Tag Archive for: Mental Health Awareness

Mental Health Awareness Week – how to prioritise mental health at work for employees

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Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from 13-19 May, is an ideal time to think about mental health, tackle stigma, and find out how we can create a workplace that prevents mental health problems from developing and protects our employees’ mental well-being.

As businesses increasingly recognise the impact of mental health on productivity, engagement, and overall organisational success, HR professionals play a pivotal role in fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment. In this article, we consider the significance of Mental Health Awareness Week from an HR perspective and explore strategies to promote mental well-being in the workplace.

Understanding the Impact

Stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout are common challenges that employees may face, often exacerbated by work-related pressures, organisational culture, and personal circumstances. Recognising these challenges is the first step toward creating a workplace culture that prioritises mental health.

The CIPD’s Health & Wellbeing Survey 2022, showed the most common causes of stress at work. The top 4 factors were:

  • Workloads/volume of work
  • Non work factors – relationships/family
  • Management style
  • Non-work factors – personal illness/health issue

It states that half of organisations (51%) take a strategic approach to employee wellbeing, while 36% are ‘much more reactive than proactive’. As in previous years, mental health is the most common focus of wellbeing activity. Access to counselling services and employee assistance programmes remain the most common wellbeing benefits provided. Financial wellbeing remains the most neglected area.

HR’s Role in Fostering a Supportive Culture

HR professionals are instrumental in driving initiatives that promote mental wellbeing within the workplace. They serve as advocates for employees, ensuring that policies and practices are in place to support their mental health needs. Here are some key ways HR can contribute:

  • Policy Development: HR should collaborate with leadership to develop comprehensive mental health policies that address issues such as flexible work arrangements, carers’ leave, and access to resources like counselling services. HR can also support in ensuring that relevant policies are up to date with the latest UK Employment Legislation.
  • Training and Education: Organising workshops and training sessions to raise awareness about mental health and equip managers with the skills to support struggling employees effectively. Mental health Champions are an effective way to promote and encourage support at work. The charity Mind have created a Mental Health Champions Toolkit to support organisations to develop such a scheme.
  • Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs): Implementing and promoting EAPs that provide confidential counselling and support services to employees facing mental health challenges.
  • Promoting Work-Life Balance: Encouraging a healthy work-life balance by emphasising the importance of taking breaks, utilising holidays and avoiding overwork.
  • Creating a Supportive Environment: Cultivating a culture of openness and support where employees feel comfortable discussing mental health issues without fear of judgment or repercussions.

Initiatives to Promote Mental Health Awareness Week

The week itself is an opportunity for some specific initiatives to demonstrate your organisation’s commitment to supporting mental health. Here are some ideas:

  • Virtual Workshops and Webinars: Organise virtual workshops and webinars focused on topics such as stress management, resilience-building, and self-care strategies.
  • Guest Speakers and Panel Discussions: Invite mental health professionals, advocates, or individuals with lived experiences to share their insights and stories, fostering empathy and understanding among employees.
  • Wellness Challenges: Launch wellness challenges focused on physical activity, mindfulness, or nutrition to promote holistic wellbeing.
  • Peer Support Networks: Facilitate the formation of peer support groups or buddy systems where employees can connect, share experiences, and provide mutual support.
  • Communication Campaigns: Launch internal communication campaigns using emails, newsletters, and social media to share resources, tips, and personal stories related to mental health.

Measuring Impact and Continuous Improvement:

It is also important to evaluate the effectiveness of mental health initiatives and gather feedback from employees. Regular surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one discussions can provide valuable insights into what’s working well and where improvements are needed. This feedback loop enables HR to refine future offerings or benefits and develop new initiatives, tailored to the evolving needs of employees.

For specialist HR support with any of these issues, please contact Helen Couchman in our team on 07799 901 669.

Suicide – What Can Employers Do to Ensure Vulnerable Employees Receive Support in a Time of Crisis?

