Firms told to employ therapists for stress

EMPLOYERS are being urged to hire psychiatrists and therapists to help prevent workers suffering from stress and burn-out.

As firms cut back on staff, leaving those left behind to pick up the extra workload and worry about their own job security, figures show rising levels of mental health problems among workers.

Now a new service is being launched in Scotland by The Insight Network, offering to go into businesses to help them prevent problems before they arise, giving employees “resilience” to weather the economic storm.

Ann Leitch, the chief executive of The Insight Network, said research showed that almost 40 per cent of employers had reported an increase in problems such as anxiety and depression in their employees in the last 12 months.

The service, based at the private Spire Edinburgh Hospitals, offers psychological therapies to help those suffering work stress and other mental health problems. But they are also hoping to get companies to tackle issues before they arise in the first place.

Leitch said: “The sort of workshops we provide into business are helping managers recognise stress in the workplace so they are able to better support employees, helping people manage conflict and change and uncertainty.

“It is about using the same sort of skills we assist people with who are unwell and in treatment, but using those techniques when people are well.”

CBI Scotland assistant director David Lonsdale, said: “Our own research shows that employers take stress and the mental well-being of their staff very seriously.”