Year-on-year mental health continues to be the second biggest reason for absence in the UK and trends found by FirstCare have revealed that during the past 4 years, the amount it is costing businesses has increased by 10%.

In 2012, UK businesses lost an average of £854 per employee, however that figure has since risen to £942, presenting a worrying trend that the number of people affected by mental health absence is increasing. FirstCare, an absence management provider that has been recording details of more than 160,000 employees in the UK for 9 years, has identified further key trends around mental health related absence, including what industries, age groups and genders are most touched.

 James Arquette, FirstCare’s Chief Operating Officer, comments: “The average employee lost 1.33 days due to mental health related absence in 2015, and worryingly, the figures are continuing to rise each year. Despite mental health being widely spoken about, there is still a stigma associated with it and employees are suffering in silence and choose to not seek support, which leads to increased levels of absence. Employers need to ensure that they have the right support systems and mentoring programmes in place, to allow employees to speak out, creating a more open working environment. This will not only make your business an attractive place to work, but it will help retain skilled staff for the long term and have a positive impact on your company’s bottom line.”