workplace. 

Additionally, offering EAPs and promoting work-life balance initiatives are effective ways to improve mental health wellbeing among staff.

However, a comprehensive wellbeing strategy is crucial if you want to take mental health seriously in your business. Crafting a wellness plan shouldn't feel overwhelming, but if it does, we’ve compiled a user-friendly toolkit to help you.

Empowering Employers: The Workplace Wellness Toolkit

Bravo Benefits offers a comprehensive Workplace Wellness Toolkit designed to help businesses build and sustain effective mental health programmes.  

This toolkit equips businesses with the resources and guidance needed to develop and implement effective workplace well-being strategies.

This toolkit is your first step towards a robust well-being strategy that not only aims to improve mental health wellbeing but also enhance overall organisational health.

It will help you:

Assess your existing programme.

• Provide a detailed guide for constructing a thorough workplace wellness plan.
• Illustrate the significance of workplace wellness in achieving overall organisational success.