4. Charities and mental health

Working in charities is an opportunity for people to work for causes they care about. For many, this is precisely the reason that the sector appeals to them. Nonetheless, much research has shown that people who work in charities experience poor mental health and wellbeing. An anonymous survey of Unite members working in charities from May 2019 showed that 42% of respondents believed their job was not good for their mental health¹. ACEVO and the Centre for Mental Health’s report In Plain Sight investigated reports of abusive organisational cultures and reports of severe bullying within the charity sector. While the report does not explore the prevalence of bullying within the sector, 87% of those who did report it rated the impact on their personal and emotional wellbeing as severe². In the leadership space, ACEVO’s Pay and Equalities Survey has shown for many years that senior leaders in charities struggle to access personal support in their roles. In 2019 the survey found that 89% of CEOs worked extra, unpaid hours; the median number of extra hours worked was 10 per week³. In the 2020 survey, 32% reported receiving no regular appraisal, and just 22% of CEOs responding had a personal development plan. This survey also asked whether CEOs of charities felt that boards of trustees prioritised their wellbeing; while 54% said that they did, a mixed picture emerged,14% disagreed and almost a third (30%) neither agreed nor disagreed⁴. There is clearly a need for a more tailored approach to wellbeing in the sector, across all job levels within organisations, to help staff and volunteers feel safe and supported in their work.

1. Unite the Union (2019) Charity workers suffering an epidemic of mental health issues and stress, sur-vey reveals. Unite the Union, 20 May. Available at: https://unitetheunion.org/news-events/news/2019/may/charity-workers-suffering-an-epidemic-of-mental-health-issues-and-stress-survey-reveals/ [ac-cessed 27 August 2020].
2. Fitzpatrick R and Thorne L (2019) In plain sight: workplace bullying in charities and the implications for leadership. ACEVO and Centre for Mental Health, June. Available at: https://www.acevo.org.uk/reports/in-plain-sight/ [accessed 9 October 2020].
3. Guild M (2019) ACEVO Pay and Equalities Survey 2019. Association of Chief Executives of voluntary organisations. Available at: https://acevo.my.site.com/s/store#/store/browse/detail/a303z000000FknHAAS [accessed 27 August 2020], p. 22
4. Guild M (2020) ACEVO Pay and Equalities Survey 2019. Association of Chief Executives of voluntary organisations, September. Available at: https://acevo.my.site.com/s/store#/store/browse/detail/a303z0000030HNOAA2 [accessed 9 October 2020].