Workplace Mental Health
On this page, read about some of the things employers can do to support mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.
Many of them can be achieved at little or no cost and still bring substantial benefits for your staff and your organisation
Quick Links on this page:
Working environment
Increasing awareness
Managing for mental wellbeing
Recruitment and job retention
Sickness absence and return to work
If we're in work, we spend a lot of our waking hours in the workplace. Employers have a responsibility to make sure that the working environment meets minimum welfare standards and doesn't make employees ill. This includes addressing causes of stress (a major contributor to mental ill-health).
Noise
Sound levels that damage hearing must be controlled according to The Control of Noise at Work Regulations (external site), but background noise can also be distracting, make concentration difficult and add to stress.
Easy steps to reducing noise include removing noisy equipment to other areas, using telephones with silent, flashing light ringers and always holding discussions and meetings in closed-off rooms.
If it's safe to do so, staff could also be allowed to use personal music players with headphones to block out distracting noise.
Lighting
Most people prefer working spaces that are well-lit with natural light. Using roller blinds or refitting curtains so that they pull back beyond the edge of windows can let more light in without too much expense, as will keeping décor light and airy. Placing mirrors on walls facing windows will also help.
Breaks and rest areas
Breaks and rests should be about relaxation and forgetting the worries of work for a few minutes.
Getting away from your regular work area during breaks can also aid concentration and productivity on return.
Help develop a culture of taking breaks away from desks and workstations by indicating to staff that they are expected to be elsewhere during their breaks.
Smartening up existing rest areas with a lick of paint, comfortable seating and a few plants can encourage their use.
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Being aware of the kinds of things that keep us well and having access to no nonsense information about mental illnesses can help people to avoid becoming ill, to get help if they need it and recover more quickly if they do become ill.
Help increase awareness among your staff by indicating that you're an employer who is positive about mental health and wellbeing - sign up to the bWell Charter.
Provide information by placing leaflets and posters in communal areas. Many are available free or at little cost from local authorities and national mental health charities.
For more information, see our list of helpful resources.
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Do staff feel comfortable discussing issues that affect them with line managers, or even their colleagues? Does everyone know who to speak to if they feel the need for additional support?
Managers, especially line managers, should also know how to talk sensitively with members of staff who come to them saying they are feeling stressed or anxious. Staff should also feel able to report incidents of bullying or harassment and know what to do in such circumstances.
Accessing training for managers and line managers and developing clear policies can help with all of these areas.
To discuss the training we can provide and how we can assist policy development, please contact us.
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Your recruitment policies and how you use them could be stopping you from getting the 'best person for the job'. Job adverts may be the first experience potential recruits have of your organisation so its important to set the right tone and give the right information.
People can be put off from applying by the way you word adverts, by misleading job descriptions or by unnecessary requirements on applicants.
For example, is everything in the person specification really needed for the job? Are written examinations or submissions from applicants necessary? Do interviews need to be conducted in front of a panel, which can be intimidating, or could one person conduct the interviews?
Meanwhile, people may leave their job because what's expected of them differs from the picture given at recruitment stage or because of inadequate induction procedures. There may also be issues around employee supports, roles and responsibilities.
If you have or have had a 'revolving door' around recruitment and retention of staff, we can help you to identify why it is that you aren't attracting the best staff to apply, or able to keep them if you get them!
To find out more, please contact us.
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It's inevitable that there will be times when members of staff become ill and will need to spend time off work. The way that employers manage such absences can make a huge difference both to the person and how the organisation copes in the meantime.
Keeping up communication with the person who is absent is key. If they know that you are willing to support them to return to work, perhaps through adjusting their role or working hours temporarily or even just by speaking with them regularly to review how they're coping, it will help enormously.
While they're off, keeping in touch to find out how they are, to update them on what's happening at work and, with their permission, keeping colleagues informed about how they're doing can make all the difference, make it more likely they'll return and mean they can fit back in better if and when they do return.
At the same time, managers should be aware of the added pressures absences place on colleagues. Putting arrangements in place to compensate will help avoid any damage to the morale or wellbeing of co-workers and combat any resentments that could build up about the person who is absent.
To find out how bWell can assist you to develop better management skills and practices for absences and returns to work, please contact us.
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