World Mental Health Day: How you can prioritise wellbeing in the workplace

This World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to talk about mental health and show everyone that mental health matters, it is also an opportunity to reflect on our progress.

The West Midlands Mental Health Commission ‘Towards Mental Equality ’ acknowledged the role that mental health plays in our region for our residents, communities and our economy. It set out priorities for creating a mentally healthier and fairer West Midlands.

In June this year we published the “West Midlands Mental Health Commission – One Year on Report” , showcasing the collective work to deliver on key recommendations for children and young people and minoritised communities. ?

The theme of World Mental Health Day this year is prioritising mental health in the workplace, and our Delivery Manager for the Thrive at Work programme Laura Howard shares some tips as to how organisations can support the mental health and wellbeing of their employees.

Work and mental health is interconnected

The right kind of work, can have positive benefits for your mental health, giving a sense of purpose and connectivity with others. Positive wellbeing also has a broader impact organisationally, with research showing that happy workers boost productivity.[1]

Supporting employees to be happy and mentally healthy pays off for an organisation’s bottom line, but also for the WMCA region, contributing to growth which can be reinvested in the health and wellbeing of our residents.?

Conversely work can contribute to poor mental health, a lack of control, anxiety and stress can contribute to developing or worsening of a mental health problem. Nationally the fifth most common reason for sickness absence in 2022 was mental health.[2] It is also a growing challenge for younger workers, the Health Foundation identified that the proportion of 16-34 year olds reporting work-limiting mental health conditions has nearly quadrupled from 2013-23.[3] The WMCA is working to combat this challenge. ?

We know that good work can play a role in supporting and protecting mental health, the WMCA’s Thrive at Work programme supports employers to adopt the right policies and procedures that promote employee health and wellbeing. ??

How do we make a mentally healthier workplace?

Thrive at Work can support you in identifying staff mental health issues, preventing mental ill health and supporting mental health self-management in the workplace.

Senior leadership

All of the above will help an organisation to create a culture of discussing mental health openly and making sure it is part of the agenda and a strategic priority.? Having a clear commitment at a senior leadership level will help drive health and well-being in the workplace. When management address and prioritise mental health, it sends a clear message that employee wellbeing matters. This helps to establish a workplace culture that prioritises and values mental health. Employees are more likely to be open about their own mental health if there is a clear signal from senior management, meaning support for those experiencing a mental health problem can be provided earlier and help them to remain in work.

Mental health training

Employers have a duty of care to their employees, including both physical and mental health. Training managers about mental health is important as they are often the first point of contact for employees, being able to identify and deal appropriately with mental health concerns as they arise is crucial. Employees feel better supported by a line manager who is comfortable talking about mental health and knows what support to provide or how to signpost effectively, meaning they are more likely to be able to continue working successfully.

Create a culture that normalises mental health

Normalising the topic of mental health in the workplace is an effective way to help reduce stigma. Companywide, team and 1-1 meetings are all good ways to help reduce stigma and create a culture of openness. Training your employees on mental health and how they can manage and look after their own mental health is important to create awareness and drive change. There should be a clear structure in place within the organisation for the sharing of sensitive information on mental health with all employees being made aware of who they can speak to about their own mental health needs.

The Thrive at Work scheme is fully funded and can provide a great framework to support the health and wellbeing of your organisation.

Find out more information here.

Case studies: how Thrive at Work has supported organisations to think more about mental health

Valley House

Valley House have introduced a mental health and wellbeing policy and wellbeing checks/stress risk assessments enabling them to be more proactive in assessing work-related mental health issues, measuring the levels of risk to staff, and putting in preventative measures as well as considering the use of their physical environment. Wellbeing action plans are put in place and normalise that is ‘Okay not to be OK’ and encouraging open conversations. The introduction of two additional ‘wellbeing days’ have allowed staff to take unplanned leave without explanation and demonstrated the commitment to staff wellbeing.

John Taylor Hospice

The organisation has seen lots of positive changes as a result of the Thrive at Work programme, and said it caused them to review all aspects of the services they provide, and bring them together, refining policies and processes to embed wellbeing. Their appraisal system was updated to include wellbeing conversations, bringing mental health to the forefront, and staff are open in coming forward with issues. The Hospice is now better equipped to support and deal with those issues. They have seen a reduction in staff disciplinary procedures, and sickness absence is the lowest it has ever been.

?

[1] Bellet, Clement and De Neve, Jan-Emmanuel and Ward, George, Does Employee Happiness have an Impact on Productivity? (October 14, 2019). Sa?d Business School WP 2019-13, Available at SSRN:?https://ssrn.com/abstract=3470734 ?or?https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3470734

https://warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/new_study_shows/

[2] Office for National Statistics (ONS), released 26 April 2023, ONS website, article,?Sickness absence in the UK labour market: 2022 ?

[3] https://www.health.org.uk/publications/long-reads/what-we-know-about-the-uk-s-working-age-health-challenge