31% of employees in NI have experienced mental health problems in the last year

A quarter of workers in Northern Ireland have expressed feelings of ‘loneliness’ due to a lack of colleague communication and friendship in the workplace, profoundly affecting employee health and wellbeing in the region.

Over the last year, employees have experienced negative health issues as a result of their current job role, with almost a third (31%) suffering from insomnia.

Mental health problems are similarly widespread in Northern Ireland: nearly a third (31%) cited such issues in the last year. And along with Scotland, Northern Ireland is home to the loneliest employees: a quarter (25%) have expressed this feeling.

Almost one in five workers (18%) say they’re unable to take regular breaks from work (every 30/40 minutes). Instead, they’ll sit and look at a screen for over eight hours a day, according to the UK employee health, wellbeing, and habits survey.

The report was conducted to discover how workers in Northern Ireland are affected by their working environment, the impacts on their overall health and what health support employees want from their employers.

Companies in Northern Ireland have the most to gain from supporting employees' physical health by setting up clear, effective and regular initiatives. A quarter of workers stated that companies try to achieve this, though the initiatives fail to make an impact. This comes after 19% of employees reported a reduction in their cardio fitness.

Half of the workers stated that giving managers training to better support their employees’ mental health would be the most positive change possible.

Almost a third (31%) wanted more done to promote the use of sick leave when an employee is struggling with physical or mental health issues.

Richard Holmes, director of wellbeing at Westfield Health, explained: “Burnout is a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Pressure at work is usually the main culprit and when budgets are tight and teams are small, people often find themselves with multiple roles and heavy workloads, piling on the stress.

“Policies like turning off email servers outside of working hours helps ring-fence valuable recovery time. Mental health first aid training can also help managers spot the signs or triggers and put preventions in place.”

Claire Brown, qualified life and career coach, added: “Companies should encourage employees to contribute to the organisation of tasks, duty and priorities. And employees at every possible level should be invited to participate in devising an in-house stress management policy.

“Employees must also be encouraged to prioritise their health & wellbeing above productivity by taking regular breaks from the screen and getting fresh air, where possible. Providing alternative and innovative ways for connection and communication between team members is also really valuable.

“By adopting a flexible attitude and approach to how and when work is completed, companies can alleviate some of the pressure and mental strain. As always, communication is key. It’s important for employers to be fair and realistic about what is possible and provide practical support to help team members manage their workloads.”