Mental health is one of the fastest growing reasons for absence in the UK, having increased by a whopping 71.9% since 2011, which has cost the UK economy £18bn in lost productivity, according to analysis from Centre of Economic and Business Research 2017.

However, the negative impact on the sufferer is hard to quantify in pounds as mental health problems can eat away at happiness of people and have life changing impacts.

So, what can employers or managers do if they think a member of the team may be struggling with their mental health? Here are seven tips to consider.

1.       Long or short term issue.

There are two main types of mental ill health: a long-term ongoing mental health issue such as being bipolar or having clinical depression; and a probable short-term or temporary issue which is caused by life events or work such as anxiety, stress, or depression.

Most people with ongoing mental health problems will meet the definition of disability in the Equality Act (2010) in England, Scotland and Wales and Disability Discrimination Act (1995, as amended) in Northern Ireland. This means the person must meet the criteria of having an impairment that has substantial, adverse, and long-term impact on their ability to carry out everyday tasks.

2.       Put reasonable adjustments in place.

A company has a legal responsibility to put “reasonable adjustments” in place to help the employee at work, if their condition constitutes a disability. However, even if it’s a short-term issue, putting adjustments in place can stop it turning into a longer term problem. Just like a physical disability would inform specific changes, people experiencing mental health problems may require reasonable adjustments.

This could take the form of introducing flexible working, for example. Each person is unique, so talk to them about what they need. Obtaining a doctor’s report with proposals is the best place to start.

3.       Read their stress levels.

Work can be a major stressor, when people start to feel overwhelmed or stressed by work. Everyone is different, and enjoyable pressure for one person can be hugely stressful for another. Most people need an element of pressure to enjoy work, but it’s when it turns into ‘stress’ that the issues start.

As a manager, it’s important to have regular 1-2-1s to understand if a team member is feeling stressed or anxious. Ensure you act to remove the stress for your employees, if it’s work related.

4.       Measure and monitor absence patterns.

This is a key way to understanding if there are any underlying conditions so tracking absence and having regular back to work interviews is important. Long-term conditions may present with a range of short-term or intermittent absence and it can be hard to identify if someone really does have a lot of dodgy tummies, or if they actually suffer from severe anxiety.

Therefore, if you feel like an employee does have a lot of intermittent absence, offering confidential support through a private GP practise or an occupational health provider can have a significant impact on someone’s health, and their productivity and motivation at work.

5.       Manage physical burnout.

Additionally, it's important to recognize a few causes of burnout, for example, if people are working hard and become ill, physical burnout can be frequently accompanied by mental burnout; or the start of mental health problems. If someone is feeling ill and is still working, because they feel forced to for fear of losing their job or failing to achieve objectives, it will start to impact their mental health.

These negative feelings of stress and anxiety drive more symptoms of physical ill health, and it can become a vicious circle where the person never fully recovers. Talking to your team members is the best way to get to the bottom of how they feel, through 121s, back-to-work interviews, or even just casual ‘chats’ in a social space.

These negative feelings of stress and anxiety drive more symptoms of physical ill health, and it can become a vicious circle where the person never fully recovers. Talking to your team member is the best way to get to the bottom of how they feel, through 121s, back to work interviews or even just casual ‘chats’ in a social space.

6.       Send them to the doctor.

Whilst one of your team might not feel comfortable discussing their mental health with you, no matter how sympathetic you are, they may with a GP or occupational health professional. Doctors can support physical and mental ill health, identify any connections, and support the employee’s recovery, as well as help identify if work is one of the main reasons for the issue. A GP will also aid with suggesting ‘reasonable adjustments’ at work.

7.       Know your employees. On a personal level, there are also short-term issues which may affect the mental wellbeing of your employees: life events such as bereavements, divorces and family problems can cause significant emotional distress for people. We are all only human which means that there is an impact at work - people may be less focused, or show visible emptions, or even dress differently.

There may be a few weeks or months where behaviour changes, or work drops off, and offering support to your team member during this time can have significant benefits for all parties in the long run.

Vicki Field is HR director at London Doctors Clinic.