Listen: A north/south divide in mental health

Almost one in three (31%) UK employees took leave in 2021 for their mental health, with these days estimated to have cost businesses £12.7bn¹. But they are worth it, helping to reduce incidents of burnout, and greatly improve workplace morale, according to wellbeing experts Westfield Health.

More than four in ten (43%) workers say their mental health has declined since the start of the pandemic, driven mainly by anxiety about losing their job (39%) and poor work-life balance (34%).

Digging deeper, the research reveals a North/South divide in mental health, with it appearing to have become worse in the South (46%) compared to the North (39%). This remains fueled by job uncertainty, but has been felt more strongly by those in the South (46%, opposed to 32% in the North).

Aston spoke to David Capper, CEO at Westfield Health Group.