How To Support Mental Health in the Workplace
18 Jun, 20251-2 minutes
In this blog, you will learn:
- How to support mental health in the workplace.
- 7 tips on how to support employees with their mental health in the workplace.
- Discover more about our recruitment services.
Each year, the number of mental health cases continues to grow on a global scale. In the midst of a mental health crisis and the cost of living crisis, more and more people require mental health support in the workplace.
According to Mind charity, 60% of people in the UK said the cost of living crisis was affecting their wellbeing with worries that the stigma and discrimination are getting worse.
Worryingly, the problem is emerging from a young age; Mind charity found that 1 in 5 school-age children or young people has a mental health difficulty and according to the World Health Organisation, suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds.
Poor mental health can have a significant impact in all areas of a person's life, especially when it comes to their ability to perform at work. As an employer, you might notice that an employee is more tired than usual, makes uncharacteristic mistakes or they struggle to get motivated.
In today's day and age, good mental health and good management go hand in hand and it’s important to be able to identify the signs early and do everything possible to support mental health in the workplace.
Despite the fact that mental health problems can be complex and often require help from a medical professional, there are things an employer can do to alleviate the challenges employees may face.
With that in mind, we’ve compiled our top 7 tips on how to support mental health in the workplace.
How to support mental health in the workplace
7 tips on how to support mental health in the workplace:
- Be aware that anyone can suffer with poor mental health.
- Treat everyone as an individual.
- Foster a positive company culture.
- Let your employees know that you're there to talk.
- Be open to suggestions.
- Treat mental and physical illness of equal importance.
- Invest in training.
Be aware that anyone can suffer with poor mental health
As a company, it is important to recognise how widespread the mental health crisis is and that it is highly likely that you will have people within your team who suffer from poor mental health. It could even be the people who you ‘least expect.’
Factors such as genetics, poverty, sexual orientation, gender, childhood trauma or an ongoing physical illness could make a person more predisposed but anyone can suffer from poor mental health.
According to Mind charity it’s estimated around 1 in 4 of people will experience a mental health problem at some point each year with over 2 million people on waiting lists for NHS mental health support in England alone.
Treat everyone as an individual
Mental health conditions affect people in different ways, so it’s important to treat each person and their experience as unique. Don’t try to generalise or assume that you understand their condition fully as everyone’s journey is different.
Without prying, take the time to find out how the condition directly affects them but be aware that circumstances can change, sometimes on a daily basis. Offering a level of flexibility during the more ‘difficult days’ could just be what your employee needs to hear to help them feel valued and respected.
Foster a positive company culture
Awareness of mental health has increased over the last decade and while this is positive, there is still a lot of work to be done. More often than not, employees will keep their feelings hidden in fear of what their colleagues or employer will think of them.
By fostering a positive company culture, employees can feel comfortable talking about anything that might be concerning them. By opening up channels of communication, it will help to ‘normalise’ talking about mental health and reduce the stigma.
Let your employees know that you’re there to talk
If an employee is experiencing poor mental health, it can be a daunting prospect to raise it with your manager. However, if the employer raises the subject first, it could make it easier for the employee to open up.
Nobody is expecting employers to find a concrete solution to their problems, but what they can do is to listen to the challenges which the employee is facing and make changes at work (if possible) to unburden them of any work-related stress. Employers could use the private time during 121’s as a safe space to talk about any concerns which the employee is having.
Be open to suggestions
If an employee has been struggling with their mental health for some time, they might have suggestions on how their employer could make their life more manageable. For instance, if an employee takes medication which makes them drowsy in the morning, the employee could ask to start work a little later on in the day.
This would mutually benefit both parties as the employee would be more productive during their time in work. As an employer, be open to suggestions on how you can help and try to be flexible where possible.
Treat mental and physical illness of equal importance
Historically, mental health illnesses have been less understood and spoken about than physical illnesses such as cancer or a broken leg. According to a study by YouGov, 76% of Britons believe that mental health problems and physical health problems are equally serious, however when asked what they think their nation’s society thinks, 59% believe that physical health issues are seen as a bigger deal than mental health ones.
It’s important for the workplace to be more tolerant of mental illness and to strive to be more compassionate and understanding towards mental health challenges. Avoid being biased or prejudiced against someone’s mental health struggles as these conditions can be just as impactful and complex as physical ones.
Invest in training
If your company has little knowledge about mental health conditions, why not be proactive and invest in some training? A mental health workshop could help to debunk common myths and reduce the stigma of talking about it.
It could also help everyone to build the necessary skills to have productive conversations around mental health. If the time comes when someone wants to talk, wouldn’t it be better to be prepared with something constructive to say?
If your company can’t afford to invest in external training, every company can benefit from doing some research and by utilising free resources online to create their own workshop.
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