What mental health training do line managers really need?
For many people, simply knowing that there is somewhere to turn to for a helping hand can make a huge difference. Your job and your career is a big part of your life and in a typical full-time role, people spend most of their day at work.
A manager’s role in this situation shouldn’t be underestimated. If an employee has a question about something, usually their first port of call is their manager. Therefore, many employees may feel their manager is the person they feel most comfortable speaking to. Furthermore, managers have a responsibility for their team, and making sure they are comfortable discussing their mental health problems is a big part of the role.
To understand what mental health training managers need, first we need to consider what the most common mental health problems are. All mental health problems are important, but dealing with the most common problems is a good start.
Common mental health issues
The most common mental health problems are made up by general anxiety disorder (GAD), depression, phobias and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). According to the Mental Health Foundation, in 2014 17.5 per cent of working-age adults (16–64 years old) had symptoms of common mental health problems, compared with 10.2 per cent of 65–74-year-olds. They also found that the prevalence for each common mental health problem has increased for adults over 16, with the exception of panic disorder.
There are more than 200 classified forms of mental illness
The five major categories of mental illness are made up of anxiety disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia/psychotic disorders, dementias and eating disorders. While managers should always be prepared to help with the most prevalent mental problems, it’s also important to consider, and be empathetic of more obscure mental health problems.
Factors at work that contribute to mental health issues
Think of all the different aspects that make up an individual’s job. The type of work you’re asking them to do, whether it requires more physical or mental effort. The hours they work and consider their general work/life balance. Their day-to-day workload and the pressure that comes with the role. Their general workplace environment, is it a quiet, relaxed office or a loud, Wall Street-style working environment?
There are many other factors that go into your working day that also need to be considered. All of these things can affect a person’s mental state. Sometimes these are out of a manager’s control, even with mental health training. For example, some of these factors might be absolutely necessary for the role, leaving managers with less options when it comes to solving the problem. However, managers must always be prepared to do everything necessary to change these factors if they are able to, in order to help an employee.
Types of mental health training
There are many organisations out there that offer mental health training courses for companies and managers. These can be done in person or through e-learning. Often, mental health organisations will offer to come to your place of work to provide education.
Many organisations that offer this sort of training already provide counselling and other services to individuals with mental health problems, and they know just how important improving mental health in the workplace is.
The different types of training include:
- mental health awareness, removing stigma and what types of mental illness there are
- how to recognise the signs and symptoms of mental health problems
- managing mental health in the workplace and monitoring employees
- how to make changes to the workplace and working environment to deal with mental health.
Aside from mental health training courses, there’s lots of free material on the subject of mental health available online. Smaller companies who don’t have the budget for mental health training courses can always look to educate their employees using free material that can be found through websites of renowned mental health organisations.
What mental health training do managers really need?
As mentioned, the prevalence of mental health problems are increasing, however the stigma is being reduced. Reducing the stigma should also be carried into the workplace.
Where possible, companies should look to ensure that their managers are educated on all aspects of mental health. Mental health awareness, management or looking out for symptoms are all important. At the very least, managers should be trained on looking out for symptoms of mental health problems so they can identify a problem at an early stage and, if need be, refer the employee to a specialist. Regardless, mental health training should always be a consideration for companies and their line managers.
For practical hints and tips on ensuring a culture where people feel able to talk about their problems, check out our previous article 10 ways to show employees that you care.
This article was provided by Caboodle.
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, Caboodle
Caboodle is one of the UK's leading employee benefits companies.
