CIPD Assignment Front Sheet:

To be completed by candidate and attached to all submitted assignments

Centre name: Blackburn College

Candidate name: Kelly Porter
CIPD Membership/
53794885 Student number: 97015193
registration No:
Qualification title: Human Resource Management CIPD level 5, Diploma

Using Information in
5UIN
Module title: Human Resources Module Code:

Word count: 2,317 Extension granted: Y

Submission Date: 5/6/20 Revised due date:

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work, this may be regarded as plagiarism which is an offence against the assessment
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internal and external quality assurance processes it is not final.

 I confirm that my work meets the word count guidelines for the assignment (+/-10%)
and, unless otherwise stated in the assignment, has been submitted as a Word
document to allow the word count to be verified by the assessor. I understand that data
tables, diagrams, reference lists/bibliography and linked appendices that underpin the
assessment are excluded from the word count.

Kelly Porter 5/6/20

 Signature: Date:

5 UIN - Using information in HR

Report on how mental health absence impacts our organisation

Introduction
Mental Health is a topic on everyone's mind and how to improve it. Since I joined Manpower
in 2005 there has been an annual increase in absences due to mental health issues. This
may be due to employees being more honest about their symptoms and also feeling it is
more acceptable to discuss and admit these problems.
As an organisation we currently have nothing in place to reduce sick levels and currently
have no support in place to help employees or the management team assisting employees
with these issues. The purpose of my report is to manage sick levels more effectively when it
comes to mental health and how we can try to reduce these absences and support
employees more effectively.

Mentalhealth.org.uk carried out an assessment on 2290 people from the whole of the UK of
various ages. The report highlighted that only 13% of the people who completed the
assessment were in a good state of mental health. The majority of people having the best
mental health were over 55 and were also aware of the best steps to take when trying to
improve their mental health. Two thirds admitted to having suffered from a mental health
issue. This figure impacted 7 out of ten women, young adults between the ages of 18-34 and
people that line on their own.
[CITATION Men17 \l 2057 ] 88% of Manpower’s employees within the BT contract are within
this age range.

Further research by CIPD in March 2020 into employee’s health and wellbeing in the
workplace shows that out of the respondents over a third of organisations confirmed an
increase in sickness due to mental health and stress related issues. The report goes on to
recommend creating a supportive leadership team and training management to ensure they
are able to support employees in the right direction.
The survey is able to support our organisation improve and re-evaluate what we have in
place at the moment and how we can become a more modern supportive employer in our
approach to wellbeing.
This report confirms in their findings that mental illness remains the most common reason for
long and short term absences.
[ CITATION CIP20 \l 2057 ]
According to a report by Mind.co.uk, they confirm that 1 in 4 people in the UK will suffer from
a mental health issue every year. They conduct the survey every 7 years. The results are b
Based on people who are not homeless, hospitalised, prisons or living in sheltered
accommodation.
The results show that the way people are dealing with their mental health is becoming more
serious due to an increase in self harming and suicide/suicidal thoughts.
According to this report only 1 in 8 adults with a mental health problem are asking for help
through a professional. This is normally medication. Medications linked to treating stress,
anxiety and depression could lead to issues with concentration and drowsiness amongst
other side effects, therefore other options should be explored. [ CITATION Min17 \l 2057 ]
Further research into treatment shows that CBT or IAPT is an easily accessible treatment for
people suffering with mental health issues. According to a report by nice.org.uk, they show
that following on from this therapy, 51% of patients went on to a full recovery from their
issue.[ CITATION Pro19 \l 2057 ]
Our sickness during 2019 was 71% due to mental health related illness. If we were able to
introduce the employee assistance programme and reduce that by 51% then this could
reduce our annual sickness levels by 34% and also potentially reduce relapses.
Following on from a recent analysis of primary care records by PHE, it was found that people
with a severe mental health issue are more likely to have other physical health issues such
as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and asthma, further impacting our sickness levels in the
business.
Should our business want to be successful in the reduction of sickness levels, mainly due to
mental health, I feel it to be necessary to introduce an employee assistance programme.
Pros to the service
Improvement to employee well being
Prompt access to service
No long waiting lists
Reduced absence
Reduced attrition
Increased productivity - [ CITATION Enl19 \l 2057 ]

Cons
Cost
Abuse
Effectiveness of service

It is important to use a reputable service to ensure the investment is effective. I am happy to

investigate the available services and provide further information on costs if my case for the
EAP is accepted.

