Mental Health

5 CONSIDERATIONS TO IMPROVE YOUR ORGANISATION

2021 is a big year for mental health first aid in the workplace. 

We’ve previously discussed the guidelines and assessment considerations for general first aid in places of employment, but there is an area that is still sometimes neglected by organizations when considering the welfare of the team: emotional wellbeing. 

Below, we set out some of the key considerations when looking to promote better mental health in your team. 

EMPLOYEES ABILITY TO EVALUATE THEIR MENTAL HEALTH

If someone hasn’t sought support for mental health issues, there’s a chance that they don’t really know how to recognise their issues, whether that be processing their thoughts and feelings, or being confident on what mental illness they may be affected by. 

Different mental illnesses can share symptoms and subsequent behaviour, and therefore it’s important for people to gain clarity on what they are feeling. Rethink Mental Illness has compiled a list of symptoms and how to get the ball rolling with support in the UK. As an employer, you can signpost the team to this content, and let them know what to watch out for both at work and otherwise.

It’s not a case of laziness; only in recent years are schools in the UK starting to really promote mental health wellbeing. For the case of those in the workplace currently, they may not have received this level of support and information whilst in school.

EMPLOYEES MAY NOT TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THEIR OWN MENTAL HEALTH

People may be more inclined to book a doctor’s appointment when addressing a physical symptom than a mental health issue. Of course, with workplace stress accounting for X amount of global fatalities per year, the line formerly drawn between physical and mental health is now being exposed as redundant.

Of course, while seeking professional support is ultimately up to the individual, it can cost organisations dearly. Deloitte claimed that poor mental health costs UK employers up to £45 billion each year, through a number of factors including stress-induced leave and poor performance. More concerning still is that the report was published in January 2020 – showing a 16% rise in since 2016 – or an extra £6 billion per year – and that was before the first UK lockdown.

Promoting a workplace culture whereby mental health is valued not only gains the admiration and respect of staff, but it can also support your bottom line.

THERE IS STILL A STIGMA

Therefore, many people may not seek help, or participate openly in activities in the workplace designed to support their mental health as they may not want to show ‘weakness’, or ‘make a fuss’. Of course, we are making progress here, and mental health does feel like something that is genuinely on the table now as a society – but it’s still by no means a welcome subject for many. 

Fortunately, there are ways to combat the stigma. Mind and other mental health organisations have great content around actionable ways to deal with stigma that can be echoed through the company culture you hope to create.


SERVICES ARE STRETCHED

It can be easy to assume that ‘if someone wants mental health support, they can get it off their own back’. While the NHS and associated groups do a fantastic job of supporting mental health issues, they can’t support everyone, all of the time. There are now 4.95 million people waiting for general treatment through the NHS in England alone – and this is reflected in mental health service demand. It’s the largest waiting list since records began, and private counselling and other treatment can be expensive.

Some employees may also fall into the trap of comparing their struggles with others, and therefore neglect support as they don’t feel they need and/or deserve it as much as others. While this all sounds pretty bleak, as a leader you can provide some options for your staff.

HOW YOU CAN HELP?

In the same way you can provide healthy food options at work but can’t stop staff eating too many sweets and crisps, you can’t take sole responsibility. Employees have agency and their own choices to make. What you can do is provide the support – along with the encouragement and safety to take advantage of it.

There is so much fantastic information online from reputable sources and health professionals in 2021. Be sure to create a bank of content that staff can access when looking to improve their mental health at work and otherwise.

There is an abundance of content on how to improve your employees’ mental health, such as BreatheHR’s ‘5 ways you can support your employees’ mental health’, written in reflection of 2020 lockdowns. Mind has created a brilliant document, ‘How to support staff who are experiencing a mental health problem’ which also dives into creating a culture of openness, boundaries and workplace adjustments. You can view that here.

If you want to go the extra mile and tackle the challenge practically, we’re proud to offer a dedicated 1 Day Mental Health Awareness First Aid Course which you can view here. 

CLOSING THOUGHT

As more of us return to our work, it’s vital that employees provide a positive environment for their team – the rewards are certainly there to do so.

It’s been a glorious summer of sport so far. England reached their first major football final since the triumph of 1966, and while Team GB aren’t touted to scale the medal heights of Rio or London, we’re on course to overachieve once again in the medals table. That’s not to mention notable performances in the cricket and elsewhere.

