Sustainable Return to Work - Supporting people with common mental health problems to engage in work throughout their lives

18th May 2017

The University of Sheffield is looking to work with local businesses to understand how people who can be helped to stay in, or return to work when they have suffered mental ill-health.

Could your organisation be involved in this important area of research? It is estimated that 15% of the working population suffer from common mental health problems, with 1 in 2 experiencing mental ill health at least once in their life time. In the UK alone, 70 million working days are lost each year due to poor mental health. We want to find out how different factors at home and work contribute to, or act as barriers to, getting people back into work and supporting them to continue working throughout their lives. We aim to: Review absence management practices for workers with common mental health problems: Develop a model of sustainable return to work to inform policies and practices: Understand the impact of broken (or interrupted) career pathways due to mental ill-health We welcome your involvement. We are looking for: HR professionals to share best practice and identify future needs. Access to existing absence management, performance management and career management data Willing interviewees to examine the knowledge, behaviours, strategies used to support an effective and sustainable return to work. We can offer you: Bespoke analysis of information relating to return to work, relapse and exit following mental ill-health in your organisation Bespoke guidance and tools to support absence management and return to work. Access to new education, training and management practices to support return to work. Contribution to thought leadership in sustainable return to work and an opportunity to shape future research and practice. Opportunity to network with professionals working in the area and facing similar challenges. Interested in finding out more? Click here or contact Karina Nielsen, Professor of Work Psychology: k.m.nielsen@sheffield.ac.uk