The Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) has announced the availability of two new units allowing team leaders and managers to better manage the mental health of their teams.
ILM will work in collaboration with Maudsley Learning, who specialises in developing learning programmes about mental health and the workplace. The aim is to deliver practical support and guidance through nine of its most popular qualifications, as it seeks to improve the management of mental health in the workplace.
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Kate Cooper, Head of Head of Research & Policy at ILM, said: “Despite increased awareness many organisations are not equipping their people with the skills to manage individuals with mental health issues and to ensure general wellbeing across the business.
“The proportion of sickness absence due to mental health is 38 per cent in the UK, which means there is a fundamental need for managers to develop the skills to address this issue and these units will address this need. Maudsley Learning has an unrivalled level of expertise in this area and we have chosen to work with them in order to ensure that we are providing managers with the highest level of support possible.”
In 2014, the OECD reported that mental ill-health costs the UK economy an estimated £70 billion, equivalent to 4.5 per cent of GDP a year. One in six employees is dealing with a mental health issue such as depression, anxiety or stress.
Over two thirds (69 per cent) of business leaders say their organisation needs to do more to prevent stress and half say that they have never been asked about depression, stress or anxiety, according to research by Bupa.
By embedding these two units across its core qualifications, ILM aims to directly address the skills gap associated with the management of mental health at work to acquire the relevant
skills and capabilities.
The flexible structure of ILM’s qualifications means learners of all levels will now be able to build this training into their courses, improving awareness and management of mental health issues at all levels of an organisation.
Frederica Marques, Learning Development Manager of Maudsley Learning, said; “Mental health is a key issue for everyone in the workplace and we are keen to create awareness of its importance and promote support for those with mental health issues. Working with ILM means we will be supporting managers across a range of organisations in the UK, enabling us to have a direct positive impact on the workplace and employees’ mental health across the country.”
