The Institute of Directors (www.iod.com) has published a report that says the Government should work with employers to deal better with mental-health issues in the work-place.

A little more conversation shows that large companies have adapted more quickly to increase the awareness of mental health and to offer support to their staff, whereas smaller companies do not feel they have the resources to do so.

The IoD argues that the Government should give SMEs guidance on mental health and how to talk about it, while encouraging companies of all sizes to institute formal mental-health policies and integrate mental-health awareness into line management training.

IoD director general Stephen Martin said: “The time has come for mental health to get the recognition it deserves at work. Coming from a background in construction, I know the lengths companies go to protect the physical health of their staff, but their mental well-being has often not received enough attention.

“Prevention is always better than cure, so we need to ensure that businesses are helped to create an environment where employees feel comfortable enough to talk about their problems at an early stage.

“It can be hard for small businesses in particular — without large HR departments — to prepare staff for dealing with mental-health problems.

“There are already schemes out there than can help these companies, but awareness of them is still too low. Equipping business leaders with more mental-health literacy could well contribute to a real ‘up-tick’ in Britain’s productivity; this is not just an issue of welfare, but of business and commerce too.”