Mental Health Awareness in The Workplace

The causes and effects of poor mental health have been comprehensively explored and documented for many hundreds of years. Society has always been able to recognize that there are people with whom something is mentally ‘wrong’, and to accept that there are inevitable consequences, but it’s only in comparatively recent years that any detailed diagnoses and treatments have made themselves available.

With that being said, there is still a taboo around discussing below-par mental health and this is especially true in the workplace. Historically, employees have feared being treated badly if they revealed a mental illness, anything from being sidelined for projects to being dismissed completely. But with the recent pandemic now behind us, it’s become very apparent that more and more mental health problems have arisen as a result of it. It’s impossible to say conclusively whether that’s due to social isolation, associated family pressures (homeschooling, etc.), or financial worries, but in a sense, it doesn’t matter because the overall result is the same – employees who are feeling metaphorically battered and bruised. In addition, there is increased awareness of mental health through charities such as Mind and this gives people the confidence to speak up about things that are bothering them without feeling like they’re going to be negatively judged.

According to a Thriving At Work review, poor mental health costs the UK economy more than £99 billion per year. And if we look at the breakdown, £42 billion of this is a direct cost to employers that are lost through staff turnover, sickness absence, and presenteeism. This study also showed that people with long-term mental health issues tend to leave their jobs at twice the rate of those that don’t. The reasons quoted for this include feeling unsupported by their employer and being unable to access suitable treatment that would allow them to return to the workplace feeling robust enough to handle pressures and challenges.

The Employer.

Any forward-thinking employer will be open-minded enough to encourage hiring a diverse and individually talented workforce – this includes people who suffer from mental health problems. But quite apart from these moral obligations, an employer has the duty of care to support their employees in the workplace under health, safety, and wellbeing legislation. There is a clear duty to assess risks that might arise from hazards at work – and this includes mental health problems. In addition, there is the Equality Act 2010 which protects employees’ rights not to be discriminated against. Those with mental health problems can’t be treated less favorably than those who are unaffected.

To use an obvious analogy, we wouldn’t ignore someone in pain with a broken leg so what’s the difference between someone suffering from mental pain? Just because the issue isn’t physically apparent doesn’t mean that it isn’t there – and that it shouldn’t be recognized. Steer clear of that trap. By pushing aside mental health issues there is a great potential for storing up the problems further down the line when they won’t be so easy to fix.

 The Employees.

To take a fresh perspective, let’s look at the situation in stark terms of why a business needs its employees happy and healthy. If you think about it from a productivity angle, a happy, healthy workforce is necessary for a business to maximize its profits and reach that coveted ‘peak performance’ status. This is purely from a financial angle, but the truth is that organizations are only as strong as their workforce, which needs to be healthy to be productive and it’s good mental health that forms the foundations of this and equips employees with the skills to help them navigate everyday office existence successfully. If there is positive support and management in the workplace, then there are things that will see a boost in terms of value:

• Productivity
• Innovation
• Commitment
• Morale
• Loyalty

Another aspect of making a business successful is really looking to maximize employee engagement, whether that’s sticking to pre-determined retail schedules or being able to represent the company on an international level. Encouraging good engagement means that employees must feel: involved, respected, well-led, heard, and valued, and probably the most influential of the things listed there are being well-led. A good and capable employer will both recognize when there are problems arising and be able to address them swiftly and appropriately – addressing issues quickly and effectively is absolutely essential. No one expects perfection immediately, but if you’re an employer and you do notice some areas that could do with improvement or specific issues, then there are some steps you can take:

1. Building resilience in your workforce. This can be done through strong leadership, where employees feel well supported in their tasks which then equips them with the confidence to work thoroughly and determinedly in the knowledge that they have back-up and assistance available should they need it. The sense of working alone on something and being unsure about what to do/the best way of doing things can really damage fledgling confidence.

2. Flexible working. Again, the pandemic years saw employees having the greatest flexibility about where and how to work. Unprecedented numbers of people were unable to work on-site so were essentially forced to work from home in a way that had not been available to them before. Working from home brings several advantages to some people in terms of reducing stress and allowing better time management:

• Not having to deal with a daily commute. This means lower stress levels and usually more time to work.
• Having the ability to be flexible in terms of childcare and not feel the pressure to be leaving the workplace by a certain time.
• Cutting daily costs by removing the traveling element.

3. Staff development. This can be achieved through things like holding regular training sessions and feedback seminars and one-to-one mentoring; anything that equips employees with more confidence in their abilities thus their drive to work and achieve.

PMAC.

We understand that addressing mental health problems and maintaining a positive business outlook in the workplace can be challenging for employers, especially when they’re managing alone. This is why we’ve developed our innovative and successful training course. We firmly believe in prevention rather than cure and through training, educating, and supporting your business we can take that stress out of your hands. You might have all the best of intentions but it isn’t always easy to bring these to fruition, especially in areas that you might not be familiar with. PMAC are the experts in mental health awareness training in the workplace and we offer businesses the chance to become truly forward-thinking, maximize their profitability, reduce employee turnover and staff sickness absence and streamline their work schedules in the knowledge that there will be far fewer bumps in the road to negotiate.

Contact PMAC today to get the stress taken out of your workplace.