According to new research commissioned for Stress Awareness Week, nearly one in eight people (78%) say they have experienced stress at work, and a third say they have even considered leaving their current job because of work-related stress.

More than a quarter of those surveyed felt their employer did not support their mental wellbeing, and just 29% agreed their workplace had a culture of openness around mental health.

A total of 15% felt so strongly about the issue they said they would rather have workplace support for their mental health than a 3% pay rise.

In 2017/18, 15.4 million days were lost to mental health-related issues, according to figures from the Health and Safety Executive, while a recent report by Dennis Stevenson and Paul Farmer suggested that poor mental health could be costing the economy £99 billion a year.

Paul Devoy, chief executive officer at Investors in People, said: “We want HR managers to feel empowered in their ability to design mental health policies as standard in their workplace. This should not just be an afterthought or a ‘nice to have’ but central to a company’s brand values.

“Business leaders who fail to see the importance will suffer from high staff turnarounds and difficulty in recruiting the right talent as the demand for support continues to increase.”