5 Important Things To Do When Mental Health Awareness Week Ends.

This mental health awareness week, whilst it's important to raise awareness of mental distress in the workplace,?I can't help but feel a lot of it is simply another 'tick-box' exercise that organisations feel pressurised to complete. Too many companies feel compelled to do?something, but they’re not actually committed to delivering the required long-lasting culture change.??

?As an employee wellbeing consultant, it's frustrating to see HR teams scramble to schedule activities that 'hit the right note', in an attempt to find easy solutions to a complex issue. Solutions like wellbeing webinars, 'check-in' apps, team wellness events or fruit bowls in the kitchen are quick to implement and look great on socials. And whilst there are some benefits to these initiatives, unfortunately, these do not last long.??

Mental health is complex because when something goes wrong with our mental health, it's largely unseen, with a prognosis that is harder to predict because everyone is different. The existing stigma also means that many people don't seek help or support early enough, making their recovery longer and more complex.????

In truth, I think it's simply too much to ask from an annual talk or a bowl of fruits.??????

Today’s employees demand more from work, and companies that fail to create psychologically safe workplaces struggle to attract and retain top talent.??

So whatever you've planned, think about how you can take it beyond this week. What's the next step to get you and your employees closer to having psychologically safe spaces at work???

What can you do to push the mental wellbeing agenda so that your people feel less shame, fear and stigma and can safely share what is?really?going on for them??

Here are some ideas for you to take forward once Mental Health Awareness week comes to a close:??

1. Send a pulse survey (no more than 5 questions) to find out how employees feel about the services you have put in place to support their mental health. e.g. EAP, wellbeing champions, training or webinars.??
2. Run a small focus group with people from different teams to collect rich data about their thoughts and feelings on your workplace wellbeing strategy. How effective is it for the people it's designed to help??
3. Find out how many of your line managers have been effectively trained to create psychological safety within their teams (hint: it takes longer than a 2-day training course!).??
4. Request last year's EAP reports and see what services were utilised and which weren’t. What was the usage rate? How can you encourage employees to use it??
5. Do you have a sufficient number of trained Wellbeing champions or Mental Health First Aiders in your?organisation? Ideally, you should have 1 per every 10 employees. What support (both emotional and workload) do they have to ensure that they are able and willing to keep volunteering???

So, what are your wellbeing plans beyond this mental health awareness week? I'd love to know, so please share in the comments.