What do you need to be aware of as an employer when it comes to mental health? As a starting point, there’s your responsibility for the health and wellbeing of your employees.
This duty of care has a legal basis in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and it applies to mental health as well as physical health.
So just how aware are you of the culture around mental wellbeing in your business? If it’s something you haven’t really engaged with before here are some things to consider to help you learn more about this area and to ensure that your employees have the support they need.
Understanding Mental Health in the Workplace
Start to familiarise yourself with the broader picture by taking a training course. Our ‘Understanding Health in the Workplace’ course covers legislation, promoting positive attitudes and common mental health conditions. You’ll learn that 1 in 4 people in the UK experiences problems with their mental health each year and how they can be supported.
You might then consider offering a training programme for your employees so they can be more aware of how they can support their colleagues. They may not have been able to recognise prior to training that another team member was having problems. This is because there are different types of mental health issues and they can present differently. Likewise, different situations trigger individuals and challenge their ability to cope. Providing training gives everyone an opportunity to learn more about mental health and tackle any misconceptions they might have about what it means.
Changing the Workplace Culture
Mind refers to ‘a culture of fear and silence’ when it comes to mental wellbeing in the workplace and the damage this can do to a business. Encouraging a culture where people talk about how they are feeling and are supported is the way forward. It means issues are dealt with earlier and has the potential to improve staff morale. Remember you should allow time off for mental health in the same way that you would for physical issues and recovery.
While 1-2-1s with managers provide an opportunity for individuals to talk about any issues, introducing Mental health champions or mental health first aiders offers another route for support. This gives individuals a choice of who they want to discuss a problem with and offers a backup if their line manager isn’t around, is triggered by the issue or feels out of their depth.
Assess the Risk
You’re probably used to doing risk assessments for the workplace and reviewing the potential hazard and how you will mitigate them. Add stress risk assessment to your schedule alongside these. Stress assessments need to be done regularly in teams to help them identify pressures before things get on top of them.
Go further by putting a strategy for supporting and improving mental health in place. When you’re in business you know that success isn’t usually an accident. It’s the result of creating a plan and then tweaking it to get to where you want to be. You’ll also know that it’s an ongoing process and this applies to mental health.
And finally, be the change you want to see. Role model good habits which promote mental well-being. If you’re in the habit of working very long hours, not taking breaks and sending emails out of hours then it’s no surprise if your staff members think this is the way they should be behaving. Let them know that there is another way.
