A landmark study of health and well-being promotion in Irish companies was published at the Healthy Ireland Workplace launch this week at the Council Room at UCC.
The report includes results of a survey conducted on over 1,500 companies in Ireland led by Dr. Jane Bourke of Cork University Business School at University College Cork, Professor Stephen Roper of Warwick Business School and Director of the Enterprise Research Centre and Niamh Lenihan of UCC and Munster Technological University.
Front row Miriam Barrow (Mental Health Ireland), Dr. Jane Bourke (CUBS, UCC), Niamh Lenihan (MTU & UCC)
Second row Nodlaig Carroll (HSE), Dr. Kara McGann, Prof. Stephen Roper (WBS), Paula McGann (Crowleys DFK). (Photo Credit: Gerard McCarthy)
Speaking about the report, Dr. Jane Bourke said, “Mental health-related sickness absence is a growing challenge for Irish employers The business costs of poor employee mental health and well-being can be substantial However, employers are more likely to implement mental health and well-being initiatives that do not involve a financial outlay. In fact, only one in five firms have a dedicated budget for mental health.”
The survey results revealed that mental health related absenteeism has increased in recent years and that the majority of Irish employers are not investing enough in well-being and mental health supports in the workplace.
Niamh Lenihan commented on the results saying, “The report is a first step to understanding workplace mental health and wellness promotion by Irish employers. Why are Irish employers, the majority of whom acknowledge their responsibilities, not investing in workplace mental health and well-being to a greater extent? It may be that the business case for investing in mental health and well-being is unclear to Irish businesses.”
You can read the full Healthy Workplace Ireland: A Survey of Mental Health & Well-being Promotion in Irish Firms report here.
Panel discussion at launch event at UCC led by Dr. Declan Jordan (Cork University Business School, UCC). Panellists include Dr. Kara McGann (IBEC), Miriam Barrow (Mental Health Ireland), Nodlaig Carroll (HSE), Paula McCann (Crowleys DFK) and Dr. Juliet Hassard (Queen's University Belfast). (Photo Credit: Gerard McCarthy)
Key findings in the report - Healthy Workplace Ireland: A Survey of Mental Health and Well-being Promotion in Irish Firms - include:
- 80% of employers in Ireland are not investing in workplace mental health.
- 76% of employers see employee mental health and well-being as their responsibility.
- 32% of employers have an organisational response to mental health and well-being.
- 20% of employers have a dedicated budget for mental Health and well-being.
- Mental health-related sickness absence has increased post-pandemic. 64% of employers stating that absenteeism – physical and mental-health related - adversely impacts business performance.
- Mental health-related sickness absence is a growing challenge for Irish employers, as more than half of employers report that the proportion of absenteeism due to mental ill-health has increased in the last 12 months.
- Workplaces are changing as more employers allow staff to work from home (WFH). Most employers view remote/hybrid working positively.
- Prior to the pandemic, 7% of firms in Ireland had employees who worked from home. Now, 32 per cent of firms have employees that work from home.
- Employers in Ireland are less likely to support workplace health promotion than in England. 23% of Irish companies have a plan to support employee mental health in comparison to 31% of companies in England.
- Presenteeism – working when ill - is higher in Irish businesses (27%) compared to businesses in England (21%), a pattern which is consistent across sectors and firm size bands. The most commonly cited reasons for presenteeism by Irish employers is the need to meet deadlines and client demand.
- Smaller firms are much less likely to be providing support for employee mental health and well-being. This could be due to resource constraints, more informal practices within smaller businesses and perhaps the lack of a distinct HR function.