Four in ten UK employees have experienced stress, anxiety or depression and not told their employer. Over 50 percent of all workers believe being open about a common mental health problem would damage their career prospects. More than a quarter of employees have taken a sick day saying it was for a physical problem when it was actually due to a mental health issue.

The shocking truth about mental health in the workplace has been revealed by research¹ carried out on behalf of pensions and insurance provider Friends Life. The new survey shows that huge numbers of employees in the UK are still hiding mental health conditions from their employers for fear of it affecting their job. Four in ten employed people in the UK say they have experienced a common mental health problem like stress, anxiety or depression in the last year and not told their employer. Perhaps even more worryingly, the survey found that more than a quarter of employees have taken a sick day claiming it was for a physical problem when it was in fact for a mental health issue.

Andy Briggs, Group Chief Executive of Friends Life, said: “These statistics paint a worrying picture of a culture of silence when it comes to mental health. Our research shows that there is still much to be done in tackling mental health issues in the workplace. Anxiety, stress and depression can affect anybody and employees need help and support so that they are not left feeling vulnerable and demotivated.” More than half of those surveyed believe that being open about stress or anxiety would actually damage their career prospects. Friends Life also examined the causes of stress in the workplace. The most common answer was excessive workload followed by frustration with poor management and working long hours. The research showed that younger workers appear to be feeling the strain more than their older peers. Almost two thirds of 18-24 year olds agreed that they had experienced stress, anxiety or depression in the last year. The numbers gradually decreased across older age groups with just over one third aged 55+ feeling the same way.

Andy Briggs said: “I strongly believe that the wellbeing of employees is fundamentally important. I am delighted that we are working with Business in the Community (BITC), Mind and Time to Change, to run the first “Mental Health: Leading from the Boardroom” event. Tackling mental wellbeing in the workplace will bring great benefits both to employees and to businesses.” The event will be bring together business leaders to hear from national experts and Olympic gold medal winning cyclist Chris Boardman MBE on how to embed mental wellbeing into every organisation. The event builds on Friends Life’s commitment to tackling mental wellbeing in the workplace as a founding member of BITC’s Mental Health Champions Group, which launched in April this year.

Chris Boardman said: “In the sporting world, how you manage stress and pressure is the biggest influence on whether you succeed or fail. Therefore, many athletes are encouraged to talk openly about these issues. Why should it be any different whether you are competing for a medal or a business contract? Athletes and those in business operate best when the right conditions are created around them, and that means building a culture of open dialogue. To create this culture requires boardroom support or it will stall. I am very pleased to see Friends Life standing up and asking other businesses to join them in breaking the culture of silence.”

Louise Aston, Workwell Director at Business in the Community, said:

“The costs of employers ignoring mental ill-health amongst their staff, both in terms of business performance and unnecessary suffering, are too great to ignore. This research demonstrates the damaging culture of silence that currently exists around conditions such as stress, depression and anxiety in UK workforces. People are afraid to speak out and this requires urgent action from business leaders. We need to see more organisations encourage an open-dialogue and offer proactive interventions that promote mental wellbeing, so that employees can seek the support they need without fear of stigma or reprisal. This event is an important step in helping us to achieve this much-needed transparency.”

¹ Survey of 2000 UK adults carried out by One Poll (Sept 2014) on behalf of Friends Life