The Mental Health Triage programme has been designed to be a first line support system that's easy to access, confidential and person centered. It gives those that are not ready to commit to longer term therapy a space to speak with someone disconnected from their personal and professional life. That person is a highly skilled therapist that can both support, give guidance and signpost to additional help if required.
If you take proactive steps to create a more open and supportive culture, over time staff should begin to feel more confident to talk to managers about their mental health. However, it's important to remember culture change doesn't happen overnight and the individual relationships between managers and employees are the key to getting this right.
If people are able to receive support quickly, this can often help steer them away from developing a more serious problem. For this reason, it's vital that organisations have clear, well publicised channels in place for employees to raise concerns and take positive action promptly when staff seek help.
supporting staff with mental health needs
Right now 1 in 6 workers is dealing with a mental health problem such as anxiety, depression or stress. This can stop people performing at their best. Organisations perform better when their staff are healthy, motivated and focused. Smart employers support employees who are experiencing mental health problems to cope and recover.
The support people receive from employers is key in determining how well and how quickly they are able to get back to peak performance. Standing by people when they experience a mental health problem is not only about keeping hold of a valuable staff member - it also sends a message about your organisation's values. All employees need to see that their organisation lives its values and treats its people well. Trust and integrity are key drivers of engagement and organisations that support staff reap the benefits in terms of loyalty and commitment from all employees. We all have mental health - it moves up and down a spectrum from good to poor and it's affected by a range of factors both in and outside work. Starting a conversation about it doesn't have to be difficult - we can show you how to effectively support your staff and increase employee engagement, motivation and productivity.
If an employee has a mental health issue, it's important their employer takes it seriously. For example, it's a good idea to talk to the employee to find out what support they might need at work. There are many types of mental health issue. An issue can happen suddenly, because of a specific event in someone's life, or it can build up gradually over time.
Employers have a 'duty of care'. This means they must do all they reasonably can to support their employees' health, safety and wellbeing. A mental health issue can be considered a disability under the law and can be considered a disability even if there are not symptoms all the time, or the symptoms are better at some times than at others.
It's helpful if employers create an environment where staff feel able to talk openly about mental health, and encourage them to seek appropriate support and signpost to relevant people or agencies.
Work can be the most stressful factor in people's lives, but often people don't feel able to ask for help when they're struggling. This silence feeds misunderstanding and prejudice which can make it harder for people to be open. This is why it's vital that managers routinely ask staff how they're doing and discuss their mental health - it helps build up people's confidence to speak up earlier on and get the help they need sooner.
From time to time we all need extra practical support or reassurance from managers. This on-the-job support is often key to supporting people's mental health by helping them cope with challenges they're experiencing at work. If you follow the steps in the previous section you should have a positive conversation with your employee, leading to mutual agreement on key practical support measures.
It's vital that support measures are decided by managers and employees together as people usually know their own mental health and needs best. Other staff such as HR can also help you develop appropriate support. Whether work is causing the health issue or aggravating it, employers have a legal responsibility to help their employees. Work-related mental health issues must to be assessed to measure the levels of risk to staff. Where a risk is identified, steps must be taken to remove it or reduce it as far as reasonably practicable.
