Personal Finance and Healthcare Expert
Protecting your employees' mental health is vital to achieving a productive workforce with excellent employee engagement. This article examines ways your business can support good employee mental health.
In the UK, around 12.7% of all sickness absences result from mental health issues. Promoting good mental health in the workplace can help prevent absenteeism and create a mentally healthy workforce. Mental health problems can affect an employee's confidence, productivity, and ability to focus, meaning they're more likely to procrastinate, take longer to complete tasks or take time off.
Mental health issues can also disrupt an employee's life outside work. World Health Organization research shows that around 15% of adults of working age have mental health problems and may be unable to work in extreme cases. When you support mental health at work, you can prevent severe mental health issues from impacting your staff.
Supporting employee mental health is also good for business as you'll have a more highly engaged workforce and fewer absences.
An engaging and rewarding job can have mental health benefits. Jobs provide a structure to the day. During COVID-19, many employees furloughed or otherwise unable to work experienced the stress of a lack of routine. Work can also support employee mental health if they enjoy their job and look forward to going into the office.
Rewarding work also offers a sense of accomplishment when they achieve good results and receive praise. Supportive workplace relationships can promote mental health and well-being by enabling staff to seek informal support for mental health concerns or personal issues. A close-knit team can also support each other through work stress and raise collective concerns with line managers when needed.
Workplace stress can cause mental health challenges and tip into burnout if stress becomes chronic. The symptoms of stress and mental health issues can be similar, and it's often difficult to distinguish between the two. However, employees can experience stress without developing a mental health problem and can experience a mental health issue such as anxiety or depression without being stressed.
However, it's important to note that stress can exacerbate mental health symptoms in employees with existing mental health conditions. Employers can't be expected to diagnose employees' mental health problems and differentiate between stress and depression. However, appropriate measures can support mental health, whatever the cause.
There are many ways to promote mental health at work. Staff will differ in how they engage with different methods or what will benefit them. It's wise, therefore, to put various systems in place to enable employees to engage in self-care or seek support as appropriate.
A positive workplace culture that supports employees helps them manage stress and encourages them to seek help for mental health problems should be the foundation of supporting mental health at work. Practical measures are much more likely to succeed if staff feel they can discuss mental health problems without fear of being mocked or facing discrimination. A business can underpin a positive culture by introducing policies to support mental health and prevent bullying. Diversity and inclusion policies also play a vital role.
Here are some practical ways to support employees and promote good mental health.
Good mental health lets us enjoy life and be resilient during life's ups and downs. We can all face mental health challenges, and these can turn into mental health conditions without proper support. Recognising the early signs of mental health concerns can help businesses support employees in seeking help for themselves or their colleagues.
Someone experiencing mental health problems may lose interest in things they usually enjoy, experience low mood or reduced self-esteem, or feel tired more than usual. Managers may notice that employees tend to procrastinate, be less willing to talk openly, be frequently late for work or take time off. They may also behave erratically or have emotional outbursts.
Appropriate training can help staff identify the symptoms and act appropriately.
Mental health training can start by explaining the signs of various mental health problems so employees know when to seek help or raise concerns about a colleague. However, good training should go further than this.
Many employees may feel reluctant to discuss mental health challenges with their line manager for fear of discrimination or damaging their career prospects. Destigmatising mental health problems enables employees to speak up when necessary to prevent more severe problems from developing. For example, you might share examples of people who have experienced mental health issues but still have rewarding careers and full lives.
Training can also share self-help techniques and ways to improve employee mental health so your team can take control of their mental health.
Managers may need to provide various types of mental health support to employees who may be struggling or taking time off work because of a mental health problem. They may also receive direct reports from those concerned about a colleague's well-being.
Training managers helps them support employees at each stage, whether they need early intervention or long-term assistance. They may need to have difficult conversations, particularly if they spot signs of mental health issues or if an employee's colleagues are worried about them but they haven't spoken up themselves.
Spending a few minutes checking in with an employee to see how they are may encourage staff to share their struggles. This approach can also help an employee with a diagnosed mental health condition ask for the support they need. Training should also include details of services such as mental health charities, medical professionals or occupational health that can provide advice and treatment if required.
Employees with a long-term mental health condition may be classed as having a disability, meaning they're protected from discrimination under UK legislation. Employees with a disability can ask for reasonable adjustments to make their workplace or job role more accessible.
For example, an employee may find busy networking events or gatherings distressing. A reasonable adjustment may be to let them attend smaller or more structured events. Shifting their working hours to avoid busy times on public transport or providing a parking space so they can travel to work alone may also help. Government funding via the Access to Work scheme can help to meet the costs of reasonable adjustments if this is an issue.
Mental health and physical health are closely linked. Mental health problems can have physical symptoms such as headaches, insomnia and stomach complaints.
Encouraging your team to improve their overall physical health can bring mental health benefits. When you support employees in improving their general health, this can also positively impact their mental well-being.
Here are a few ways your business can help employees achieve better health overall.
Physical activity has both physical and mental health benefits. Taking breaks away from their desks lets employees relax and positively impacts their mood, concentration, memory and energy levels. Research suggests that physically fit children have higher concentration levels than their less fit peers, meaning improving fitness levels in your workforce could have long-term benefits.
You can encourage your employees to increase their physical activity during working hours and their personal time. Creating an office culture that normalises time away from your desk at lunchtime gives staff time for physical activity. Time in nature has many mental health benefits, from helping people manage stress to improving the symptoms of various mental health conditions.
During work hours, organised sessions such as a staff walking group or lunchtime activity classes give your employees time to exercise and get to know each other outside the working environment. You could also provide information on walking routes near your office.
Well-being training can educate your team on the benefits of exercise and encourage them to become more active outside work. You could offer corporate health club memberships or health insurance with discounted rates at various gyms.
