als with mental health problems. As pointed out, employee mental health problems and their impact on an enterprise's productivity and disability costs are a critical human resource issue. Increasingly, employers, employers' organisations and international organisational bodies are recognising that the economic and social costs of mental health problems in the workplace cannot be ignored.
The purpose of the research
With a grant from the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation, the ILO conducted in-depth situation analyses in five countries. The five countries selected were Finland, Germany, Poland, UK, and USA. The primary purpose of these situation analyses was to conduct an in-depth assessment of the impact of mental health problems in the workplace in order to determine the scope of the problem in competitive employment. Related to this purpose was also the assessment of the specific ramifications of the impact of mental health problem for employees and enterprises such as workplace productivity, loss of income, health-care and social security costs, access to mental health services and good practices by employers.
An essential objective of these situation analyses is that the information collected and assessed may be used to create further educational materials and assist in designing programmes which can be used by governmental agencies, unions, and employers' organisations for mental health promotion, prevention, and rehabilitation.
The situation analyses were based primarily on a thorough literature review, including documents from government agencies, NGOs, employer and employee organisations, as well as interviews with key informants.
The case of the United Kingdom
In the UK, one adult in six has some type of mental health problem. The Department of Health and the Confederation of British Industry have estimated that between 15 and 20% of employees will experience some form of mental health difficulty during their working lives, with depression representing the largest percentage of this problem. Mental ill health is a major cause of absence from work, reduced productivity, and employee turnover.
Over the last ten years, the United Kingdom's general response regarding all mental health issues has been proactive. The following situation analysis will illustrate how the various social partners, i.e., the government, advocates from non-governmental organisations, and employers' and employees' organisations have sought to prioritise and address mental health concerns, and in particular, the impact of workplace stress on mental health. Selected key agencies, groups and institutions are highlighted with examples of how important it is for all the social partners to work together in order to be more effective. Although the situation analysis is primarily concerned with the impact of mental health, and in particular depression, on the workplace, this issue is often viewed within the context of overall mental health. This is partly due to the nature of the information, which does not always distinguish between depression and other mental health concerns such as work related stress.
This situation analysis examines three major areas: Mental health at the national level, the role of government and social partners, and managing mental health in the workplace.
