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Business<br />
HOW HR CAN<br />
SUPPORT BETTER<br />
MENTAL HEALTH<br />
AT WORK<br />
Worrying new research from Mind, released to coincide with Mental<br />
Health Awareness Week, shows that employees are still finding it<br />
difficult to talk openly about mental health at work. Erika Lucas from<br />
Cezanne HR explains how HR can help support staff.<br />
A survey of almost 44,000<br />
employees found that 48% had<br />
experienced poor mental health<br />
(such as stress, low mood and<br />
anxiety) while working at their<br />
current organisation. Of those,<br />
only half chose to tell their<br />
manager about their difficulties.<br />
More than 8 in 10 people said they<br />
would continue to go into work<br />
while experiencing poor mental<br />
health, with 42% believing their<br />
manager would be unable to spot<br />
the signs they were struggling.<br />
It’s not hard to understand why<br />
this culture of silence prevails,<br />
despite numerous high-profile<br />
campaigns in recent years<br />
designed to raise awareness<br />
of mental health issues. Many<br />
employees still fear that if they<br />
disclose a mental health issue,<br />
it will have a damaging effect<br />
on their career prospects<br />
or that their employer may<br />
think they are incapable of<br />
doing their job properly.<br />
Given that one in four of us will<br />
experience poor mental health at<br />
some point in our lives, it’s an issue<br />
employers cannot afford to ignore.<br />
The problem can be particularly<br />
pressing in an SME, where there<br />
are less people around to manage<br />
the workload and managers<br />
need to strike a delicate balance<br />
between supporting employees<br />
while also making sure the team<br />
delivers – and staying on the right<br />
side of the law.<br />
So, what can HR do to create<br />
a culture where mental health<br />
is not a taboo subject and<br />
managers are supported in dealing<br />
with employees who may be<br />
experiencing difficulties?<br />
BRING DIALOGUE BACK<br />
INTO THE BUSINESS<br />
In an age of email, instant<br />
messaging and social media, it<br />
sometimes feels as if we have<br />
forgotten how to just sit down and<br />
talk to each other. Managers need<br />
to encourage a culture of open,<br />
honest dialogue within their teams.<br />
It’s about not being afraid to show<br />
a human side, making yourself<br />
available and approachable and<br />
getting to know people on a more<br />
personal level.<br />
INCLUDE MENTAL HEALTH IN<br />
WELLBEING PROGRAMMES<br />
Corporate wellness programmes<br />
often have a strong emphasis on<br />
the physical. But while healthy<br />
eating and fitness initiatives are<br />
key, it’s equally important to<br />
include mental health.<br />
PROVIDE SUPPORT<br />
FOR MANAGERS<br />
Don’t assume that managers<br />
will automatically know how<br />
to handle a situation where an<br />
employee is struggling with a<br />
mental health issue – or know<br />
your legal obligations as an<br />
employer. Many won’t know what<br />
to do – and will be frightened<br />
that by wading in they could<br />
potentially make the situation<br />
worse. Make sure managers know<br />
how to spot the signs when the<br />
kind of work related stress we all<br />
occasionally suffer is tipping over<br />
into something more serious – and<br />
who to turn to for more advice.<br />
MANAGE WORKLOAD<br />
EXPECTATIONS<br />
In an increasingly complex and<br />
competitive world, organisations<br />
are expecting more from<br />
employees than ever before. It<br />
is important to understand the<br />
difference, however, between<br />
stretching people so that they can<br />
do their best work and pushing<br />
them into strain and overload. HR<br />
needs to work with managers to<br />
ensure they are setting realistic<br />
goals and targets and are not<br />
putting their people under<br />
unacceptable levels of pressure.<br />
BENCHMARK PRACTICE<br />
AND PROGRESS<br />
Mind is encouraging<br />
organisations to sign up for its<br />
Workplace Wellbeing Index – a<br />
benchmarking tool that can help<br />
them identify how well they are<br />
doing and which areas need<br />
further action when it comes to<br />
promoting good mental health<br />
at work. Mind also offers free<br />
resources for employers to help<br />
improve mental wellbeing and<br />
employee engagement.<br />
For more information, visit<br />
mind.org.uk/work<br />
This is an extract from an<br />
article originally published by<br />
cezannehr.com<br />
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