By leading from the top and agreeing actions at a senior level, employees who will drive the changes will feel that they have the support and authority to tackle stigma and promote positive mental health. Employees are also more likely to open up about their own mental health if there is a clear signal from the business leader or senior management. Not sharing a mistake or a learning with the wider team can be because an employee is afraid of speaking out. In seeking to move from rhetoric to reality employers must mainstream good mental health and make it a core business priority. A mentally healthy workplace and increased employee engagement are interdependent – by looking after employee’s mental wellbeing, staff morale and loyalty, innovation, productivity and profits will rise. More people are in work with a mental health condition than ever before, but many individuals with mental health problems are struggling emotionally, off sick, less productive, or leaving employment. 300,000 people with a long term mental health condition leave employment every year, equivalent of the whole population of Newcastle or Belfast. Sharing your feelings may encourage colleagues to do the same. It is important to make the time to listen to others, to be supportive and respectful. Practise your skills of talking and listening – both as a way of connecting to others and as a way of sharing feelings or worries. The Health and safety executive (Hse) estimates that every year around 1.5 million people experience a health problem that they believe to have been caused by their current or past work: stress being the largest cause of work-related illnesses.

Making sure everyone can talk about mental health at work is an important step your business can take to help people manage it. Much progress has been made in reducing the stigma of mental health, but we still need to do more. Despite many employees feeling their employer or line manager would be supportive if they shared a mental health issue, a significantly smaller number of people actually do disclose concerns. Some say this is because they fear discrimination. Work plays a strong role in our mental health and wellbeing. There is a Maori proverb that 'work brings health' and the Royal College of Psychiatrists claims that work is central to many people's happiness. Many workers are sceptical about raising mental health issues with their manager, particularly in a time when they are under severe pressure. Digital tools and products are an enabler of change and give businesses the opportunity for low cost, scalable interventions in the workplace. It’s important to understand how mental wellness in the workplace affects employees — and how companies can take care of their people. Don't forget to send out proper internal communications around how to manage an employee with anxiety in your organisation.

Communication is key when it comes to mental health. Employee perceptions about attitudes towards mental health and available support may be as important as having the support there in the first place. Mental health problems can affect anyone, of any age and background. However with support most people can and do recover. By making changes to your workplace environment, and offering support to employees, you can reduce the duration and severity of mental health issues and enhance recovery. It’s worth bearing in mind that some staff may not feel comfortable opening up about their issues if mental health isn’t discussed at work. Therefore, it’s important to take a holistic view of how mental health is both managed and nurtured in the workplace. While there’s no right way to build a psychologically safe work environment, mental health impacts for employees should be considered in the HR strategy to ensure everyone feels supported. It’s OK to talk about mental health. Sometimes people think that mental health is a private issue that should not be raised or discussed. This is not true. As a manager, your role is to respond to the early warning signs by asking the individual if they are OK and offering support. An opinion on employers duty of care mental health is undoubtebly to be had in every workplace in the country.

To incorporate mental health into the workplace organisations should be ensuring that managers are able to motivate employees and provide them with the training and support they need to develop their performance and job satisfaction. This should be done alongside increasing understanding of how management style and practices can help to promote the mental wellbeing of employees and keep their stress to a minimum. Psychological health and safety (PHS) is embedded in the way people interact with one another on a daily basis, it is part of the way working conditions and management practices are structured. Bearing this in mind mental health is a significant challenge across workplaces. Work-related stress is the response people may have when presented with demands and pressures that are not matched to their abilities, leading to an inability to cope, especially when employees feel they have little support from supervisors and little control over work processes. Mental health is a growing issue in our workplaces with more and more people struggling with their mental wellbeing. As an employer, you have the moral obligation to look after the mental wellbeing of your employees. A survey commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation found that many people choose not to disclose about their mental health problems for fear of jeopardising their career progression, being victimised as a direct result of a mental health issues and having a lack of clear established protocols and procedures for managers to follow if staff experience mental ill health. Even though it may not be easy to become an employee-centric company addressing workplace wellbeing ideas it is of utmost importance in this day and age.

How can you, as a business owner or manager of people, who is struggling with your own mental health challenges and stress, help your employees while also taking care of yourself? The same basic principles apply. First, acknowledge that you are struggling, that it is common and not something to be ashamed of. Second, seek help from resources in your company or through your health insurance plan or community. Mental health challenges don't often go away on their own and getting the right assistance can help you feel better faster. Starting workplace conversations about behavioral health is challenging. Such conditions are often seen as a personal failing rather than a medical condition. Anxiety, stress and depression are becoming exceedingly common problems for employers in today’s working environment. More than ever employees state that they feel they have to give everything to their job and their personal lives – which means that health can often come in second place. We need to recognise that many people are working in rapidly changing, sometimes hostile environments where the risk of psychological injury is high. We need to recognise that the riskiest jobs for mental health - those with the most demands and the least control, the least reward per effort, and where the organisational justice is negligible are those often occupied by people with the highest risk of mental health problems. Social relationships both help promote wellbeing and prevent mental ill health. You could talk to, and not email, a colleague, speak to someone new, or share a journey to or from work with a colleague. Discussing ideas such as managing employees with mental health issues is good for the staff and the organisation as a whole.

Remember that just because your work basket is piled with umpteen things to do, it doesn’t mean it’s realistic for you – or your boss – to expect you to be able to do them all. Awareness of mental health issues at work is growing, and employers are putting in place many positive interventions – from healthy food in Mental health problems affect everyday activities, and this can be particularly apparent when a sufferer is trying to complete the tasks of their job. Anyone with mental health issues may carry their symptoms into their line of work. Unlike physical issues that may not flare up during working life, mental illness is a battle that takes place constantly. Factors such as space management can considerably improve individuals’ wellness. Providing adaptable spaces that allow employees to have privacy can benefit overall performance and enhance productivity. Employers can do more to engage leadership in dialogue with employees about mental health. For employers not investing in wellbeing initiatives, workplace wellbeing support can be a difficult notion to comprehend.

Successful and sustained change requires that employees understand their own state of mental health and wellbeing as well as recognising and supporting colleagues. Perhaps you have a typically sociable employee who is withdrawing, or a colleague who usually eats substantial meals skipping lunch and working through. Noticeable changes in behaviour are a sign that something may not be right. If a person‘s mental health problem requires them to be absent from work, as an employer you should ask the person what they would like their colleagues to be told. This remains a sensitive area and many people worry about discussing this with colleagues when they return to work. One can unearth extra details relating to Mental Health In The Workplace Initiatives at this World Health Organisation article.