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Suicide is a significant public health concern; it is an emotive and complex subject from both a personal and work place perspective. This article considers what support organisations can put in place to help employees at risk of suicide in times of crisis.

The Business Case for Action

This topic has been prevalent in the media in recent months, most recently following the death of a Head Teacher pending publication of their School’s Ofsted Report. Academics in the British Medical Journal have subsequently recommended that every work-related suicide should be investigated by the Health and Safety Executive. On 12 June 2023, Ofsted announced that school inspections are to change in England as a consequence of this case, after the Head Teacher’s Union claimed that the system was fundamentally flawed.

Statistics for work related suicides are not reported on, however suicide rates have returned to pre-pandemic levels, following a decrease in 2020. Additionally as we reported last month, the HSE has seen an increase in work-related ill health cases 2021-2022, with one of the primary causes of ill health being work-related stress. Against a backdrop of financial worries and job insecurity, these figures suggest there is a very real context for employers to be concerned.

How Can Employers Support?

It is important to note that suicide is not inevitable. Most people suffering with suicidal thoughts are ambivalent about dying but may be unable to imagine other potential solutions. With the right support, people can find their way through a suicidal crisis and recover. Suicidal feelings are necessarily related to the presence of a mental illness. These feelings are far more common that one may think and usually occur as a result of a multi-factorial process.

So what can managers do in practical terms?

Stay Connected

It is critical that managers connect regularly with their teams, and use those opportunities to ask each individual how they’re feeling. This is especially important if they can see changes in the person’s behaviour, such as them becoming quieter and more withdrawn, defensive, tearful, forgetful or error prone. Being attuned to possible risk factors for employees – stressful life events, such as a bereavement, a relationship break-up or divorce, getting into debt or being made redundant, can all put people at risk.

Those who feel lonely and isolated are also at heightened risk because they often lack the friendship, family and other support networks needed to open up about their feelings and get reassurance that even though they feel like this now, it won’t always be the case. However, managers need to recognise that many people feeling like this, will hide their feelings.

Create opportunities for the team to reconnect with each other. Many of the opportunities people used to have to connect with each other through work – in the coffee area, at lunch or while passing people in the corridor – have gone. Think about how to re-engineer those social interactions for people to chat and socialise with each other, the way they might have done during a coffee break or at lunchtime in the physical workplace. You could also consider arranging an informal gathering, even if people are no longer based in the office full time.

Engage

As an employer, managers have a duty of care to understand if anyone who seems particularly low in mood or overwhelmed is at risk, as such if a manager is concerned about an individual it’s okay to sensitively ask: “Are you feeling suicidal or have you had feelings of hurting yourself?” Far from putting the idea to do this into someone’s head, asking this question is essential to understanding if the person is at risk, because if they say yes, the manager can then take steps to direct them towards support. The Charity Mind advises that ‘asking direct questions can encourage employees to be honest about how they are feeling. Many people feel relieved and less isolated when they are asked’.

Signposting Support

Company wellbeing policies that tackle all areas of an employee’s health can provide essential information and guidance for both managers and employees. As well as signposting to external resources, they can provide much-needed clarity by outline what internal support is available and what processes are in place for individuals to access that support.

Internal support could include access to counsellors and therapy services delivered through a company’s employee assistance programme (EAP). External support might involve signposting to charity helplines or to the individual’s GP. Managers could offer to contact support services on behalf of the employee, as often it’s easier for someone to accept help than to proactively seek this.

Mind recommend putting a Support Plan in place for at risk employees. This is a document that sets out how someone would like to be supported and what they can do to help themselves in in a particular situation. It is also a useful document to keep important information and useful contacts in the same place. If, as an employer, you don’t feel able to support all ideas from the employee, it enables managers to research other resources or support organisations that may be able to help.

