Discover guidance on how to talk about mental health at work, including strategies your organisation can use to help reduce stigma and improve the conversation.
This blog will cover:
- The importance of encouraging open conversations around mental health at work
- How line managers can approach mental health conversations with employees
- How occupational health services can support employees
- How mental health ambassadors can support
According to the latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), around 1 million people are struggling with work-related stress, depression or anxiety.
Unfortunately, people can overlook or stigmatise mental health in the workplace, preventing staff from accessing help when they need it. It’s perhaps not surprising that a poll by People Management found that half of employees do not feel supported to discuss their mental health at work.
In this blog we’ll explore why it’s important to talk about mental health at work. It will also cover guidance for line managers, and other interventions such as mental health ambassadors and occupational health.
Why it’s important to encourage open conversations around mental health at work
Talking about mental health at work has benefits for both employees and employers. For instance, it can help employees by:
- Encouraging them to reach out for help when they need it.
- Helping to normalise the topic of mental health, so more people feel comfortable talking about how they feel.
- Improving their self-worth and confidence, in work and in their personal lives.
- Making them feel valued and supported by their colleagues.
- Helping to reduce stigma around mental health issues.
- Cultivating a more inclusive working environment.
Creating an open culture also has benefits for organisations, by helping to:
- Create a positive and balanced workplace culture that promotes individual wellbeing.
- Increase employee happiness and engagement.
- Reduce absenteeism.
- Reduce presenteeism (working when unwell).
- Comply with various legal and ethical obligations to ensure the health and safety of staff.
- Help to reduce turnover of staff.
- Improve relationships and employee brand image.
How can line managers approach mental health conversations with employees?
Line managers play a crucial role in promoting and supporting the mental health of their staff. As direct supervisors, they are often the first point of contact for employees experiencing mental health problems or who need advice.
Line managers may not always have the skillset or confidence to have sensitive conversations with employees about their mental health. However, there are ways to help improve this.
If you feel you need support to have mental health conversations at work, check what training or workshops are available in your organisations for managers. Optima Health also provide a range of workshops focused on developing the skills needed to support staff with mental health struggles.
Another great starting point is to find out which services are in place to sign-post staff to if they do need mental health support. If in place, an EAP or occupational health services should be engaged with in order to provide the employee with a professional level of support. These services can be complemented with other types of support, such as an employee wellbeing app.
Below are further ways to help you approach mental health conversations with employees at work:
- Find a quiet space to have the conversation, away from other people or distractions.
- Create a safe environment for employees to talk using ‘active listening’ techniques. These include listening non-judgmentally, asking open-ended questions, and being empathetic. Consider how you will demonstrate these skills using your voice if your meeting is not in person or via a video call.
- Conduct your own research into the signs and symptoms of mental health conditions to improve your own awareness. You can find plenty of information online from places such as Mental Health UK, Mind, or the NHS.
- Encourage staff to share their thoughts and feelings to help cultivate an open culture. An idea to support this is getting senior leaders to open up about their own experiences with mental health, to help give permission for others to do so. Regular check-ups with your team are also valuable. For example, you can make the point of scheduling informal catch-ups during the month, and using this opportunity to ask how they are. Use these touch points to remind staff of the different signposting options available to them.
- Find more tips on talking about mental health at Mental Health UK.
How can occupational health services support employees?
Occupational health can provide valuable support and advice for employees experiencing mental health issues.
- It can assess and identify possible adjustments to support employees in the workplace.
- Advice and guidance can be provided to line managers to help them support their staff members with things such as return-to-work plans.
- Different treatments can be provided, such as counselling, EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing) or CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy). With nearly one in four waiting more than 12 weeks to access mental health support on the NHS, access to clinicians via occupational health can help employees to access support for mental health conditions more promptly.
- Occupational health can also provide education and training for line managers and employees on various mental health-related topics, such as building resilience, stress management, and mental health awareness.
How can mental health ambassadors support?
Mental health ambassadors are employees who volunteer to help raise awareness and promote positive mental health in the workplace. They are not trained counsellors or therapists, but have received basic training in recognising signs of distress and mental illness. They can listen empathetically to colleagues, offer peer support, and signpost employees to available support.
The benefits of mental health ambassadors in your organisation could be considerable. For instance, they can:
- Help create a culture of openness around mental health, where everyone feels comfortable coming forward and discussing challenges they face.
- Act as role models for employees living with mental health issues but who don’t feel they can come forward and access services because of stigma.
- Complement the role of line managers by providing an additional layer of support for staff who don’t feel comfortable approaching their line manager.
- Provide informal support to employees experiencing mental health issues, such as going for a coffee and a chat.
- Make sure that staff who need support are signposted to relevant services the company has in place, as well as sharing charity helplines and online resources.
It’s important to highlight that mental health ambassadors should have effective consultative support to ensure they don’t move out of their role.
Further support
- Mental Health UK – Information on talking about mental health at work.
- Mental Health at Work – Tips on starting conversations at work.
- Mind – Guidance on mental health in the workplace.
Summary
Talking about mental health can have profound benefits for employees as well as organisations, helping to improve performance, build resilience, boost engagement and support productivity. It also helps staff feel able to reach out for support, helping them to look after their health and wellbeing.
Line managers play a crucial role in helping to shape a working environment where employees feel able to talk about mental health. Training and workshops for managers can help them to spot the signs of someone who’s struggling. It can also help to grow their confidence in talking about this topic, and develop the skills they need to have sensitive conversations with others. Having supportive services in place, such as an EAP and occupational health services, means that staff can be signposted to professional support when they need it.
Finally, mental health ambassadors are a great asset to help create a culture of awareness and openness in organisations by sharing their stories, tips, and signposting staff to support.
Optima Health provide a range of occupational health and mental health interventions to help support employee wellbeing and reduce sickness absence. Contact us today to find out how Optima Health can support your health and wellbeing initiatives.