The following details have been provided by the TUC:
Journalists have added their backing to TUC concerns about the emergence of a resilience industry, intent on making workers 'man up' and shrug off the stresses and strains of work.
The union alert comes ahead of the 10 October launch by the government of a new workplace mental health 'pledge', which will urge employers to sign up to the resilience approach.
The TUC expressed concern last month over attempts to make workers more resilient rather than workplaces more healthy. Now press and public relations branch members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) have warned: 'If this agenda is successful it is likely we will see the resurrection of arguments such as the 'egg-shell personality' put up as a defence against workers in stress claims. Workers who are not resilient enough will find hanging on to a job, taking a case to an employment tribunal, making a claim for compensation or possibly even getting benefits more difficult.'
The government's new draft 'Mental health wellbeing and resilience pledge', to be launched by workplace health czar Dame Carol Black on 10 October, will commit firms to 'providing staff with the environment and tools to develop and maintain emotional resilience and mental wellbeing, while raising awareness of, and providing support for, mental health issues in the workplace.' Dame Carol will be accompanied at the launch by health ministers Lord Howe and Norman Lamb and Lord Freud, minister for welfare reform.
