How to support mental health at work.

The specific effects of low mental health differ from person to person, which is what makes spotting issues quite difficult, as it’s not always obvious. Not to mention with the impact of COVID-19 causing staff to work remotely, spotting mental health problems in employees has become even harder. As an employer, it’s your responsibility to find a support system that meets the needs of all your staff. 

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Firstly, how can you tell if someone is suffering with mental health problems? Unfortunately, it’s not as clear cut as spotting one sign. You’ll need to look for a number of different indications, including behavioural, physical and psychological changes in your employees.

Here are just a few potential signs of low mental health problems that you could look out for in an individual, specifically within the workplace...

Is your employee being more impatient than usual? Are they easily irritable and unengaged with their work colleagues? If so, you may find that there’s an underlying problem and they’re taking out their stress at work. 

Is your employee struggling to juggle their workload? If someone who is usually organised starts missing deadlines and forgetting tasks, they'll most likely be thinking about something else, meaning they’re unable to focus on their responsibilities at work. 

Have you noticed your employee taking more sick days recently? For the first time in 2017/18, work-related stress of depression accounted for over half of all working days lost due to ill health. If you’ve seen a sizeable increase in days off, it may be worth you speaking to them to see if they have any personal issues going on – especially because many people still feel there is a stigma attached to mental health and will be reluctant to talk to you about it upfront.   

How can you support mental health at work? Here are a few ideas to get you started...

Talk. As is the case with any issue, it shouldn’t be bottled up. We advise encouraging your employees to talk about their problems. Noticing the signs mentioned earlier could help to prevent any worries from becoming long-lasting mental health problems in the future by giving you the chance to help find a solution early on.  

Introduce a dedicated counselling service to support your staff. Having a specific place for your employees to go and seek professional help will encourage them to talk and accept help. There are different types of counselling available, meaning you can reach out and support a range of needs in your workforce.

Flexi time is another way that you can support your employees. Offering alternative start and finish times can aid with childcare, which is often another pressure that employees face. Giving your employees the chance to choose when they work will help them be more productive and boost morale. You’ll probably find that some people can work their best and focus more easily at different times of the day.

Provide training on mental health issues. Often, mental health is brushed off and overlooked, something that is identified as a problem but then no solution is implemented. We suggest offering training to your staff to ensure everyone is educated on it and understand how to cope with it. Following this, appoint a mental health first aid officer, someone who is accountable for supporting your employees’ mental health needs.

Take the necessary steps to learn more from the experts. If you’re struggling to know where to start when supporting mental health at work, speak to charities such as Mind for advice and help. 

Check up regularly. Mental health is an ongoing battle that can be with someone for years and while someone may seem like they’re doing well on the outside, it’s still important to check in on them regularly. We suggest setting up regular one-to-ones to give your employees the chance to express any concerns both in and out of work.

Health and wellbeing benefits offer employees access to services that can help prevent ill health and limit the effects on any business. Having a range of benefits that employees can either claim money back on everyday healthcare such as Dental, Optical and Physio, and also wellbeing benefits such as counselling, Health Screening and much more, contributes to better employee health and a better performing business.