The third Monday in January is considered to be the most depressing day of the year and was labelled “Blue Monday” by psychologist Cliff Arnall in 2005. Contributing factors include the post-Christmas period, debt and poor weather conditions.
Blue Monday has received criticism from mental health associations, which state that there is no proven correlation between this day and increased mental health referrals.
For many, mental health concerns do not just arise in the bleak midwinter and can strike on any day of the year. Mental health charity Mind has set up the “#BlueAnyDay” hashtag as a reminder that it is OK to feel depressed on any day of the year, not just on Blue Monday. There are concerns that Blue Monday is trivialising mental health issues and is putting pressure on those suffering from mental illness to overcome the day.
However, Blue Monday has also been celebrated for raising awareness and some employers are using Blue Monday as a way of opening up a dialogue with their employees about mental health.
Mental health and absenteeism
The Labour Force Survey 2015/2016 reported that approximately 500,000 workers are suffering from work-related stress, depression and anxiety, and that on average 24 days are lost per worker. This amounts to an astonishing 12 million working days per year due to mental health issues and is estimated to cost the economy over £5 billion per annum.
In addition to absenteeism, mental health illness can also lead to other issues in the workplace e.g. poor productivity, human error, increase in accidents and high staff turnover. It follows that supporting the mental wellbeing of employees is good for business and assists employers in achieving peak performance.
