Date 2 February 2009

St Albans based law firm SA Law has urged local businesses not to ‘stick their heads in the sand’ when it comes to mental health issues in the workplace. At a recent seminar, held in conjunction with the North London Priory, solicitors Chris Cook and Helen Duffy advised more than fifty local businesses how to spot the warning signs and tackle any problems suffered by staff effectively.

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), employers are responsible for the mental health of staff, and must take steps to ensure that conditions such as stress are properly managed. The forthcoming ‘Stress Down Day’ (6 February) organised by the Samaritans is a sign that levels of stress in the workplace are becoming a problem as the credit crunch starts to bite.

The seminar included a practical guide for employers on dealing with mental health issues and a talk on the impact of stress in the workplace from a consultant psychiatrist at The Priory.

Chris Cook, associate solicitor in the Employment Team at SA Law said: “We are encouraging businesses to nip these types of problems in the bud. I think the problem is that there is still such a stigma attached to mental health issues, and as such there is a tendency for employers to treat it differently to a physical disability. This approach is likely to result in one outcome: a costly discrimination claim.”

Helen Duffy, solicitor in the Employment Team at SA Law, added:
“The seminar was designed to remove some of the grey areas around mental health and give really clear, practical advice to local business owners. If employers know what their responsibilities are then nine times out of ten they will fulfil them. People are assets to a business and it is in employers best interests to treat them as such.”

For more information about dealing with stress in the workplace please click here.

To contact the team at SA Law please email info@salaw.com or call 01727 798000.