Here are some tips on supporting employee mental health
Newsletter
DiversityQ supports board members setting and enacting their D&I strategy, HR directors managing their departments to take D&I best practice and implement it in real-life workplace situations
In spite of growing awareness and an increase in the number of reported incidents of people having a mental health episode while in employment, 63% of businesses say that more knowledge of both the business case and ‘duty of care’ is needed for them to manage mental health issues in the workplace and ensure mental wellbeing.
Mental health is a sensitive and nuanced subject and not an easy one to manage at any level of an organisation. It is often impossible to tell that someone has mental health challenges unless they have previously disclosed or until a situation arises.
Employees often only raise mental health issues with their employer during a formal disciplinary or performance procedure, and frequently cite their mental health as the reason for the alleged misconduct or poor performance, creating a tricky path for employers to navigate.
How to start on mental wellbeing
Organisations can make a start on improving employee mental wellbeing by:
Creating a Mental Health at Work action plan
Making sure that workers know about mental health
When workers are finding things hard, giving them the chance to talk about mental health and the help and support they can get
Making sure workers have control and a sense of purpose about their work
Making sure managers and supervisors manage people properly
Making regular checks on workers’ mental health and wellbeing
1. Take organisation wide approaches
These include:
Flexible working
Line manager training
Workshops/seminars
Engagement and communication
Evaluating ROI
HR professionals or people managers can revert to their company’s policies and core values along with the legal frameworks (Common Law, Health & Safety at work, Equality Act, Employment Rights Act) when dealing with an employee mental wellbeing issue. However, it can be challenging to decide how to balance the needs of the individual and business against these company values and legal frameworks.
There are small steps an organisation can take to help mitigate the risk of an individual’s mental health becoming an issue at work. These points are below:
2. Watch out for early signs of mental health issues
These include:
Concerns from colleagues and/or clients and customers
Changes in behaviour or approach to work
Psychological symptoms – anxiety or distress, mood changes, indecisions, loss of motivation, loss of humour, increased sensitivity, distraction or confusion and memory lapses
Behavioural symptoms – withdrawal from office life, irritability, over-excitement, lateness, working far longer hours, obsessive activity, uncharacteristic errors, risk-taking and disruptive behaviour
Physical symptoms – fatigue, appetite changes and visible tension
3. Implement a strategy for promoting mental wellbeing
This includes:
A risk assessment of potential work-related causes of mental health issues in your organisation
Encouraging the use of mental health well-being plans for staff across all levels of the business
Identifying training needs for line managers to spot and deal with issues
Creating internal support networks where issues can be discussed openly
Ensuring that any strategy has senior management buy-in and consider appointing mental health champions (ideally someone at a senior level)
Identifying sources of support, whether internal (e.g. a buddy system) or external (such as EAP, financial support for counselling)
Making use of flexible absence policies
Speaking to Mind and other organisations for guidance and advice
Returning to work meetings and keeping in regular contact
In this article, you learned that:
It can be hard to tell that someone has mental health issues unless it has been disclosed
You can make company-wide changes to boost staff mental health including flexible working, line manager training and starting workshops
Behavioural symptoms include withdrawal from office life, irritability, over-excitement, lateness, working far longer hours, obsessive activity, uncharacteristic errors, risk-taking and disruptive behaviour
How to manage employee mental wellbeing
Ensure you have an effective strategy for employee mental wellbeing.
Here are some tips on supporting employee mental health
Newsletter
DiversityQ supports board members setting and enacting their D&I strategy, HR directors managing their departments to take D&I best practice and implement it in real-life workplace situations
Sign up nowIn spite of growing awareness and an increase in the number of reported incidents of people having a mental health episode while in employment, 63% of businesses say that more knowledge of both the business case and ‘duty of care’ is needed for them to manage mental health issues in the workplace and ensure mental wellbeing.
Mental health is a sensitive and nuanced subject and not an easy one to manage at any level of an organisation. It is often impossible to tell that someone has mental health challenges unless they have previously disclosed or until a situation arises.
Employees often only raise mental health issues with their employer during a formal disciplinary or performance procedure, and frequently cite their mental health as the reason for the alleged misconduct or poor performance, creating a tricky path for employers to navigate.
How to start on mental wellbeing
Organisations can make a start on improving employee mental wellbeing by:
1. Take organisation wide approaches
These include:
HR professionals or people managers can revert to their company’s policies and core values along with the legal frameworks (Common Law, Health & Safety at work, Equality Act, Employment Rights Act) when dealing with an employee mental wellbeing issue. However, it can be challenging to decide how to balance the needs of the individual and business against these company values and legal frameworks.
There are small steps an organisation can take to help mitigate the risk of an individual’s mental health becoming an issue at work. These points are below:
2. Watch out for early signs of mental health issues
These include:
3. Implement a strategy for promoting mental wellbeing
This includes:
4. Implement initiatives to support staff
This includes:
In this article, you learned that:
line manager training and starting workshops
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