As Mental Health Awareness Week draws to a close. Craig Fearn, CEO of Business Mental Wellbeing is urging businesses to check in on their teams – and to give staff the opportunity to take a daily break and get outside, if possible.

Mental health problems are all too common in the workplace and it is the leading cause of sickness absence. A staggering 70 million workdays are lost each year due to mental health problems in the UK, costing employers approximately £2.4 billion per year.

While fresh air and daily exercise are not an employer's responsibility, the mental wellbeing of the workforce is – and this week is an ideal time to check in with staff and find out how they are coping.

Especially as many have only recently returned to workplaces outside of the home.

"For more than a year, we have lived with high levels of stress and this means many people are experiencing near-constant fight or flight reactions. Employers are noticing the impact of stress, especially around the return to the workplace, and I'm told by many businesses that I work with that examples of workplace stress are increasing," says Craig Fearn, CEO of Penryn-based Business Mental Wellbeing Ltd.

The theme of Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 is 'Nature' and Craig believes this has been a perfect chance for businesses to show how much they value the well-being of their teams by giving staff the opportunity to take a daily break and to step outside.

"During lockdown, we were urged to take a daily exercise out of the home, where possible. The UK's workforce rediscovered what was on its doorsteps and many of us enjoyed this daily opportunity to take an enforced screen or task break. For people working from home, this was a welcome break and a positive habit that has continued despite restrictions lifting.

"Now, people are returning to workplaces, and for many, the pressure is on. Stress and anxiety is high and we're adjusting to routines that we have not had to encounter for many months. We know the benefits of daily exercise to heart health – but time outdoors benefits our mental health, too.

"Especially when our work is screen-based. I truly believe that the benefits of being outside even for just a few minutes are so great that employees should be encouraged to take daily walks. These could happen at lunchtime or on an afternoon break when energy slumps can occur – and not just this week when Mental Health has a higher profile in the press.

"I think this is something that employees – and companies – could benefit from every week of the year. Employers have a legal responsibility to look after the mental wellbeing of their staff, not just their physical wellbeing. And as well as encouraging this time out, making time this week to check in with their staff is also really important, says Craig.

"It is no longer appropriate for employers to rely on a one-size-fits-all approach to workplace wellbeing. And while having access to crisis support lines or no-questions-asked days off is helpful, it is not a long-term solution. We only know how to provide the right kinds of support if we know what people need - so we need to ask them.

"Now is a really good time to check in on staff - you could post a quick wellbeing questionnaire to an intranet or make time for wellbeing talk at the end of team meetings.

"Whatever you decide, encouraging open communication about mental wellbeing is really positive and something that staff will really appreciate - especially right now," he adds.

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