This new benefit for employees will be easily rolled out, education and advertising is key. We
have access to all employees’ emails, this can be the first contact we make to introduce the
service. We are then able to advertise on pay slips that employees read on a weekly basis.
Both these are free to reach out to employees.
Following each return to work interview we need to promote the service to employees and
also give them time to use the service whilst offline if they are happy to.
I feel trailing the project for a minimum of 6 months to show a good indication on how the
sickness levels have been impacted since the service was introduced, then review
effectiveness

Conclusion
My findings have shown that there has been a rise in sickness levels in Manpower due to
mental health over the last 15 years. Evidence suggests that mental health issues are
closely linked with other severe health problems that can further impact our sickness. Our
consultants are not medical professionals and are only able to support employees to some
extent when suffering from mental health problems. With an introduction to an EAP the
impact to our consultants will be reduced, employees will have quick effective support to
overcome issues before they are able to get referrals from their GP. Although there will be
an initial cost to the business, over time the reduction in absenteeism will reduce, in turn
increasing productivity.
The effectiveness will be reviewed on a quarterly basis, reflecting on costs for the service
against the cost to the business in reduced productivity. I would encourage the use of our
stress assessment prior to any referrals to the service to initially consider the severity of
each case.
[ CITATION Men17 \l 2057 ]
The first article used for my research was from mentalhealth.org. 2290 people were
interviewed across England, Scotland and Wales. The questionnaire was completed on
behalf of the Mental Health Foundation, which is a reputable charity, therefore it would
suggest the results are believable and unbiased. All the candidates completed online or via
telephone. The applicants ranged between 18 and 55+ so I feel they have covered a good
proportion of ages here. However the amount of people questioned against the current 65
million people living in the UK equates to 0.0035%. Although the report is fully referenced
and I do feel it is trustworthy, the amount of people who took part isn’t enough.

[ CITATION CIP20 \l 2057 ]

The second report I used was from the CIPD website, based on employee wellbeing and
was written very recently. This report has been published over the last twenty years and
captures feedback that covers 4.5 million employees throughout the UK. This was the
biggest report that I was able to research. I would guess the results are between ages of 18
to 65 although it doesn’t specifically say so, these are generally employment age.
CIPD have been established for over 100 years and this report is the twentieth one
published by them. I am confident that the data is reliable and covers off a big portion of the
population, therefore giving a more accurate and informative result.

[ CITATION Min17 \l 2057 ]

The third article I used for my research was from mind.org. The report is based on facts and
figures from the NHS on mental health and wellbeing, adult psychiatric morbidity and health
status and illnesses. The figures I believe are from a reliable source and a reputable
organisation. The information I feel would be unbiased as they are just reflecting the amount
of treatment in England and Wales has been sought due to mental health issues.
The report does not show how many people were used or age ranges. Therefore it is difficult
to show how relevant the figures are with the limited information provided.

[ CITATION Pro19 \l 2057 ]

The fourth report I used for my research into mental health was by nice.org (National
Institute for Health and Care Excellence). Another mental health charity that was founded in
2008, and released their findings from 2012 onwards. The results show that the amount of
people they were providing therapy to in 2012 was around 435000 which increased to over 1
million in 2017/18. This report includes all age ranges including children as well as adults.
Some of the contributors to the report work for NHS and Mind which my previous reports
have been based on.
I feel the source is reliable as they are producing facts on their services and the amount of
people they have given treatment to.
[ CITATION Enl19 \l 2057 ]
Following on from my research in to the topic it makes sense for Manpower to try an
implement changes within the business. Recommendations from the CIPD article suggests
training existing managers to have a better understanding on how to recognise mental health
issues with employees and understanding what they need to do when they need help.
[ CITATION CIP20 \l 2057 ]
Implementing the employee assistance programme should also help and support employees
and management team. They will have access to the phone lines 24/7. This will give help
and advice in the moment when they are needed. Evidence suggests that having a more
caring and supportive employer/management team and wellness programmes will result in a
happier workforce, therefore reducing attrition and boosting morale [ CITATION Suf18 \l
2057 ]

