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Lower-paid fear raising mental health issues
Workers on lower salaries feel less comfortable talking to their employer about mental health, reveals a new report.
The study, WhyBWell, by consultants Barnett Waddingham, found that for those in the earnings bracket of £20,000-£30,000 a year (into which the average UK salary falls), just two in five said they would be happy talking about mental health at work.
Yet this rises to half of workers earning £50,000-£60,000 a year, and two-thirds of those on £70,000-£75,000.
According to the research, based on a survey of 3,000 UK employees, a lack of trust and training could be drivers of this trend and two of the biggest barriers to conversation.
Among workers earning £20,000-£30,000 a year, just 25% feel their managers are equipped to effectively support employees with mental health issues, but this rises to 53% among the highest-earning bracket.
However, the same question when put to employers indicated a worrying gap in perception between business leaders and their staff — almost three-quarters (74%) felt line managers in their firm were adequately equipped for such conversations.
Another explanation for employees on lower salaries not wanting to talk about mental health is that they feel their company isn’t interested in them as individuals.
A fifth of workers in the lowest-earning group said their employer shows no interest in them as a person. But this drops to 14% for those on £40,000-£50,000 and only 10% for people on £70,000-£75,000.