UNITED KINGDOM
The officer appointed to look after the UK Public Service’s health and wellbeing says there has been a rise in anxiety among staff.
Permanent Secretary at the Government Legal Department, Jonathan Jones was updating colleagues in a blog on the readings from the Health and Wellbeing Dashboard developed last year in collaboration with Departments.
Mr Jones, who has been Wellbeing Champion since 2016, said two of the Dashboard’s six key indicators had improved, three had stayed the same, but the one that represented personal wellbeing had deteriorated since 2016, reflecting higher anxiety and “lower happiness levels”.
The Permanent Secretary did not make a connection between the impact of pressures involving the UK’s exit from the European Union (Brexit) and the downshift in personal wellbeing.
However, the Prospect union was less circumspect, dubbing the downturn “little surprise” in the light of Brexit pressures and the public sector pay freeze.
Mr Jones’s blog comes one year on from the publication of Thriving at Work, a review of mental health and employers, which suggested that mental health problems cost UK businesses up to £42 billion (A$75.6 billion) a year in lost productivity.
The review, which was not limited to the Public Service, said mental health issues could cost up to 300,000 people their jobs every year.
Mr Jones said all Departments had rated themselves against the standards in the report and that “collectively” their assessment amounted to an amber–green rating.
“In practice, this means that most Departments meet the majority of the standards, and have actions planned to fully meet the standards within the next six to 12 months,” he said.
Deputy General Secretary of Prospect, Garry Graham said that the decrease in personal wellbeing was a direct reflection of the strictures imposed on Departmental staff over the past two years.
“With burgeoning workloads and the Civil Service being singled out for continued harsh treatment on pay, as well as being used as a Brexit punching bag by politicians who should know better, it is little surprise that the results show ‘higher average anxiety levels and lower happiness levels’ on a year-on-year comparison,” Mr Graham said.
“We call on Departments to work with Prospect health and safety reps to understand and control the issues at work causing anxiety and stress.”
London, 3 November 2018