Whilst employees may be accessing external services, managers should still continue to check in with them to see if this is actually helping and if there’s anything else they can do to help. Other practical help might include flexing the individual’s hours to help them deal with the underlying issue that led to their depression or suicidal feelings in the first place. For example, by shifting their hours so they can meet their children a few days a week from school after a relationship breakdown. Time off within working hours could also be offered to enable an employee to meet with a counsellor.

Line Manager Training

Given the pivotal role line managers can play in providing the right support to employees, it is essential that they are properly supported themselves to enable them to fulfil this role successfully. The provision of appropriate, relevant training will be critical to this success as well as having access to internal resources and support for further guidance. It will be equally important for managers to understand that their role is in helping employees access the right support, but not to feel that are personally responsible for advising or counselling that individual.

Awareness

Employers should seek to increase awareness of all areas relating to employee health and wellbeing and can use key focus days, such as World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September 2023 to let employees know that if they are struggling, there is support in place to help them feel better.

Further Support

www.mind.org has a useful article to support someone who is feeling suicidal. They also share useful contacts for employers, friends or family to use in this situation.

If you would like more help with understanding what support you can provide to your employees in this situation, or for any other HR concerns, please contact Helen Couchman in our team on 07799 901 669.

Celebrating Mental Health Awareness

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This week we are celebrating Mental Health Awareness Week. With sickness rates at a record high and cases of mental health absence on the rise, what does it mean for employers?

What is Mental Health Awareness Week?

It’s an annual event hosted by the Mental Health Foundation and it’s a time where the whole of the UK comes together to highlight the importance of achieving good mental health for all. Each year, there is a key theme to drive focus on a particular mental health topic and this year’s topic is anxiety.

Why Do Employers Need to Worry?

First of all, it’s the law! Employers have a ‘duty of care’ which means they must do all they reasonably can to support their employees’ health, safety and wellbeing. As such employers must treat mental and physical health as equally important.

Aside from the legal obligations, the statistics on absence are fairly sobering. Data from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that there were more than 1.8 million work-related ill health cases – new or longstanding – in 2021-22, with one of the primary causes of ill health being work-related stress. The data suggested that these accounted for more than 30 million working days lost over the past year.

Grim predictions indeed. And economists are warning it could get worse. With the financial worries people are now experiencing, this will only be adding to the levels of depression and anxiety.

So it’s a problem employers can’t afford to ignore.

What Can Employers Practically Do?

Absence policies

It may not seem particularly innovative, but robust and clear absence management policies are an essential part of an employer’s toolkit to providing the right support for employees in the workplace. Clear policies help line managers understand how and when to intervene and they provide clarity for employees on procedural steps, reassuring them on what happens and when, as well as signposting what support is available.

Return-to-work interviews (RTW)

Taking prompt action to talk to employees about their absence is important for the management of any absence, but can be really insightful in regards to providing the right support with mental health concerns. The RTW interview is dedicated time to allow an employee to share any health concerns or anxieties in a safe space. Using this time to listen and ask appropriate questions can be powerful, especially if employees are struggling to articulate what’s going on or just feel embarrassed asking for help. Managers can use the time to discuss with the employee what support might help – that may be internal support such as temporary flexible working arrangements to attend external appointments, additional training or agreed reassignment of tasks if the individual is feeling overwhelmed by their workload; or it might be signposting to any external support such as a company employee assistance programme or external agencies such as Time to Change and Mind. Line managers should check in with employees regularly to assess the effectiveness of interventions and identify any further adaptations or support needed.

Regular one-to-ones

Dealing with the issue when it presents as absence is great but ideally you want to prevent it getting to that stage if possible. As with the RTW, regular one-to-ones provide valuable time for line managers and employees to focus on that individual. With remote and hybrid working very much in vogue, it’s never been more important to check in with your team regularly. Whether you do that in person or remotely, you can still ask the relevant questions and look for visual cues on how that person’s doing – how are they coping with their work? Do they have any issues or concerns? Is there anything going on for them outside of work? Not only will managers have a detailed understanding of how their staff are doing, but by committing to regular one-to-ones, line managers can also show their employees that they are a truly valued part of the organisation.

