Blue Monday is regarded as the most depressing day of the year as Christmas feels like a long time ago, the income tax return deadline is looming and various bills roll into households. For those working in the retail sector, January can be a coerced month as companies and employees feel the strain of the Christmas trading results.
With at least 1 in 4 people experiencing a mental health problem at some point in their life, Joy Reymond, Head of Rehabilitation at Income Protection firm Unum is keen to raise awareness of Beat Blue Monday – a day used to raise awareness of mental health issues.
She says that by raising awareness and including the right protection in employee benefit packages, firms can plan for and mitigate the impact of mental heath issues in the workplace, helping them to retain valuable skills and experience of affected staff.
“Beat Blue Monday is a great opportunity for firms to evaluate their policies and procedures on these issues,” she says.
“Doing so is not only beneficial for employees, but can also ensure the company itself is protected against the impact of sickness absence on staff morale and the bottom line.”
The annual cost of sickness absence has rose to nearly £29bn for organisations in the UK, according to a study published recently by the CIPD.
