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Awareness of mental health issues at work is growing, and employers are putting in place many positive interventions – from healthy food in Many organizations already recognize the value in supporting their workers’ mental health through their employee benefits. More than eight in ten employees say their employers provide at least one mental health offering, according to a report commissioned by the American Heart Association. But those same employees also said they wished their employers did more. You cannot talk about an employee’s mental health condition with other members of the team or anyone else, unless that employee has given you permission. If there is an impact on the team, ask the employee what they would like you to tell their colleagues. This may be just that they are currently unwell and what work arrangements have been put in place. The HSE is clear that even where a major influence on the employee’s performance and perceptions of work is not work-related, for example caring responsibilities that affect working hours and energy levels, ‘it is generally in the employer’s interest to support the employee, rather than dismiss the problem as irrelevant to the business’. Practical solutions are often best derived through engagement between employers and employees or their representatives. Mutually agreed solutions offer greater chance of buy in and sustainability. Creating a culture of recognition and trust in the company is essential for professional communication and cooperation. In turn, this plays an important protective role in promoting and maintaining the employees‘ mental health.



Training in workplace mental health can take many forms: induction processes, staff handbook modules, specialist supervision, intranet hosted or even lunch and learns. Training can be internal but there are also a range of options for bringing in effective external support to deliver training to be better at understanding and responding to their own and others mental heath issues. Just as companies realized over time that people at work are far from linear, many people came to realize that this concrete divide was unrealistic, unhealthy and out of date. To spend 35+ hours a week with people and have to compartmentalize mental health (and definitely mental illness) out of that world was, and is, unsustainable. Mental disorders can affect everyone, everywhere. But with the removal of barriers such as stigma and lack of awareness, they can most often be treated effectively. Now more than ever, there is a need for effective digital resources for improving health and wellness that reach employees where they are. Whether your workforce is at home, in the office or anywhere else in the world, they have an equal need for holistic wellbeing support that works. This is crucial for organizations hoping to retain top talent and avoid ‘The Great Resignation’. An opinion on workplace wellbeing support is undoubtebly to be had in every workplace in the country.

Employee Perceptions

Organisation should think about the structures and workplace functions as well when devising a mental health poilcy. For example, field workers and physical labourers can be hard to reach with typical wellness supports. This is in part because of their scattered and often remote locations. Healthy employees can physically perform better because they have more energy. They are also more efficient and more focused. Employers are able to access a wealth of information from Government, private providers and the voluntary sector on workplace mental health. However, employers have said this is fragmented and confusing, and often they do not know where to start or who to trust. If employers and Government work together to reduce the number of people who leave work with mental health problems to even the same rate as those with a physical health condition, this will prevent around 100,000 with a long term mental health condition leaving employment each year. This is entirely measureable and achievable, and will be a key way of determining success. We must be wary of the toxic positivity trend around mental health. Thinking about concepts such as managing employees with mental health issues is really helpful in a workplace environment.

Mental health and behavioural disorders are common. At any point, up to 18 per cent of the working age population has a mental health problem. More pressing, the prevalence of mental health problems among sickness benefit claimants is increasing with over 40 per cent of sickness claims recording a mental or behavioural disorder as a primary condition. A good induction programme is important for all new, promoted or redeployed employees, as starting a new role can be a stressful and unsettling experience. A negative first few days in the job, in which people are given insufficient guidance about expectations and processes, can undermine people’s confidence and could trigger problems or exacerbate existing symptoms. We all have times when we struggle with our mental health. A mental health problem is when difficult experiences or feelings go on for a long time and affect our ability to enjoy and live our lives in the way we want. You might receive a specific diagnosis from your doctor, or just feel more generally that you are experiencing a prolonged period of poor mental health. Supportive and responsive managers understand the needs of employees and help break down the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health. This doesn’t require specialist skills or knowledge—it can be achieved by using the full range of people management practices such as effective communication, work design, performance management and provision of reasonable adjustments. If an employee is not mentally well enough to be at work, staying at work may be detrimental to their own health and recovery, as well as possibly impacting negatively on fellow employees. If this is the case, companies should be proactive in recognising that professional/clinical help is the best option, and to facilitate this before the employee and others are affected further. Subjects such as how to manage an employee with anxiety can be tackled by getting the appropriate support in place.

Offer Flexibility And Be Inclusive

Employers must look towards preventative solutions – available to employees at every level – rather than only dealing with present issues impacting staff. It’s not always easy to discuss mental health and wellness — especially in a work setting. But sometimes, talking with your co-workers can really help them (and you) feel a little less overwhelmed, a little less stressed, and a lot more supported. To live means being exposed to a spectrum of experiences. Some moments are light and easy, and others are as dark as a black hole that could crush you. All of these moments are a part of life and come along with being human. Life works in shades of grey, so it’s crucial to look at mental health across this spectrum of experience. When you’ve got a lot on your plate at work, it can be easy to work that extra hour in the evenings or check your emails at the weekends. This is an easy - but dangerous - habit to fall into. Establishing the line between your work and personal life is crucial for minimising stress and preventing burnout. And you’ll actually find you’re more productive if you stick to your contracted hours. If employees are being given extra emotional rewards (with purposeful work) and non-monetary rewards (with perks like office dogs), it can be more difficult for them to assert clear boundaries around basic rights like reasonable hours and being treated decently. Even though it may not be easy to become an employee-centric company addressing employers duty of care mental health it is of utmost importance in this day and age.

High rates of staff turnover and absence are obvious indicators that all may not be well. Exit interviews may help a business understand what is going on. But – and this is important – it is known that around 90 per cent of employees never admit that an absence was due to stress or another mental health issue. As our ways of working evolve, so do expectations of how employers should support their people, and employers will also need help with this. Alongside ongoing work to provide help, reduce stigma and create an open culture around mental health, employers will also need to get to grips with newer challenges, such as a rise in leaveism, enabled by technology. Workplace stress is becoming increasingly common - and increasingly serious. Work is the biggest cause of stress across the UK. This comes above money worries, relationship stress and health concerns. Nine out of 10 employers have expanded mental health benefits in the last year, but upward of three-quarters of the workforce believes their mental health is not well supported. Telehealth and digital solutions are on the rise, but out of more than 20,000 mental health apps in the marketplace, only 6 percent of app companies that claim to have an evidence-based framework have actually published said evidence. Become an advocate for mental health at work. Before you begin, you might want to review the policies and practices currently in place to support mental well-being, so you can see the resources that feel most relevant. And your HR leaders may be open to new ideas—like starting an employee resource group, setting up regular mindfulness sessions, or actively suggesting pre-meeting relaxation time and regular out-of-office walks. Discussing ideas such as workplace wellbeing ideas is good for the staff and the organisation as a whole.

Overall Health Includes Mental Health

A healthy workforce means happy shareholders. It is something that enlightened business people have known since the beginning of the industrial age. A range of public services are provided for people with mental health problems that could potentially support participation in employment but there are significant challenges with provision for this purpose. Workplaces that support flexible working, carers’ leave, childcare voucher schemes and other initiatives to support caring roles can have a big impact on staff mental health and productivity. Get extra particulars about Mental Health At Work Programs Schemes in this Health and Safety Executive entry.

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