Supporting Mental Health at Work
What is mental health?
Image 1: Mental Health
When we think about our physical health we know that there’s a place for keeping ourselves fit and a place for getting appropriate help as early as possible so we can get better. Mental health is just the same.
If you enjoy good mental health, you can:
- Make the most of your potential (organizational perspective)
- Cope with what life throws at you
- Play a full part in your relationships, your workplace, and your community
What are mental health problems?
Image 2: Depression
We all have times when we feel down, stressed, or frightened. Most of the time those feelings pass, but sometimes they develop into a mental health problem like anxiety or depression, which can impact our daily lives. For some people, mental health problems become complex and require support and treatment for life.
Factors affecting mental health,
- Genetics
- Poor nutrition/ Poverty
- Childhood trauma
- Drugs
- Physical health issues
- Excessive work pattern - Fatigue (mind.org)
How to recognize a mental health problem?
While at work, feeling more tired or drained than usual, making uncharacteristic mistakes, finding it hard to motivate yourself, timekeeping might slip, procrastination, or maybe short-tempered are a few to mention.
Mostly, feeling like isolating yourself from others, avoiding colleagues, or appearing distracted when you are supposed to work as a team.
Reasonable adjustments
Once the leadership has identified individuals with mental health issues the best way to counter is a reasonable adjustment. An adjustment is intended to level the playing field by removing a barrier to the job that is provided by the effect of their mental health problem.
Reasonable adjustments might include:
- Changing a person’s working pattern to enable them to start later or finish earlier because of the side effects of medication, or allowing them to travel the night before meetings and stay over to avoid early morning travel.
- Providing a person with a laptop, remote access software, and permission to work at home on set days, or flexibly according to the severity of their symptoms (within a monthly limit).
- Excusing someone from attending work functions and client events, instead allowing them to set up alternative networking arrangements that achieve similar business returns.
Good mental health practices
Image 3: Tips for a good mental health
Rather than solely depending on the organization or the leadership to deal with mental health issues, there are easy & practical things that can be done in order to maintain good mental health which will be beneficial in the long run.
Self-care is a skill that needs to be practiced. As Image 3 illustrates clearly, these are a few self-care tips that can be easily achieved which is greatly rewarding.
Line manager responsibilities
Line manager plays a crucial role in supporting staff that experience distress and/or mental health problems. The line manager is the first official contact between the employer and the individual and you can set the tone and set an example.
In addition to the tips for supporting colleagues, there are several areas that line managers should be particularly aware of.
- Managers are responsible for administering an absence. In mental health-related absence, the longer a person is away, the less likely they are to return. Early and appropriate contact can make returning easier.
- Good management practice suggests regular team meetings and confidential supervision sessions between managers and their staff, regarding their personal issues especially those which are affecting work & business.
- Addressing unacceptable behavior and poor performance, while being aware that fear can prevent a person from disclosing a mental health concern until their job is on the line.
- Encourage fellow staff to identify factors that might play a role in them becoming unwell and consider how to deal with them. These issues can be addressed during monthly team meetings. (Nielsen & Munir)
Leading during change
Image 4: Leading
Change is a constant in today's dynamic business landscape, and Human Resources (HR) plays a pivotal leadership role in guiding organizations through periods of transformation. Effective change management requires HR professionals to act as strategic advisors, communicators, and advocates for both employees and the organization. HR serves as a bridge between leadership and employees, ensuring that clear and consistent communication is maintained throughout the change process. Transparent communication reduces uncertainty and fosters trust. (Kotter, J. P.)
Conclusion
HR plays a key role in promoting and supporting mental health at the workplace by identifying individuals & their specific needs, eliminating or mitigating the negative effects of change, decisions & working conditions will result in increased productivity, performance, and overall satisfaction of the stakeholders.
References
- Mental Health Foundation. (2016). Added Value: Mental health as a workplace asset. Mental Health Foundation: London. [Accessed 20/07/23]
- https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/mental-health-problems-introduction/causes/
- McManus, S., Bebbington, P., Jenkins, R., & Brugha, T. (Eds.) (2016). Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. Leeds: NHS Digital.
- Nielsen, K., & Munir, F. (2009). How do transformational leaders influence followers' affective well-being? Exploring the mediating role of self-efficacy. Work & Stress, 23(4), 313-329.
- Kotter, J. P. (1995). Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail. Harvard Business Review, 73(2), 59-67.
Recruiting the right employee for the job is crucial. Else unnecessarily we put them under pressure and gradually make them fall sick, which may lead to productivity loss. Another point is, it is very important to appreciate the employees whenever they do a good job, but mostly it is the other way around, employers jumping on the face and punishing them for even a minor mistake, leading to unhealthy workplace.
ReplyDeleteRelationships are key to our mental health. Working in a supportive team is hugely important for our mental health at work. We don't always have a choice about ...
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you sharing your knowledge because it's crucial for businesses.
In my opinion, immediate supervisors are responsible to identify such issues of team members. Also, to make the adjustments mentioned in the article, HRM needs line managers' support. Where the organization is having good communication systems to pass front level issues to HRM, HRM can create supporting adjustments for employees to be in good mental health in office matters.
ReplyDeleteI can't help but feel a great sense of gratitude as I read this excellent blog on "Supporting Mental Health at Work," given how much more people are becoming aware of the importance of mental health in the workplace. This blog brilliantly expresses the core of the necessity to prioritise employees' emotional and psychological wellness in our fast-paced, always changing world.
ReplyDeleteThis is a timely post about mental health at work. WHO (2022) states that it is a right of workers to have a safe and healthy work environments and "an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety at a cost of US$ 1 trillion per year in lost productivity" globally. Therefore, it is important that organisations pay more attention to mental health of workers for the betterment of both workers and the businesses.
ReplyDeleteReferences
WHO, 2022. Mental health at work. [Online]
Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-at-work
[Accessed 2 August 2023].
If the right employee is not hired for a job, there is pressure on the employee as well as the organization. Employee bonding is built on appreciation in an organization. It helps to improve.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Meglio (2023), mental health in HR is the best strategy for employee care. This includes not just creating a healthy workplace, but also insurance coverage, employee aid programs, and so on.
ReplyDeleteMeglio, D. F., 2023. HR Exchange. [Online]
Available at: https://www.hrexchangenetwork.com/mental-health-and-wellness/articles/what-is-mental-health-and-wellness-in-hr#:~:text=Mental%20health%20and%20wellness%20in%20HR%20is%20the%20practice%20of,and%20resources%20to%20prevent%20burnout.
[Accessed 14 08 2023]
Every workplace is unique, so it's important to tailor mental health support strategies to your organization's specific needs. Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies and make adjustments as necessary to ensure ongoing support for employees' mental well-being
ReplyDeleteFantastic blog posts! It's not just kind to put mental health first at work; it's also crucial for output and staff happiness. Let's create a climate that encourages candid dialogue and strong support networks.
ReplyDeleteAs shown in the article, effective and efficient HRM can bring good benefits to the employer and the employee in working to improve the mental health of the employees. Overtime, not giving leave, not providing necessary services, favoritism, lack of suitable working environment and facilities, etc., weakens the mental health of employees. Due to this, there are many problems such as not working properly, omissions, not starting work on time, not coming to work without informing, causing problems with other workers and work groups.
ReplyDeleteThe blog post provides valuable insights into supporting mental health at the workplace.
ReplyDeleteone point to add Discussing the importance of reducing stigma around mental health in the workplace and how it can positively impact employees' willingness to seek help and disclose their struggle