Thriving at Work

Feb 15

Mental Health Initiatives in the Workplace

“At any one time, one in six members of the population in England aged 16 to 64 has a mental health problem, and it is estimated that absence due to mental health costs the UK economy around £34.9 billion per year. With 12.7 per cent of all sickness absence days in the UK attributed to mental health conditions, these are not statistics that can be ignored.” ~ People Management

I don’t consider myself to be a pure HR-ist – I’m a Learning & Organisational Development Person who happens to specialize in People Projects. Does that clarify anything for you? Possibly not, however my last big project was to create a Career Framework for one of the biggest companies in the Middle East involving Competency Matrices, Job Evaluation, Career Mapping for Succession Planning and much more. I have a real passion for trying to help people to grow and thrive in their current workplaces and/or beyond. So I do have an avid interest in understanding these key figures.

I saw an article last week, an excerpt of which I posted on my Social Media yesterday, with the caption: “For every £1 spent on mental health initiatives in the workplace you can expect to earn £10.80 in return”. This was from a report issued last year by Deloitte entitled, "Mental Health and employers - refreshing the case for investment".

The numbers make for a compelling case for employers to implement new initiatives and having spoken with many victims of issues related to mental health in the workplace recently it really got me thinking. According to Mind Share Partners in their Mental Health at Work 2019 report they state that 61% of workers admit to mental health affecting their productivity; 37% of workers believe that their work environment contributes towards their symptoms.

In the workplace, mental illness remains a hugely taboo subject, with Millennials amongst the highest proportion of the workforce who feel able to open up about personal mental health. It is estimated that up to 70% of the workforce would not tell their employers if they were suffering from mental health issues. Do you, therefore, know the true extent of what is going on in your company?

According to the CIPD & Mind, in January 2017 the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom commissioned an independent review into how employers can better support the mental health of all people currently in employment. This included helping those with mental health problems or poor well-being, to remain in and thrive at work. The Thriving at Work review into workplace mental health was led by Lord Dennis Stevenson and Mind CEO Paul Farmer CBE (Stevenson and Farmer 2017).

Drawing on the accounts of over 200 employers, people with mental health problems and experts in mental health and work, Thriving at Work sets out core principles and standards to which all employers should commit:

1. Lead by example: Actively encourage your team to adopt healthier working habits by working sensible hours, taking full lunch breaks, taking annual leave, and resting after busy periods.

2. Build your confidence on mental health: Familiarise yourself with your organisation’s mental health policies and practices and how staff can seek confidential advice and support.

3. Normalise mental health: Touch base regularly with your employees to check how they’re getting on and think about what might be causing them stress. Create space for them to ask questions and raise issues and give them permission to talk about home as well as work issues if they wish.

4. Take stock: Include an agenda item at team meetings to discuss everyone’s well-being together, and what factors are affecting this. A planning session can look at the issues in detail and develop a team action plan to address these. If the organisation runs a staff survey, this could form the basis of the discussion.

5. Be available for your employees: Regular one-to-ones and catch-ups can help to maintain good working relationships and build mutual trust.

6. Treat people as individuals: Treat employees with respect, praise good work, offer support if there are skills gaps, and try to use a coaching style of management. Ask for feedback about the support you provide and what support they need to help them achieve their goals.

7. Embed employee engagement: Promote a culture of open dialogue and involve employees in decisions about how the team is run and how they do their job. Make sure employees understand their role in the bigger picture and make clear their contribution to the organisation’s vision and aims.

8. Create opportunities for coaching, learning and development: Make sure employees are confident, well equipped and supported to enable them to do their job to a high standard. You can help them gain confidence and skills by developing and rewarding their capabilities and by being available for regular work-related conversations as well as providing formal training. Wider workplace well-being developments: The Thriving at Work Core Standards 37 People managers’ guide to mental health at work

9. Promote positive work relationships: Support a culture of teamwork, collaboration, and information-sharing, both within the team and across the organisation, and model these positive behaviours to staff.

10. Raise awareness: Managers are in a great position to challenge stigma and prejudice throughout the organisation and to get mental health on the agenda with senior leaders.

Analysis on the cost of Absenteeism

In addition to the figures mentioned above, Thriving at Work commissioned new analysis from Deloitte on the costs to employers of mental health illness. The results are staggering. Per employee it amounts to a cost of between £1,205 and £1,560 per annum – between £33 billion and £42 billion a year (Deloitte 2017).

This is made up of:

• absenteeism cost: £8 billion

• presenteeism cost: £17 billion to £26 billion and

• staff turnover: £8 billion.

Along with the direct costs of not getting savvy about this come the legal implications, such as employees who suffer from severe mental health issues and are considered disabled. As per the Equality Act 2010 they can bring disability discrimination claims against their employer, alleging direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, harassment and/or victimisation.

What should HR professionals be doing now in their companies?

Outline the potential risks for not having policies in place – make a compelling business case for change;
Write your future Wellbeing strategy - Making reasonable adjustments to remove disadvantages felt by staff because of a physical or mental illness is a legal requirement under the Equality Act 2010 and can help employees to reach their full potential;
Rewrite recruitment, onboarding and current policies taking Inclusion into consideration and reconsidering the effectiveness of Health Questionnaires;
Update Sick Leave Policies and create a Return to work Programme;
Create metrics within your People Analytics System to look out for tell tale signs – Absenteeism, Productivity levels, Sick Leave;
Be aware of high-risk areas for concern – conduct Risk Assessments:
• people working long hours and not taking breaks
• unrealistic expectations or deadlines
• high-pressure environments
• unmanageable workloads or lack of control over work;
• negative relationships or poor communication
• an unsupportive workplace culture or lack of management support
• job insecurity or poor change management
• high-risk roles
• lone working;
Create Strong Support Systems & Positive Management Culture, Embedding Confidentiality - Buddying, Coaching & Mentoring as well as other Learning & Development Opportunities;
Introduce Holistic Learning programmes which encourage people to take time away from their desks and do something healthy – perhaps incorporate yoga, mindfulness, positive affirmations & nutrition;
Create Open Channels of Communications – Invite guest speakers;
Create a Culture of Awareness and Acceptance – Eliminate stigma and boost acceptance;
Create an Employee Assistance Programme;
Train Mental Health First Aiders across the company & create a Counselling hotline

I know from experience that implementing such a strategy is not without its difficulties, and it should be seen as a long-term initiative. I’d love to hear your innovative ideas for helping employees to thrive in the workplace, especially during these times when working from home is a huge consideration for employers. Get in touch via Social Media or email.