| GlaxoSmithKline proactively identifies and manages challenges to employee resilience and mental well being to ensure business success through the efforts of our people. As recognition of this achievement, GlaxoSmithKline received the UK Health and Safety Executive's Award as a 2003 Beacon of Excellence in Stress Prevention. This award was a reflection of top management commitment, the excellence of company stress prevention programmes and organisational interventions.
While many of the immediate stressors of the merger have passed, the 2004 focus for GlaxoSmithKline will continue to be protecting and enhancing the mental health of employees by fully implementing the requirements of the Global Resilience and Mental Well Being Standard. This effort includes:
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ongoing identification and assessment of job-related risks to mental well being through such tools as the Global Leadership and Organisational survey, numerous business initiatives, and the launch of an intranet-based team assessment tool for managers
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reductions in risks and promotion of the general mental well-being
of employees through such programmes as wellness initiatives and
mental health care support systems
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early recognition and treatment of illness, confidential investigation,
reporting and corrective actions to prevent recurrences.
Work related mental illness is evaluated separately from other work related illnesses and is not included in rates or numbers in this report unless specifically noted. As compared to 2001, work related mental illness dropped to the third most common cause of occupational illness, accounting for 13% of all illness cases, 50% of all lost time illnesses and 2,886 lost days of productivity. In addition, persons with work related mental illness had the highest case severity, with a mean of 60 days absence per case compared to approximately 30 days per case for all other illnesses. Of course, the impact of mental illness extends beyond the number of days lost to directly affect both workplace productivity and quality of life.
In 2001 due to lack of consistency in diagnosis, investigation, reporting, and management of work-related mental illness cases globally, it was decided to report these cases separately from key injury and illness measures. During 2002 and 2003, significant progress has been made in improving consistency of data relating to mental ill-health cases and given this progress, it is intended to review these illnesses for inclusion in the GlaxoSmithKline lost time and other performance measures for 2004.
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