How to create a mentally-healthy workplace

Since launching the Heads Together campaign to end stigma around mental health two years ago, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, working in partnership with charities and celebrities, have made significant progress in changing the national conversation on mental wellbeing.

But there is still some work to be done to remove the stigma around mental ill health in the workplace. According to the government-commissioned Thriving at Work report, the annual cost of poor mental health to employers is estimated at between £33 billion and £44 billion. And last month, BUPA reported that mental health issues are now a larger concern than physical ailments for many UK companies and that almost half of UK businesses are observing higher rates of mental illness compared to five years ago.

Perceptions

The evidence shows that employers need to get better at supporting the mental health of their employees and the starting point for this needs to be a workplace wellbeing strategy that treats mental health in the same way as it does physical health.

An important first step is fostering a culture of acceptance so that employees are not anxious or intimidated about discussing mental health. There is no quick fix, this is about creating a long-term cultural shift in mindsets and attitudes. The most effective way to do this is to ensure it is openly championed by senior management and becomes embedded in the organisation’s values.

Action

It may start at the top but positively changing attitudes is a whole-organisation responsibility and developing a network of mental health ambassadors, from across all levels of the organisation, who can share their stories and experiences is crucial. It’s about establishing a supportive workplace environment so that when an employee does face an issue or has concerns about how they are coping, they are comfortable approaching their manager to get the help and support they need.

Ensuring that line managers are properly trained in mental health first aid, so they can spot the triggers and early warning signs, as well as deal with difficult and challenging conversations, is vital. Ongoing coaching and guidance for line managers is also essential to help them build the confidence they need to have regular conversations around mental health with their teams.

Support

While most work-related stress is attributed to workload, the HSE figures show that around 1 in 7 people say it is due to lack of support. Yet, research from The Work Foundation shows that Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) are the most popular workplace wellbeing initiative offered in the UK. Simply having support services such as an EAP in place is not enough, employees need clear and effective signposting if they are going to access the help that is available to them.

We urge employers to engage with their EAP providers to better understand how they can be used to support their mental health strategy and how they can work together on tailored communications, training and events to help raise awareness. We know from our members that EAPs are successfully helping employees. Recent figures from the LifeWorks EAP, for example, show that they have delivered mental health improvements in 92% of cases.

Mental Health Awareness Week is the perfect opportunity to review your wellbeing strategy and think about what more we can all do to remove the stigma around workplace mental health and move towards a culture of acceptance.

Further advice and information about how an EAP can support your wellbeing strategy is available at eap.org.uk.

This article is written by Neil Mountford, chair, Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA)