Mental Health Matters
According to the charity MIND one in four will experience some form of mental illness in any given year.
The Mental Health Foundation says one in five people will take a day off work due to stress and around a shocking 70 million working days are lost each year due to mental health illness.
With both anxiety and substance abuse on the rise mental health matters now more than ever.
It has become even more important for employers to have a better understanding of mental health issues and have good practices for managing mental health in the workplace.
We as employers are by no means expected to be experts in the field of mental health but these days there is an expectation that we recognise any changes in our staff’s behaviour or demeanour.
Let’s not forget staff with positive mental health are more likely to work productively, get along better with colleagues and adapt to changes.
Staff who feel supported by their employers are more likely to stay in work or return to work after a period of absence, therefore reducing long-term absences in the workplace.
Sadly, if mental health issues are left untreated the pressures of this could end up causing secondary symptoms such as alcohol and drug dependency.
It really does benefit everyone in the long run if we as employers can be more supportive and understanding of staff members experiencing a mental health issue.
Your staff are your greatest asset so whether you employ one staff member or one hundred staff members, investing in their mental health really is worthwhile.
How Can We Help?
Firstly, as an employer, you must commit to improving mental health in the workplace. Publicising your commitment to promoting positive mental health.
This will start the process of normalising the subject which encourages staff to talk to their managers and colleagues about any problems they are having.
The earlier someone can talk about the problems the sooner they can get help and recover.
What is Good Practice?
- Create a good mental health policy and review existing policies to ensure staff and managers know where to go for support and further information when required.
- Have posters and leaflets from charities such as MIND or Let’s talk easily available to staff
- Put in place a support process for staff experiencing mental ill health.
- Train mangers in mental health so they can be better equipped to handle, what at times are very sensitive issues.
- Have a workplace champion appointed so staff have someone they can go to if they would prefer not to talk with their manager
- Tackle work related causes of mental ill health. Gather information on staff turnover, sickness absence and performance data, this is always a good starting point.
- Embracing Awareness days or weeks – you can create activities based on mental health awareness that staff can take part in during a set week encouraging and supporting staff to talk about their own experiences and reminding them of your commitment to promoting positive mental health
- The key is to keep the lines of communication open between you and your employees. A good way to do this is to hold team meetings, or a one to one meeting. Simply having informal chats with your employees around the workplace works wonders.
If you would like to commit to promoting positive mental health in the workplace but are unsure on how to get started or just want to improve on what you already have in place, give us a call. We will be on hand to help you every step of the way.
