Royal Mail's Dr Shaun Davis on the role of the line manager in tackling mental health at work

Employee wellbeing should include consideration of both physical and mental elements. This ‘parity of esteem’ is an essential way of normalising mental health conversations in the workplace and showing the important link between physical and mental health.

But, why bother? Well, in simple terms, it makes good moral, ethical and business sense. Improving employee wellbeing can potentially increase job satisfaction and productivity, prevent burnout, and give workers an overall better quality of life. In order to achieve this the organisation should make mental health resources available to all employees and create an environment and culture where mental health is discussed openly and without fear of stigma or reprisal.

Signposting for employees to internal resources such as an employee assistance programme, or offering support and training for managers are just some of the things organisations can do. Training managers is particularly important. It can give them the skills needed to help empathise with mental health issues and, alongside the use of stress risk assessment tools, allow them to provide the support needed for struggling employees.

Listening is key

At the same time it’s vital that managers listen to employees’ problems and help them find assistance without giving advice beyond the limits of their expertise; managers being aware of their own limitations and knowing when to signpost to professional help is key.

Also, training line managers isn’t just about helping others. It can help managers themselves too, particularly in identifying their own areas of concern and developing coping strategies.

There’s been a lot of positive work done around mental health in organisations in recent years. However there’s still more to do. CEOs, senior leaders, government, trade unions and charities can build on what has already been achieved by encouraging and fostering a culture where mental health is openly discussed.

Good examples of this include the Time to Change employer pledge, a way for organisations to demonstrate their commitment to changing the way we all think and act about mental health in the workplace; and the Heads Together campaign that saw the young royals leading by example by openly discussing their own problems with mental health and demonstrating empathy and good listening skills to encourage others to speak out too.

Other measures can be put in place at business level to encourage or drive activity,such as including wellbeing messages on internal communications to raise its profile, including a wellbeing measure in employee opinion surveys, and including wellbeing in performance, development and annual review conversations.

Organisations, line management and frontline employees all have a role to play in improving mental health in the workplace. By working collaboratively and to the same end we will make improvements far quicker and ensure they are sustainable for generations to come.

Dr Shaun Davis is global director of safety, health, wellbeing and sustainability at the Royal Mail Group.

Download a copy of the 88 page Employee Wellbeing Research 2018 (free to REBA Professional Members and all those working for REBA Associate Members).

If you would like to learn more about employee wellbeing, register here to attend the Third Annual Employee Wellbeing Congress on 5 July 2018.