Employees who are stressed, anxious or feeling depressed won't be performing as well when they are at work (presenteeism) and are more likely to take days of sick. (Photo: Shutterstock)

According to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), 15.4 million work days were lost in 2017/18 due to work-related stress, anxiety and depression. This accounted for 44 percent of all work-related ill health.

The Centre for Mental Health, a leading charity providing life changing research, economic analysis and policy influence in mental health, recently reported that mental health problems at work cost the UK economy £34.9 billion ($43.69 billion) last year.

Mental health at work is a growing problem in the workplace in terms of presenteeism, absenteeism and staff retention. Sarah Hughes, Chief Executive at the Centre for Mental Health charity, sends a clear message to businesses: "Those employers that ignore the issue, or who undermine the mental health of their staff, risk not only the health of the people who work for them but the wealth of their business and the health of the economy as a whole."