Workplace wellbeing is an issue of inclusion

Here's the latest Travel Alert on your Inclusion Journey:

Employees from underrepresented groups are more likely to be made ill by their job

We saw in last week's newsletter that staff at inclusive organisations are 1.6 times less likely to get sick because of their job. So it probably isn't that surprising to discover that it's staff from underrepresented and systemically excluded groups that are experiencing the worst effects of negative workplace cultures.

So this week we are covering:

?Why workplace wellbeing is an issue of inclusion

??How you can address demographic gaps

??What we've learned this week about inclusion

Why is workplace wellbeing an issue of inclusion?

The discrepancy in mental health and stress between employees from dominant groups and those from underrepresented groups is staggering:

• 50% of neurodivergent staff experience workplace burnout, compared to just 38% of neurotypical employees
• 79 per cent of LGBTQIA+ employees have experienced a mental health problem where work was a cause or factor
• Black employees are more likely to experience workplace stress than white employees, with racial discrimination a significant factor

Despite 1 in 4 people in the UK experiencing issues with their mental health at some point in their lives, 71% of workers would be afraid to tell their employer.

The most troubling part of this is - they are right to be afraid. 300,000 people experiencing mental health issues lose their jobs each year. And with financial insecurity being a major driver of depression and anxiety, this situation can easily become a negative spiral.

Addressing workplace wellbeing and associated inequalities therefore means that organisations will retain and get the best from their teams, and develop a more diverse team (which also improves productivity and results), whilst also massively benefitting the wellbeing of the humans they work with.

We'd love to hear your thoughts:

Do you measure staff wellbeing?

Let us know in the comments!

We want to hear your views

In 2024, we heard from many of our clients in the public sector about specific challenges that they were facing when it came to driving inclusion work. We want to do further research into this so that we can provide more support in 2025.

If you work in the public sector, then we would love to hear about your experiences with diversity and inclusion work.

Please take a few minutes to answer some short questions. We'll be sharing a report into our findings in the new year.

Share your views on inclusion in the public sector.

How to address demographic gaps

So what can you do about wellbeing inequalities in your workplace?

• Track data - you can't recognise inequalities in experiences unless you're measuring these things (in this case, absences and reports of stress) and segmenting by demographic factors.
• Check in with your teams - managers should be talking regularly to their staff about how they are doing, and encouraging them to raise any issues.
• Lead by example - as we've seen, employees are hesitant to bring up issues, so you need to work hard to make them feel comfortable enough to be honest. This starts with leaders being open about their own mental wellbeing to build a culture where these discussions are normalised.
• Mental health policy - put in place a policy and processes to support your staff's mental (and physical) wellbeing.
• Training - giving your staff the skills and knowledge to mitigate the impact of unconscious (and conscious) biases and to support one another's wellbeing is extremely valuable.
• Leadership development - put in place programmes to suppport staff from underrepresented groups to develop within the organisation to increase diversity at a senior level and help these employees to feel secure and valued.

If you want to know more about how to build inclusive cultures that support staff wellness, email [email protected]

What we've learned this week about... inclusion

Here's our learnings from a small selection of relevant recent news stories. If you want to get all the latest diversity and inclusion headlines in your inbox, subscribe to our email updates.

Barclays suggested ‘mystery shoppers’ could pretend to be blind or deaf - The Guardian

https://amp.theguardian.com/business/2025/jan/05/barclays-mystery-shoppers-banks-pretend-blind-deaf

Barclays is facing criticism over adverts for paid “mystery shoppers” which suggested that people could pretend to be blind or deaf to test the services at the British bank’s high street branches.

The bank hired market research firm Ipsos to carry out testing at branches. The Barclays-branded instructions said candidates for the roles would ideally be blind or deaf, but also suggested candidates could “fabricate” conditions if necessary, for ￡45 a visit.

What can you learn from this story?

• Talk to people with genuine lived experience of diverse characteristics to understand the experiences of different groups.
• Don't make assumptions about what life is like for people with disabilities, or from any other group.
• Audit accessibility across your organisation using relevant input.
• Ensure diversity in decision-makers to avoid mistakes that would have been picked up by someone from the community in question.

2025 Declared Year of Holistic Workplace Health - Workplace Wellbeing

https://workplacewellbeing.pro/news/2025-declared-year-of-holistic-workplace-health/

St John Ambulance warns that companies relying solely on traditional methods are failing to meet the growing health needs of their workforce, particularly in terms of mental wellbeing.

The charity stresses that workplace first aid must evolve beyond addressing physical injuries to include mental health support. The call for a more integrated approach comes in response to statistics showing the significant impact of mental health issues in the workplace.

What can you learn from this story?

• Mental health is a major driver of staff absences, with almost half of all working days lost due to workplace injury or illness attributed to stress, depression or anxiety.
• Mental health and physical health are closely connected, and mental health issues can lead to physical problems, and vice versa.
• Your workplace approach to first aid must include mental health as well as physical.
• Training staff as mental health first aiders and building a culture where staff can discuss their wellbeing is vital.
• Avoiding mental harm is part of your legal responsibility to your staff.

That's it from us for this week!

If you have any questions on your inclusion journey, you can always reach out to us at [email protected], call us on 01273 044834, or head to our website watchthisspace.uk for information on everything we have to offer!

See you next week.