Despite the increasing awareness of the issue of mental health at work over the last few years, recent research shows that many UK workers are still suffering. According to statistics from the Health and Safety Executive, more than half (57 percent) of all the working days lost in the UK every year are the result of stress, anxiety and depression. However, despite how commonplace mental health challenges are, the vast majority of workers are suffering in silence.

In this article, we’ll look at the latest statistics that reveal the extent of the problem and share a few simple self-care tips that can help to improve mental health at work.

Workers are reluctant to discuss mental health challenges

Recent research by Babylon Health explored the stigma surrounding mental health at work. It found that 79 percent of the 2,000 UK respondents would not feel comfortable talking to their employers about their mental health. Perhaps that reluctance is not surprising given that 72 percent said that mental health was not discussed enough in their workplace.

More troubling still was the 57 percent of respondents who said they felt that mental health was stigmatised in their workplace. Given that perceived stigma, it’s perhaps not surprising that only 25 percent of the respondents said they’d feel comfortable discussing their mental health with a colleague.

When asked what factors detrimentally impacted their mental health, ‘workplace pressures’ (45 percent) was second only to ‘personal relationships’ (49 percent), while a ‘poor work-life balance’ also featured high on the list.

Self-care tips to improve mental health at work

Given the lack of support on offer in many workplaces, everyone should arm themselves with a few simple strategies to help to protect their mental health at work.

Follow these self-care tips to help improve your mental health at work:

1. Take regular breaks

At some workplaces, there may be a culture where workers are encouraged or even expected to work through their breaks. However, your mental health should be your priority. Taking small, regular breaks throughout the day and eating lunch away from your desk can benefit your mental health and improve your productivity. If your employer doesn’t get it, perhaps it’s time to find one that does.

2. Make time for exercise

Regular exercise has been proven to decrease feelings of anxiety, stress and depression, increase the production of endorphins and improve your mood. During a busy working week, it can be difficult to fit in exercise sessions, but taking advantage of cycle-to-work schemes, subsidised gym memberships and workplace yoga sessions can help.

3. Talk to someone

If you’re facing unrealistic goals and deadlines, a workload that’s spiralling out of control or a pressurised working environment that’s affecting your mental health, you must talk to someone. Opening up to a supervisor, HR manager or trusted colleague is a very important first step.

4. Make yourself comfortable

Making yourself comfortable is a small and simple step you can take to improve your sense of wellbeing at work. Preparing healthy food, taking a hot water bottle if you’re cold, making yourself a flask of tea or hot chocolate and getting plenty of sleep can all have a positive impact on how you feel.

Is it time to prioritise your mental health?

Are you ready for a change? At Linguistica Recruitment, we have a range of bilingual job opportunities across the south of England. Take a look at our vacancies, send us your CV or call 02392 987 765 to discuss your requirements with our team.

 

Learning a language can open a lot of doors, and that’s more the case now than it’s ever been before. Language skills have always come in handy when travelling, but now, mastering a language could also be highly beneficial to your career.

In our last post, we reported how bilingual Brits are being paid more and have more career opportunities than their monolingual counterparts. The opportunities available to bilingual workers are only likely to increase in the future, given that language skills are more sought after than they have ever been before.

The British Council has already stressed the need for young Brits to learn a foreign language if the UK is ever to become a ‘truly global nation’. And with the latest CBI Education and Skills Report stating that the need for languages will only increase after the UK’s exit from the EU, it’s high time we hit the books and star learning. But which languages should we focus our efforts on? The following are the best languages to study to increase your future job opportunities:

1. French

French is currently the most sought-after language in the UK, with 54 percent of employers saying that the skill would be useful to their business. This represents a steady rise from 2017, when 51 percent of employers admitted that having a French speaker would be an advantage. Of the UK job vacancies in the UK that ask for a second language, the most commonly requested is French.

2. German

Germany has a powerful economy and strong trade links with many countries, making it one of the biggest players in Europe. Over half (51 percent) of the employers who responded to the CBI survey said that German would be useful to their business, up from 47 percent in 2017. Although German has a reputation as being a difficult language to master, it’s actually much closer to English than languages that are supposedly easier to learn, such as Spanish and French.

