A recent Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) survey indicated that employee sickness absence levels are at their highest in over a decade, and mental ill health is the greatest cause of long-term absence.
Mental Health Awareness Week provides the ideal opportunity for businesses to reflect on the support they already have in place and what further steps they can take to proactively support the mental health of their staff.
Culture
The importance of workplace culture cannot be underestimated. How individuals are treated day-to-day is central to their wellbeing, motivation and engagement. A perception of a lack of support and judgment, whether from management, HR or peers, dissuades employees from speaking up about struggles. We know that tackling issues early can help prevent them from developing, and if someone takes sick leave because of mental health concerns, the longer the sick leave lasts, the harder it is to support a return to work.
It's really important to create an environment where individuals feel secure enough to be themselves at work, and to share their feelings with others. Employers need to create an open and honest culture where talking about mental health is not stigmatised. It's also crucial that this is led from the top-down and modelled by business leaders as well as front-line managers.
Support
Managers play a critical role in embedding a supportive culture and spotting issues. Wellbeing should be incorporated into both informal catch-ups and formal one-on-one meetings. Managers may not feel confident initiating discussions about wellbeing. Train your managers to empower them to have difficult conversations about wellbeing and mental health. Wellness action plans (WAPs) can facilitate the discussion; mental health charity, Mind, has issued guidance on WAPs which includes guidance for managers. Stress risk assessments are also a useful tool.
Managers also need to understand the need to make reasonable adjustments for disabled members of staff and that this is a proactive duty on employers that doesn't just rest with HR.
Implementing a wellbeing strategy
Implementing a wellbeing strategy is a great way for an organisation to demonstrate that it is a responsible employer and is also a good tool for attracting and retaining talent. It's also becoming a business priority as part of ESG strategies. Crucially, if devised carefully and implemented, a wellbeing strategy can reduce stress in the workplace and empower staff to proactively manage their wellbeing. The strategy should focus on physical, psychological and financial wellbeing.
Communicating the wellbeing strategy is just as important. Ensure your benefits offering is clearly communicated to staff. It's also important for employers to be open to feedback from staff so that the approach to wellbeing can be flexible and evolve as required.