Activity Two

a. Summarise the key stages of the research process

Above is a diagram to illustrate key points in researching. This process is very easily used
for any topic that the researcher is looking in to. Identifying the issue is the first part of the
research process. Do a bit if digging around the topic with some background research. This
can be achieved through quantitative or qualitative research.
Quantitative research is a study around measurements and quantification of the data to
answer the questions the researcher is investigating. The data being used is assessed and
analysed using quantitative techniques. Normally these are completed by the following
formula -
The statement being tested
Sampling methods
Description of results
Discussion of implications
The process of data collection is distinct from analysis [ CITATION Eas15 \l 2057 ]

Qualitative research is more recently popular and has a more modern approach ([ CITATION
Sil06 \l 2057 ]
Qualitative research collects non numerical data, perhaps a kind of social science. It is used
to help recognise social life through a target area
[ CITATION Cro20 \l 2057 ]
It is normally focussed on a specific event rather than a large proportion of a population.
Results aim to show how the respondents acquire meaning from their surroundings and
environments and how this impacts their behaviour.

‘If behaviour is viewed as situationally specific, idiosyncratic, multi-variate or holistic, then a

“richer”, more descriptive analysis may well be taken to be worthwhile’[ CITATION Fin82 \l
2057 ]

In practice during both methods of research, they are useful and also can be exaggerated.
According to Easterby-Smith 1996 quantitative data can include open questions during 121
interviews or surveys. These results may then produce qualitative results to be analysed.
They are regularly used together for a more in depth research outcome [ CITATION Mar11 \l
2057 ] Specifying the requirements of the research identifies the point of the research and
what outcome the researcher is looking for
Brainstorming and evaluating on the back of the results identifies new ideas and approaches
to the initial problem
Testing solutions identified in the brainstorming session identifies the most effective
resolution to the initial problem
Results are then identified and shared

b. Compare TWO different research methods

1 - Interviews
Interviews are based on the assumption that the responses provided are truthful, valid and
relevant to the subject being investigated.
There are different ways in which the interview can be conducted dependant on the nature of
the approach the interviewer is looking for.
The most formal technique is a standardised approach. There is a strict list of questions to
use and in a certain order to which they are asked to the respondents. The
location/environment is also the same in each situation to minimise any potential variance
with responses.
Semi Structured interviews are a more relaxed approach where questions are rephrased and
the order of questions can be varied. This is to try and draw out the respondent’s different
behaviours and characteristics. This is to maintain rapport throughout the interview with the
interviewee. [ CITATION Mar11 \l 2057 ]
A criticism of a semi structured interview is due to its open structure and flow of questions
that bias maybe affect the results.
Good rapport between interviewer and interviewee is a necessity for a successful interview.
Should the interviewee become too relaxed or intimated, this may result in answers being
skewed and counter productive

2 - Questionnaires
According to Marchington & Wilkinson, questionnaires are the most popular method in
researching on social science and management studies.
Their popularity is due to them being cost effective and amount of information they are able
to produce. The questions must be effectively thought out before they are included to
prevent closed or inaccurate answers.
Sometimes the respondents may forget or just deliberately fail to answer some questions if
responses are not anonymous, with fears of repercussions.
Likert scales are sometimes used to identify strengths of opinion in the organisation.
Typically the respondents are given a scale to choose from, ideally an even number to
prevent them from choosing middle answers or sitting on the fence

A criticism of using questionnaires may be a low rate of participants, this will result in poor
inaccurate results, therefore a waste of time.