Good Work Good Health

Mental illness is now the commonest cause of ill health in the European Union (EU), representing some 25% of the total disease burden (fig. 1), and rates are rising year on year. Unlike many illnesses, mental health problems occur across the age spectrum and one in four people in employment can expect to experience some kind of mental health problem in a year.

The impact on individual workers, employing organisations and society in general is very significant. Until recently the focus has been solely on the human and economic costs of ill health but there is a growing understanding that good mental health can benefit not just the individual and their family but also the businesses in which they work and the wider community.

Most mental health problems are the result of Common Mental Illness (anxiety, depression, stress) and much of this is precipitated by adverse life events. Work can be the main issue but more often it is not. However, regardless of the cause of ill health the impact is material to employers and many companies are therefore addressing health and wellbeing as a business issue. There is a growing realisation that work can be good for health but that the quality of the work is critical. Telecommunications companies are generally perceived as being “good” employers offering fair working conditions and being early adopters of new technology that not only drives efficiencies but which can also improve the work life balance of staff. Communications technology is both a catalyst and an enabler for change – as such it can be seen either as part of the problem or as central to the promotion of improved mental wellbeing in the workplace. Reviewing working practices and the management of mental health problems across the sector can therefore act as a pointer to good practice which has relevance not just to Telecommunications companies but to the wider employment market.