CIPD commits to prioritising employee mental health

The CIPD is now one of 33 organisations to sign the open letter to The Times, joining Unilever, Barclays and Santander.

The open letter cites research by the mental health charity Mind, which found that 35 percent of employees describe their mental health as “poor” or “very poor” and that the prospect of returning to work was causing them to feel anxious.

As fears grow around the knock-on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, the CIPD’s own research found that 43 percent of employees said their general mental health has worsened since the coronavirus outbreak, rising to 52 percent for those with existing mental health issues.

The CIPD research also found that 88 percent of employers were concerned about the impact of the pandemic on employee’s mental health.

The open letter emphasises that “there has never been a more important time to build back better when it comes to supporting employee mental health and wellbeing. As a group of leading employers and industry bodies in Britain, we are committed to doing this.”