At Staff One we recruit by working with our knowledge of industries, our knowledge of regions and our knowledge of professions. We’ll hold our hands up here; often we recruit by using big data – by taking a database of hundreds of thousands of candidates and using search processes to eliminate any not suitable for a role. Ultimately, in order to support our clients quickly and effectively; sometimes our candidates become numbers.

As recruiters, as employers and as employees, we’re taking a moment this week to focus on the people behind the CV’s and the people we work with. While we recognise the cost of mental ill-health is not merely a financial issue, calculating the costs of mental health problems can be persuasive when making the case for investment in preventing them.

Mental health problems are all too common in the workplace and it is the leading cause of sickness absence. A staggering 70 million work days are lost each year due to mental health problems in the UK, costing employers approximately £2.4 billion per year.

A lot of initiatives are taking place across the UK this week supported by organisations such as the Royal foundation Heads Together and the Mental Health Foundation, both of which are providing advice and resources to support individuals and employers alike.

Credit to Chris O’Sullivan of the Mental Health Foundation for THIS incredible resource for supporting employees.