Five key ingredients for supporting mental wellbeing in the workplace
One of the most important parts of effectively supporting mental health in the workplace is early intervention. Unfortunately, with so many of us working from home it can be challenging to identify the signs of when someone might be struggling with their mental health.
And poor mental wellbeing isn’t just affecting individuals. Half of organisations state that it is one of their top three causes of workplace absence, according to the Health and Well-being at Work 2021 report.
Here are five key things to help support employee mental wellbeing in the workplace.
1. Improving awareness
Improving awareness, and in turn creating an open culture to discuss mental health, is the starting point. To better support mental health you need it to be a priority for the entire organisation, that means thinking of ways to normalise conversations around wellbeing.
A good example of this is sharing colleague stories. At Simplyhealth, we often share personal accounts on our Intranet, giving our people a safe platform to talk openly and honestly. It’s critical to engage people at all levels, so they know what to do if they encounter someone with a mental health issue.
2. Getting buy-in from senior leaders
Without leadership buy-in, it can be hard to get any mental health initiative off the ground. This is why it’s crucial to engage business leaders from the beginning. They must be able to lead by example, participating in mental health initiatives, proving their backing for any project or campaign. Highlighting the potential financial return on investment, such as reduced sickness absence, could be helpful to getting the support you need.
3. Mental health training for managers
Training line managers (and other staff where appropriate) is another important step. This could be in the form of mental health awareness training, which can provide valuable skills to help people look after their own mental wellbeing and that of others. This kind of training can also help educate people on the triggers and signs of mental health issues, and develop interpersonal skills like listening. All of this helps to create an environment where employees can feel safe to talk, and be mentally healthier.
4. Having ambassadors for mental health
Having ‘ambassadors’ in your organisation for mental health, such as Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs), can help to spread your message far and wide. Alongside trained line managers, this group of people can build awareness of mental health among employees, be on the ‘front line’ supporting colleagues, and act as champions for any health benefits that offer mental health support. At Simplyhealth, we have more than 30 MHFAs, representing different levels of seniority across various business areas. One of the great initiatives they run is an online ‘coffee and chat’ session every Wednesday, where everyone is welcome to share stories, seek advice or just have a general chat.
5. Linking health benefits to mental health
Often, businesses have health benefits in place that provide support for mental health; an EAP with access to counselling services is a common option, provided in almost two thirds of organisations. Where employers can fall down though, is not effectively communicating these benefits – in fact, only 45% of respondents in the latest CIPD report agreed that their organisation regularly communicated its reward policies to staff so that they understood the benefits on offer and choices available.
Linking health benefits to how they can help mental wellbeing is important and can be done by coordinating with national campaigns such as Mental Health Awareness Week.
For more content on how you can support your employees’ health and wellbeing you can visit the Insights Hub.
This article is provided by Simplyhealth.
In partnership with Simplyhealth
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