This is how many people in Leeds have taken career breaks due to mental health issues

Almost one in five employees in Leeds had been been forced to take time out from their career due to stress or mental health pressures, research from AIG Life Limited revealed.

Nationally, one in six (17 per cent) employees have been forced to take time out from their career due to stress or mental health pressures.

Almost one-fifth (19 per cent) of non-retired females have taken time out from their career due to mental health pressures, compared to 15% of men.

The research highlights employers risk losing valuable skills and experience, a drop in productivity or could face extra costs associated with recruiting replacement talent if people aren’t supported when dealing with stress or mental health issues in the workplace.

When people take a break from working, they can struggle to return to employment at the salary and responsibility level they held previously, research suggested.

Almost a third (30 per cent) of people returning to the workforce after a break said they were pushed sideways or were forced to take a lower skilled or paid job.

Only 14 per cent of those on a career break were able to return to the same career or industry sector at a higher grade than before.

Debbie Bolton, Head of Customer Operations & Chief Underwriter at AIG Life, commented: “We urgently need to address the mental health crisis in the UK, which is having a profoundly negative impact on individuals, employers and UK plc.

"The good news is there are solutions available to help organisations support their employees.

"Resilience training, wellbeing programmes, early identification of situations where individuals would appreciate help and intervention schemes are crucial to help employees struggling with stress and mental health pressures.

“There are many services now available to employers that can help them to look after their teams when they need it, whether that’s through employee assistance programmes that come with group income protection schemes offering bereavement counselling, rehabilitation services or through virtual wellbeing support such as AIG’s 24/7 Smart Health service.”

There are significant challenges for those returning to work after a career break, as more than a quarter (27 per cent) of people stating they had lost some of their confidence.

Almost one in six (15 per cent) felt their career development suffered as a result of a taking time out from the workforce.

Bolton added: “What our research also highlights is that people need to prepare for future employment shocks and make sure they have financial protection in place. It is very likely someone will have to take a break from work during their career because of ill-health and the added stress of not having the resources to meet financial commitments such as mortgage or bills while they recuperate can make this period even more stressful.”