Behind The Mask

Long Hours, Constant Tech, Financial Pressures And Time Away From Families And Friends – The Strains On Travel Executives And Business Travellers Are Manifold. But Are Enough Companies Taking Mental Health Seriously?

- Dominic Ellis

For many years in the not-too-PC past, the common refrain to anything relating to mental health was “pull yourself together”. There was a lexicon of weakness and ignorance surrounding the subject; most didn’t acknowledge it, much less understand it. Not much had changed since the Victorian ages.

Thankfully today, through greater media awareness and backing from high-profile figures, working in tandem with charities, it’s no longer taboo – though there is still a long way to go; it was interesting how many leading operators approached for this article declined to comment.

It’s a growing problem. Depression and anxiety cost the global economy US$1 trillion per year in lost productivity, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and globally it affects around 300 million people.

Around one in four are diagnosed with mental health problems in the UK each year. Around 15.4 million working days were lost in the country in 2017/18 as a result of stress, up from 12.5 million the year before. This equates to 57.3 per cent of the 26.8 million work days lost to ill health, according to the Health and Safety Executive.

“We cannot compartmentalise the difference stresses easily, and o en have to fight the challenges internally whilst maintaining high productivity and work performance,” said Matthew Holman, who set up Simpila to provide more mental health support after 20 years working around the world. “This approach will only lead to burn-out or breakdown. We have to work harder to help support these areas.”

There is no mandatory requirement for businesses to have provisions in place to provide the support to those who are struggling with mental health challenges.