A city worker has died after falling from a building in Canary Wharf in a case that highlights the importance of mental health support in the workplace.
Eyewitness accounts, reported in the Sun, state that the man sent a text, put down his bag, then jumped four storeys to his death in the Canary Wharf Shopping Centre in East London on January 7. The police are not treating his death as suspicious.
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Speaking to Wall Street Journal after a spate of banker suicides between 2013 and 2014, Dr. Alden Cass, Psychologist and author of ‘Bullish Thinking: The Advisor’s Guide to Surviving and Thriving on Wall Street’, suggested that those in high-pressure jobs are at particular risk when the job they consider a part of their identity doesn’t match up with the lofty expectations they’ve set for themselves.
“The number one reason I get a referral is that a patient says to me ‘For some reason I’m not making as much money as I used to,” he said. “People feel replaceable.”
And the problem isn’t just limited to those in powerful positions – research from Accenture suggests 66% of UK workers have personally experienced mental health challenges, with 61% choosing not to tell anyone about them.
Speaking exclusively to HR Grapevine, Accenture’s Managing Director Barbara Harvey says that the main reason for this is that individuals are fearful that disclosing a mental health condition will prevent them from getting promotions and work-related opportunities. In order to make progress, Harvey says that communication is key. She explains:
“Until you can have an open and honest conversation about mental health, you really can’t do anything – all you are doing is putting a sticky plaster on something [and not fixing anything].”
She says that an effective way of communicating is through her ‘Sandwich’ model, which comprises of three key components: leadership at the top, support mechanisms at the bottom and the method of communication acting as the vein running through the middle of the model.
However, a report from Personnel Group found that 40% of employees work somewhere that does not offer any mental health support for employees at all.
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“It is surprising, not to mention a real shame, that so many employees still feel there isn’t enough mental health support available in the workplace, especially surprising as the topic has significantly increased in awareness in recent years,” said Rebekah Tapping, Group HR Director at Personal Group.
“It is more important than ever that business leaders and decision makers break the culture of stigma and silence around mental health and start making it a management priority and ensuring that a range of support is available for those who need it.”
If you are having suicidal thoughts, suffering from anxiety or depression or just want to talk to someone, call The Samaritans on 116 123.
Alternatively, if you are managing staff who you believe are suffering from mental health issues, ACAS recommend the following:
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Be approachable, available and encourage staff to talk
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Tailor your management style to the needs of each employee
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Monitor workloads and set realistic targets
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Have regular one-to-one catch-ups