However, the same sporting events have also housed a spotlight on the mental health implications on athletes and sportspeople. Individuals from a variety of sports have been brave enough to talk about their recent struggles, from cricketer Ben Stokes’ withdrawal from the England cricket team to Naomi Osaki’s withdrawal from the French Open, and most recently Simone Biles opting out of several Olympic events that she was touted to secure gold in.

This diversity of those affected is hardly surprising; mental health does not discriminate. As such, many of these struggles are also seen by those in other walks of life on a day-to-day basis.

As part of our ongoing dedication to supporting organizations to support employee mental health, we’ve picked out five lessons learned from this summer of sport that may help you if you’re managing a team.

It is not always linked to negative events

Record-holder Adam Peaty took home GB’s first gold medal in Tokyo on the 26th of July. He’s a golden boy in the eyes of pundits, fans and the media alike, smashing world records with a beaming smile on his face and an aura of extreme confidence. The 26-year-old commended his “gorgeous partner and gorgeous son” in his post-event interview with the BBC. Due to endorsements and prize money, Peaty also has an estimated net worth that puts him comfortable in the millionaire bracket. He’s a man with a lot going for him. However, what is perhaps most impressive is his attitude towards prioritising his mental health after claiming 2 golds and a silver medal in Tokyo, announcing he’d be having a month-long break after the games. He described swimming as “not a normal job (with a) huge amount of pressure”.

Peaty was disappointed by the reaction on social media; “reading some of the comments in response to this is why we have such a stigma around mental wellbeing in sport”.

Mental health is an investment, not a charitable act

Staying on Peaty and his recuperation from the pool, he also noted the effects of burnout on athletes. He claimed that some athletes would “fall off” by the time the next games in Paris takes place, due to overexertion in competitions between now and then, off the back of a “very tiring” lockdown period.

The swimmer was keen to illustrate it was not just a problem in swimming, either; “you’re seeing it in all sports now. You’re seeing it with Simone Biles, you’re seeing it with Ben Stokes, mental health matters”.

In fact, the deeper you dive into the breadth of this in sport this summer alone makes for shocking reading.

Mental health is the leading cause of sickness absence in the UK, costing employers approximately £45 billion per year.

Interestingly, the figure from Deloitte also includes the costs of ‘presenteeism’; essentially showing up to work but performing poorly due to mental health issues. Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, nodded to the fact that presenteeism “costs three times more than sick leave”, suggesting that company culture around time off and government intervention both need to improve. More specifically, he claims that higher Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and an improved definition of disability under the Equality Act – in order for more to benefit from its rights and protections – are areas of improvement.

The Mental Health at Work Commitment is an initiative from Mental Health At Work.org, with the aim of supporting signees to achieve each standard highlighted upon joining. Organisations who sign up receive ideas and advice aimed at making their transition and drive change.

Some of the companies on the growing list of signees include Wickes, MediaCom and Deloitte. They have clearly identified investment in mental health as a strategic decision.

People want to help

As a result of England’s penalty shootout loss to Italy in the European Championship final, Bakayo Saka and Marcus Rashford were subjected to racist online abuse. The pair missed in the shootout, with the former’s spot-kick saved to decide the match.

Marcus Rashford’s mural in Manchester was also vandalised by disgruntled fans (thugs). Despite this, there was a response of solidarity as those in the community recovered the mural with messages of support for the England forward.

Similarly, Bukayo Saka claimed he was left ‘“speechless” after Arsenal presented him with hundreds of messages of support for the 19-year-old.

It serves as a timely reminder that many people would like to support people in need, not tear them down, in their time of need.

It’s something that’s becoming harder to ignore

The pandemic has given many employees time to reflect on what’s important to them, with 2 in 5 reported to feel anxious about returning to work in recent months. Similarly, 1 in 3 reported ‘psychological stress’ caused by the pandemic. As such, pre-Covid shifts towards better mental health support strategies may well be catalysed as a result of the numerous lockdowns and time away from the workplace.

Mental Health is nothing to be ashamed of

As Michael Phelps – the most decorated Olympian in history – says: “it’s OK not to be OK”.

Closing thought

It’s encouraging that the stigma surrounding mental continues to be chipped away – although there still remains a way to in terms of normalising it in day-to-day working life. As shown this summer in the world of sport, no amount of gold medals make one immune to being affected.

Would you like support with improving mental health in your team or organisation?

We provide first-class mental health training courses, which you can view here.