3. Spanish

In 2016, Spanish was the only foreign language that was growing in popularity in English schools, and now it’s also becoming more popular with employers. In terms of the best languages to study to boost your future job prospects, Spanish has shot up the list. 50 percent of UK employers said it was a useful language for their business, up from 30 percent and 45 percent in 2016 and 2017 respectively. This is due to the fact that a mastery of Spanish allows businesses to connect with countries beyond Europe in the growing Latin American market.

4. Mandarin

It’s perhaps not surprising that demand from UK employers for Mandarin speakers has increased, given that it’s the language spoken by the world’s second-largest economy and has more than one billion speakers worldwide. China also has a growing middle class with a taste for British products, which is further increasing demand for Mandarin speakers. 37 percent of employers said that Mandarin was a useful language to their business, up from 28 percent and 36 percent in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

5. Arabic

With more than 400 million speakers worldwide in countries including Egypt, Sudan, Chad, United Arab Emirates and more, Arabic is becoming an increasingly desirable language for UK employers. The British Council has argued that Arabic should be taught in UK schools. However, unlike the other languages on this shortlist, the demand for Arabic among UK employers has fallen over the past few years, down from 26 percent in 2017 to its current level of 16 percent.

What second language do you speak?

If you have a second language and are looking for your first or next bilingual role in the UK, we want to hear from you. We have a range of well-paid and rewarding roles in the south of England for bilingual speakers. Take a look at our current vacancies and send us your CV today, or give us a call on 02392 987 765 to discuss your requirements.

If you’re a frequent visitor to the Linguistica Recruitment blog – and frankly, you’d be daft not to be – then over the years you’ll have seen several articles bestowing the virtues of bilingualism. Put simply, being bilingual makes you a wonderful person – more adaptable, enhanced cognitive abilities, more culturally fluent and, generally, an all-round good egg.

Given just how fantastic all you lucky bilinguals are, it probably won’t surprise you to know that recent research points to the fact that being bilingual can be a big benefit to your career. So much so in fact, that even the famously monolingual Brits are learning a second language just to get ahead.

Brits are using language to benefit their careers

According to a study from a specialist language recruitment site, more Brits are using second languages in their work than ever before. More than half of the respondents said they actively use their second language in their careers, with 68 percent admitting that it directly benefits their career, either through more opportunities or improved pay.

With record levels of unemployment and the jobs market in the UK more competitive than ever before, language skills are becoming an increasingly important differentiator for employees. With more businesses opening up to overseas markets, candidates with language skills give themselves a good chance of landing their desired jobs, even when languages are not listed in the essential skills required for the role.

Older generations risk being left behind

With UK businesses increasingly looking to enter new markets, unfortunately, it’s the older generations who risk being left behind. 66 percent of the 18-34-year-olds who responded to the study said they knew more than one language, compared to just a quarter of 55-64-year-olds.

Of those who speak a second language, 74 percent of 18-34-year olds said they actively use their languages in their careers, compared to just 24 percent of 55-64-year olds. 89 percent of the younger age group said they felt their second language benefited their careers, which is more than double those in the older age group.

Learning a foreign language is more important than ever

With UK businesses increasingly serving an international customer base, learning a new language has the potential to be more beneficial to an individual than it’s ever been before. That’s mirrored by the responses to the survey, with 69 percent saying it’s more important to have more than one language now than it was 10 years ago, and 70 percent admitting that they’d encourage their children to learn another language.

Given the current language skills gap in the UK, it’s perhaps not surprising that the government is doing everything it can to encourage language learning. In 2018, it set a target that 90 percent of British pupils would have a language GCSE by 2025. It has also allocated funding to set up a new national languages centre, which will help British businesses access the skilled workers they need.

It’s never too late to learn a language

So, how do monolingual British workers keep up? With so many resources available these days to learn new languages, many of which can be accessed for free, there’s nothing to prevent you from joining the growing number of UK language learners. 62 percent of survey respondents said they would consider learning a new language if they knew it would increase their earning potential. Now we have proof that it can!

Take the next step in your bilingual career

At Linguistica Recruitment, we have a wide range of jobs available for bilingual and multilingual job seekers across the UK. Take a look at our current vacancies, send us your CV or call 02392 987 765 to discuss your requirements today.