Awareness campaigns

Events such as Mental Health Awareness week are a great way to shine a spotlight on the subject of mental health but you don’t have to wait for official events. You can start the conversation with your staff by having your own focus week on mental health, signposting policies and support available, running discussion events or inviting external speakers in to talk to staff. Importantly keep the conversation going by regular communications with staff, ensuring they know where to access wellbeing and support services that could help them.

Training

Encourage positive mental health by offering mental health training to all your staff. Enable line managers to help their teams, and colleagues to provide meaningful support to each other by increasing their understanding of the subject. You could also train some staff to become mental health first aiders providing another source of guidance for staff when they need it.

Create space

If your work environment allows for it, consider providing a room or an area that encourages headspace or downtime. If that’s not possible or if staff are working remotely, encourage them to take regular breaks away from their screens. Research has shown that when work becomes pressurised, taking breaks can increase productivity and focus when staff return.

If you would like more help with creating the most optimum work environment in terms of promoting positive mental health and wellbeing, please contact Sue Meehan Boyes in our team on 07384 468797.

Supporting the Mental Health of your Workforce – Mental Health Awareness Week 2022

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Mental health is something we are all talking about, particularly in light of the Pandemic, which has given rise to a global increase in levels of anxiety and depression.


Are You Supporting Your Workforce?

9-15 May 2022 is Mental Health Awareness Week, and as one of the biggest awareness weeks across the UK and globally, we want to get you thinking about how you can support your employees, and help raise awareness in your workplace.

Whilst employers must ensure work does not cause poor mental health, employers have a broader role to play in supporting staff experiencing poor mental health for reasons unconnected to the workplace. We have put together some useful guidance to help you invest in a healthy and connected workforce.

We All Have Mental Health

The World Health Organisation famously claims ‘there is no health without mental health’, and describes mental health as ‘a state of wellbeing in which every individual realises their own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and are able to make a contribution to their community’.

Mental health issues can range from anxiety and depression, to bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, but people with the same conditions can experience different symptoms, and to a different extent.

This means that workplace support must be tailored to an individual’s specific needs. With mental health issues affecting one in four people, and being a major cause of long term absence at work, we highlight some things you can do to help.

Early Signs and Prevention

In a busy work environment, it can be easy to miss the early warning signs, but early intervention can help prevent issues from escalating.

Employers and managers should be alert to the early signs of stress and mental ill health. Here are some common signs you can look out for:

  • negative changes to work habits or performance
  • deterioration in physical appearance
  • changes in demeanour
  • increased absenteeism

Whilst these may not always be a sign of mental ill health, you should take the time to regularly check in with your employees, offer them support when it’s needed, and consider whether there might be any other underlying concerns. Having someone to talk to can be invaluable for someone suffering with mental ill health.

Signposting, Training and Resources

Whilst the majority of employers and managers are not equipped to advise on mental health issues, it’s important that you do have the knowledge and confidence to signpost an employee to the most appropriate source of support. This could include a GP recommendation, an Occupational Health referral, or a referral to your employee support service. By providing managers with the right training, you can help to reduce issues and promote better wellbeing in the workplace.

Promoting Awareness at Work

Help to reduce any stigma attached to mental ill health by educating your workforce and promoting awareness. Keep talking about mental wellbeing and look to embed mental health into inductions, training, and your policies and procedures.

Promote Work-Life Balance

If your employees are working long hours and are feeling stressed, this is likely to have an impact on their mental wellbeing, as well as productivity. Consider making sustainable changes, or offering flexible working arrangements so that work, and personal lives can be more manageable. Don’t be afraid to talk to your employees and make sure they get the support they need. 

For specialist HR advice on how you can best support mental wellbeing in your workplace, or any related issues, please contact Kirsty Hunt in our team on 07384813077.