All employers can and should produce, implement and communicate a mental health at work plan that promotes good mental health of all employees and outlines the support available for those who may need it. Just as companies realized over time that people at work are far from linear, many people came to realize that this concrete divide was unrealistic, unhealthy and out of date. To spend 35+ hours a week with people and have to compartmentalize mental health (and definitely mental illness) out of that world was, and is, unsustainable. 56 per cent of employers said they would like to do more to improve staff wellbeing but do not feel they have the right training or guidance. Taking action and bringing mental health discussions to the forefront of your business shows employees you are genuinely invested in supporting emotional wellbeing. Employees will respond negatively to wellbeing initiatives if they believe they are merely being implemented to get them to work harder. This is why harnessing the right culture in the workplace is important. So it is an environment where employee wellbeing can flourish. Leadership is key to developing this culture and its success relies upon buy-in and cooperation of all leaders from the board level down. High performance is mental strength in motion. When we don’t feel good, accessing the behavioral skills that foster creativity and resilience is challenging. Without these skills, we don’t have the psychological resources to perform well at our jobs. Fostering a positive work environment that promotes mental health and wellbeing is fundamental to building organisational health and makes good business sense. The research is clear that workplaces that protect employee health and provide flexibility to take account of an employee’s health status are among the most successful over time.
If we’re to do the best possible job of looking after our teams, we need to look after ourselves first. If helping others constantly comes at the expense of your own mental and physical wellbeing, you may eventually become exhausted, frustrated and burned out. Mental health problems can cause stress. Someone might find coping with the day-to-day symptoms of a mental health problem, as well as potentially needing to manage medication, healthcare appointments or treatments, can become extra sources of stress. Employers need to communicate clearly through policies on stress management or mental health that people with issues will be supported and outline what help is available, as well as being clear with employees about relevant ill health and capability procedures. Employee wellness programmes are a solution for employers looking to give their staff the opportunity to improve both their physical and mental health. With mental health at the forefront of discussions around employee wellbeing, it's important that mental health is at the top of your agenda. Even though it may not be easy to become an employee-centric company addressing workplace wellbeing ideas it is of utmost importance in this day and age.
Workload Management
Like any other health or personal issue, an employee makes a choice about talking with their manager about their mental health. Employees are not required to disclose any mental health information. Your conversation needs to be an expression of concern and observation of what you are noticing about their functioning at work—it should be based on observable behaviour in the workplace. Managers are in a unique position to recognise when an employee may be struggling and not functioning well at work. Having an early exploratory conversation is important because you may be able to provide some early workplace support which helps get things back on track. This can also encourage the employee to get help from their support networks, such as family, friends, peer support workers or mental health professionals. Who hasn’t woken up in the morning after a good night’s sleep with the perfect solution to a problem they’ve been brooding about all week? Often, taking a break lets employees relax and rest their brains, which gives their subconscious the chance to see past preconceived solutions and objectively evaluate the task at hand. We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health, and in both cases we are on a continuum, where our health can vary day to day. Good relationships are based on openness, trust and respect. Regular conversations between managers and their team members can identify ways to enable an employee to be healthy, safe and productive—while maintaining confidentiality about personal health circumstances. This applies to people living with mental health conditions and those who are in a carer’s role. Thinking about concepts such as workplace wellbeing support is really helpful in a workplace environment.
Problems with workload, support, or relationships with colleagues can worsen mental health and your employer has a duty to intervene. They may be able to review your work commitments or specific issues, but they can only do this if you let them know. For millions of us a good deal of our waking hours are spent at work, with the rest of the time often divided between travelling to work and worrying about work. Some of us even manage to fit some time to sleep into our hectic schedules. It’s no wonder, then, that mental health in the workplace is becoming an increasingly pressing issue. In pressured circumstances at work it is natural that we will occasionally feel stressed, anxious or depressed and it is in everybody’s interests that this is acknowledged and addressed. When we think about our physical health we know that there’s a place for keeping ourselves fit, and a place for getting appropriate help as early as possible so we can get better. Mental health is just the same. If an employee talks to you about their mental health, ask them what they would like you to do with the information, such as what to tell colleagues, and ask how the workplace can support them. Stigma surrounding mental illness may prevent people from feeling comfortable about how mental health issues will be handled at work. An opinion on how to manage an employee with anxiety is undoubtebly to be had in every workplace in the country.
Using Ordinary Management Tools To Identify Problems And Needs
Good mental health enables us to thrive. As individuals we understand this and now business leaders, too, are increasingly acknowledging the importance of wellbeing in the workplace. It is great when health at work and promoting wellbeing becomes part of an organisation’s culture – it helps people to engage authentically with their work and colleagues. But if the first level of connection between individual staff members and the authority of the organisation isn’t right, there is always going to be a problem. Age and gender both have an impact on the likelihood of an employee suffering poor mental health. Women generally feel more comfortable talking about their health with colleagues, and as line managers to their employees. You can modify your viewpoint if you can adjust minor aspects in your workweek. Begin by taking your breaks at different times, shifting your lunch hour, bringing in a new employee to lunch, or modifying your commute routes. You can make every day or week feel new. Explore to find out what works best for you. There are many reasons why we may feel anxious at work, but if you are struggling with nervousness and worry for prolonged periods of time it may be that your physical and psychological background has triggered you to experience an anxiety disorder. For employers not investing in wellbeing initiatives, managing employees with mental health issues can be a difficult notion to comprehend.
It is time to turn the argument on workplace mental health from one of burden and cost to one of recognising the value and the potential gain from protecting and improving mental health at work. The Equality Act 2010 protects individuals with disabilities against discrimination or detriment as a result of their disability. Disability under the Act is a physical or mental impairment that ‘has a substantial and long-term adverse effect’ (12 months in practice) on the person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Crucially, your employer must make reasonable adjustments to any elements of your job that place you at a substantial disadvantage compared to persons who are not disabled. There’s been a rise in the number of reported mental health issues over the past 10 years, and it’s well recognised that in many cases the main risks to people’s health at work are psychological. This has led to a growing recognition of the need for employer wellbeing practices to address the psychosocial, as well as the physical, aspects of health and wellbeing. he physical environment of your business may be impacting staff mental health. Do they work in an open plan office? Is it hard for them to concentrate with too much noise? What can you do about reducing noise and distractions? There is more that employers can be doing to support mental health among the workforce. In particular, more can be done to tackle the stigma associated with mental health problems, increase awareness, and provide adequate training for employees. Organisations can make sure their employee benefits package provides support for employers duty of care mental health today.
Treating People As Individuals
Creating good mental health wellbeing in the work place can include encouraging social interaction and collaboration – this might even be daily, at team meetings, or at regular social events so teams can connect. Think about making comfortable spaces at work for conversation. You could also hold team building days, sponsor fun runs, family days, team sports, shared lunches and various workplace competitions. Organisations should establish communication processes that address employees’ education, awareness, and understanding of stigma, psychological illness, and safety relating to mental health. Fostering positive health and wellbeing is essential to building a successful and sustainable organisation and can have a range of benefits from improving engagement, recruitment and retention to enabling people to fully develop in their roles. By demonstrating a commitment to effective mental health policies your organisation can attract and retain an engaged and motivated workforce. You can get supplementary intel about Mental Health At Work Programs Approaches in this World Health Organisation entry.
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