Retailers urged to improve workplace wellbeing as cases of poor mental health rise

A new report by retail industry charity the Retail Trust has brought to light concerns over mental health issues among UK retail and call centre staff. To collate its data, the organisation surveyed over 1,300 retail workers, 17 percent of which said they had missed at least one day of work this year due to poor mental health.

Among the respondents, call centre staff and younger workers were twice as likely to have called in sick in this respect, with poor mental health causing 31 percent of retail call centre staff and 29 percent of Gen Z workers to take time off work. 82 percent of younger workers, meanwhile, reported deteriorating mental health over the last year, while 46 percent of call centre staff said they often felt lonely at work.

Other core issues brought forward by the survey were that of the rising cost of living and abuse from customers, both of which were found to be central to the impact on wellbeing. In addition to this, 71 percent of all retail employees surveyed said that mental health issues were causing them to underperform at work, leading Retail Trust to urge companies to address the issue head on.

The organisation suggested improvement to workplace cultures, mental health training and self-help tools as methods to reverse these figures. In the report, Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, said that the findings have “profound implications” for the UK’s workforce, and while many retailers were already taking important steps to address poor mental wellbeing, more still needed to be done.

He continued: “While retail employers may not be responsible for causing their staff’s mental health issues, they are paying the price in absenteeism and underperformance. They must continue to invest in training, create more positive work cultures, and implement preventative measures to mitigate the mental health challenges their workers face.”