Birkbeck joins £1.8 million research project to improve mental health at work

Dr Kevin Teoh, Reader in Organisational Psychology at Birkbeck, University of London, is helping to lead a major new £1.8 million research programme exploring how healthier workplaces can support better mental health and help people remain in work throughout their lives.

Led by Lancaster University and funded through a Work and Health Research Award from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the three-year project brings together researchers from Birkbeck, the University of Nottingham, Queen's University Belfast and Lancaster University to investigate how healthy psychosocial work environments can promote sustainable work and improve wellbeing.

The psychosocial work environment refers to how work is organised and managed, as well as the quality of social relationships and support within workplaces. Sustainable work focuses on creating jobs and working conditions that enable people to maintain their health and wellbeing throughout their working lives.

At Birkbeck, Dr Teoh will lead one of the project's five work packages and contribute to the wider programme. His work will focus on translating research findings into practical guidance and actions that can be implemented by policymakers, employers and other stakeholders across the UK.

Dr Kevin Teoh said:

"With the changing world of work, the need to support the mental health of workers in the UK is even more pivotal. By taking a more systemic approach to understand and support mental health, we can see how policy at the national and local levels, data collection and intervention activities need to change and improve. This way we can take a more proactive approach to creating healthier and better working environments for workers."

The research comes at a time when the UK faces growing challenges linked to health and employment. An estimated 2.78 million people are currently out of work due to ill health, at a cost of £18.8 billion per year to employers, alongside significant costs to the NHS and welfare system. Mental health conditions have been a major driver of this increase.

Research shows that poor mental health affects workers of all ages and backgrounds, often alongside physical health conditions that make employment more difficult to sustain. The impact has been particularly significant among young people, with mental ill health recognised as a contributing factor to the UK reaching a record one million young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET).

The project aims to support the development of prevention-focused policies and practical interventions that can improve mental health and wellbeing across workplaces, sectors and regions.

Building on previous research, the team will:

• Review existing UK policies and workplace practices, comparing them with approaches used internationally and identifying examples of effective prevention.
• Examine which workplace approaches are most effective in preventing poor mental health and promoting wellbeing.
• Develop recommendations to help create fairer, healthier psychosocial work environments and reduce health inequalities.
• Produce an evidence-based roadmap to support the translation of research findings into policy and workplace practice.

Professor Stavroula Leka, Distinguished Professor of Organisations, Work and Health and Principal Investigator at Lancaster University, said:

"While more people are economically inactive due to mental ill-health in the UK than in other countries, this is not a uniquely British challenge. Similar trends can be seen in other countries including Finland and Norway, but what makes them different is how they are responding. These countries have worked to revamp their regulation, policies and support systems, putting a healthy psychosocial work environment and sustainable work at the heart of these initiatives.

"We are at a crossroads in the UK, and we need to be brave to take decisive action to tackle systemic, culture-driven challenges and reverse the negative trends that have emerged over the past years. Our research aims at shifting the focus from mere reaction and support to forecasting and prevention to develop healthy work and organisations and a healthier society."

Ben Harrison, Director of the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, added:

"With millions of people affected and costs running into the tens of billions of pounds each year, the reward for getting this right is significant: a healthier workforce, more productive businesses, reduced pressure on the NHS and welfare system, and better outcomes for individuals, families and communities across the UK."