The truth about wellbeing at work

To explore the topic of mental health and wellbeing at work it’s important to understand what constitutes mental ill health, how to recognise the symptoms and what steps can be taken to minimise our risk, as well as how to support others with mental wellbeing issues.

Care must be taken when engaging with others with potential mental health issues and we must remember the following:

·       no one – other than a trained professional – should ever diagnose someone with a mental health issue

·       we can express concern and offer support, but the best course of action (for both co-workers and managers) is to refer colleagues to the resources we have in place

·       if someone ever has concerns about a colleague’s safety, they should involve HR immediately

·       we should help create an inclusive and safe environment and offer support and education.

Recognising the signs

Mental health is the complete wellbeing of an individual. It can be defined as an individual having sound mind and have no problems in their thinking, feelings and behaviour. However, everyone is likely to go experience difficult and stressful situations – it’s about how we respond to these that defines our mental health status at the time.

Mental health can be thought of as a continuum – very similar in scale to other spectrum disorders, like autism. It means that you are not simply mentally healthy or mentally unhealthy, but that there is a scale that everyone sits some part way along.

We should recognise the care aspects of this continuum and when a person requires professional care. The four main factors outlined here can increase the risk of mental ill health, which can be work-related, outside work, temporary events and long-term stressors.

The real difference between mental health and ill-health is the ability to cope with and recover from all these factors. A person may be currently experiencing some (or all) factors but that does not mean that they have any mental health issues.

Mental health challenges can impact a wide variety of areas including a person’s perception of self, interactions with family, friends and colleagues, work and employment and day to day living.

In a workplace if these mental health issues have not been fully discussed and explored then these may just be viewed as poor performance or may lead to an increase in absenteeism due to the inability to face work as mental health fatigue grows. Both situations may then lead to disciplinary and / or capability proceedings at work with sanctions on that individual, ranging from verbal and written warnings to, ultimately, dismissal. This individual may then be hampered within their work in either removal from any pay review cycles or being unsuitable for potential promotions and job moves.

Any of these actions may then trigger further declines in mental health with the workplace being seen as something difficult to approach and will make it harder for that individual to apply for other roles in the future. Unfortunately, these impacts then become further factors increasing the risk of a decline in mental health and leads to a vicious circle that can be hard to break.

Minimising the risk of mental ill-health 

Your physical wellbeing can be enhanced through a variety of methods including physical activity, nutrition, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, reducing the intake of alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Rest is essential for the body to recover and heal and allows the brain to compartmentalise the day, enabling memories to be created. Poor sleep and mental health issues often go hand in hand.

Now, although I mentioned earlier that professionals shouldn’t diagnose and treat people with mental health issues, as colleagues, managers and friends, we can do to support them in several ways.

Firstly, be aware of any changes in behaviours, moods or relationships which may identify the onset of mental ill health. It is very important at this stage for the individual to have someone to talk to and who can help identify any triggers to this decline and help them put in place coping strategies and mechanisms. Short-term support may be offered by simply talking to the individual concerned.

Workloads can be amended and lightened to ease stress, and an individual should be made aware of any available support systems, whether that is through additional healthcare services or support agencies linked to the employer / place of learning. In the workplace, they may need adjustments to working hours / pattern, decreasing workloads and increasing breaks to give the space required.

Long-term support will invariably be required where there is a long-term absence from work due to a mental health illness. This absence may be required if they feel unable to do their job, or if factors such as medication make it difficult for them to carry out their duties.

Open channels of communication should be maintained as this helps the individual to be supported during any absence but ensure any contact takes places at times and a cadence that is suitable for the individual y don’t feel under any pressure.

A feeling of hope is key to an individual’s recovery as they need to have some sort of expectation of improvement and that their mental health will recover.

Symptoms of mental health illness may never disappear from an individual, but recovery is recognised as building mechanisms and strategies to cope with the symptoms.

Upfront support is key to an individual returning to work after an absence due to mental health illness.
It is important to meet up with them prior to their return, fully briefing them on any changes in their absence, such as personnel, structure or role changes. This will help to ensure that they are properly prepared for their return and are not worried about any unknown factors.

It may be useful to invite them to an event beforehand, such as a team lunch, and discuss whether a phased return to work would be helpful to support them. However, remember to take their own wishes into consideration.

There are adjustments that managers might consider to help employees return to work and maintain acceptable attendance levels, for example, a change to hours, work, job role or duties, or a workplace assessment to see if adaptions are needed and other temporary working arrangements.

A heathy and happy workforce

A mental health first aider is not there to diagnose or treat any mental health issues but to be a point of contact for an employee experiencing an issue or emotional distress. This can include:

• help identify and assess early first signs of mental ill health
• assess risks to individuals and others in the workplace due to mental ill health
• support individuals with mental ill health and suggest places for help
• talk and actively listen to those impacted by mental ill health

A mentally healthy workforce is a happy one, and a happy workforce will reduce absence and increase productivity. A workforce that is happy can also cope with setbacks and / or changes that impact them.
Where a workplace is seen as being mental health friendly, it can also help boost the reputation of the employer, making it much easier to attract new staff and importantly, retain its current workforce.

In establishing a mentally healthy workplace, an employer is also meeting all its legal requirements under health and safety laws and regulations relating to prevention and early intervention.

When thinking about your wellbeing at work, you should also be aware of your own mental and physical state, be willing to talk and listen about wellbeing, and ask for help as early you feel able and to be supportive to colleagues.