A balanced and healthy diet has many health benefits. Poor diet and ill health have associated symptoms that affect brain function and mental health. For example, research shows that people with diabetes whose blood sugar is poorly controlled often experience symptoms of depression.
Education and training on healthy eating can encourage your staff to improve their diet. A lunchtime cooking demonstration or lesson with a free nutritious lunch at the end could motivate your team to join in. Other measures depend on the facilities you have available. For example, if you have a staff canteen, consider increasing the range of healthy options or subsidising them more heavily. Otherwise, offer free healthy snacks in break rooms. Providing food storage and a comfortable place to eat encourages staff to bring food from home.
Promoting self-care enables your employees to take responsibility for their own mental health. Providing workplace training in the various ways people can support themselves is a great start, but it's also worth providing other mental health resources they can access in their own time.
Mental health charities such as Mind provide information and support for people with mental health challenges or who support people who do. Many health insurers also have information and resources on their websites, which are available to non-members. Some providers also offer member discounts on services such as mindfulness and meditation apps.
Providing health insurance as part of your employee benefits package lets your staff access high-quality private medical care when needed. If you already invest in health insurance, it's worth reviewing your coverage with mental health in mind.
Most basic insurance policies include up to eight counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy sessions per year that employees can access without a GP referral. However, you can pay more to increase the number of available sessions and provide access to in-patient or out-patient psychiatric treatment if needed. This may be worthwhile if your business experiences significant sickness absences due to mental health problems. It can provide early support and quick access to medical care, which could shorten an employee's absence or prevent it altogether.
Health insurance also comes with other support services such as mental health helplines, resources and access to well-being apps. Depending on the number of employees your business has, you can also add an Employee Assistance Programme to your policy.
We have an in-built need for recognition, and rewarding your employees can increase employee engagement, boost team morale and support their mental health. You can celebrate both individual and team accomplishments in various ways.
Sometimes, a simple thank you, or a shout-out during a meeting can be sufficient. However, some circumstances call for a more significant reward. For example, long service awards typically come with a gift or financial reward. A personalised gift can build positive workplace relationships by demonstrating that you've got to know your employee and their interests. A rewards scheme where colleagues can nominate their peers encourages the whole team to participate.
There are occasions when a team celebration is in order, for example, if you've completed a significant project or worked hard to win a new client. Consider what will be accessible to everyone. Drinks after work may exclude those with caregiving responsibilities, with a lunchtime gathering or individual gifts being more suitable.
Flexible working can help employees manage their mental health in various ways. Flexible hours allow staff to adjust their schedules, work when the office is quieter, or avoid a stressful commute. They can also help achieve a better work-life balance, for example, by enabling parents to take their children to school before starting work.
Working from home can also benefit staff with an existing mental health problem if their usual work environment involves exposure to potential triggers. For example, there may be days when an employee feels able to work but is unable to face a busy office with lots of face-to-face interaction. Spending a day working at home lets them manage their workload and schedule, which can help reduce stress.
Mental health days give employees time off to manage their mental health in addition to their annual leave entitlement. They're generally not treated as sick days and serve as a release valve to prevent a more serious mental health problem in the future. Offering mental health days can improve morale, reduce long-term sick leave and prevent lost productivity.
However, this type of leave is open to abuse and can disrupt business operations as mental health days are typically taken at very short notice. A day off to lie in bed can also worsen symptoms or enable staff to avoid tackling the underlying issue. This can be a particular problem if staff take mental health leave to avoid raising concerns about their work environment or workload, meaning managers don't have the opportunity to resolve issues.
Collecting employee feedback on any workplace issues which affect their mental health lets management take steps to resolve them. There are a couple of ways to gather feedback. Staff questionnaires ask specific questions and can include space for additional comments. You can design surveys in-house or employ a specialist company to do the work for you. Questionnaires can be a blunt instrument but allow staff anonymity to give honest feedback.
Staff forums lack anonymity but enable employees from different parts of the business to meet and discuss common issues. Open forums, including all staff or a particular team, can encourage open discussion but risk being overwhelming. A smaller forum comprising mental health champions from different teams and business areas may be more productive. Staff can speak to mental health champions about their concerns, and you can also implement a messaging system where employees can submit information digitally for discussion at the next meeting.
Providing workplace mental health support is vital. However, sometimes third-party help is essential. Managers can signpost employees to the proper support with the right training. They may suggest that an employee speak to their GP for advice.
Alternatively, if you offer employee health insurance, employees can likely access counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy or informal mental health advice via a telephone helpline. An Employee Assistance Programme also provides confidential third-party mental health support over the telephone.
Your occupational health team may also become involved if an employee is absent from work. They can also advise on reasonable adjustments when needed.
Good communication is vital, so ensure managers and staff know what support is available by mentioning it during training sessions and displaying information in the office.
If an employee is absent from work because of a mental health condition, occupational health can support them during their absence and on their return. However, a line manager can also help by staying in touch as appropriate. Checking on an employee can help them feel less isolated. However, it's essential to check what they're comfortable with. A card through the post may be welcome when a phone call would feel overwhelming. You can ask how much information they want their colleagues to have about their absence. Staying in touch can also help managers assess how best to welcome them back to the workplace.
At MyTribe, we aim to help you learn more about business health insurance and the benefits for your employees and company. However, our guides are no substitute for bespoke advice. Contact us for a comparison quote, and we'll put you in touch with a specialist, regulated broker for tailored advice.
Disclaimer: This information is general and what is best for you will depend on your personal circumstances. Please speak with a financial adviser or do your own research before making a decision.
Kirsty is a personal finance and healthcare expert who enjoys demystifying legal and insurance topics for a wider audience. She’s a former solicitor with a personal injury and insurance background.
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