Mental Health in the Workplace
Published on October 10th, 2022 | by Sophie West
World Mental Health Day (Monday 10 October) is the perfect opportunity for you, your workplace, and your colleagues to focus on mental health in the workplace, and break down any stigmas.
The theme this year is “Make mental health and well-being a global priority”. As many of us spend more time at work than we do at home, it is important to support and encourage employees to start talking to each other openly about their well-being and mental health.
We believe workplace mental health to be equally important as physical health, which is why today is a great opportunity to talk to your colleagues about how important mental health is and how they can get help if they are struggling.
Ways your business can get involved this World Mental Health Day:
1 – Promote a healthy work-life balance
Working long hours can stop employees from spending time with friends and family, and in addition, too much stress at work can take up energy that may have been used for socialising; overall taking its toll on people. An appropriate balance between work and personal life means people remain refreshed and productive whilst at work.
2 – Workplace mental health training
Our mental health training courses are ideal for line managers. They won’t teach you to be a therapist, but they will teach you to listen, reassure and respond, ensuring your workplace is confident in providing the right support and signposting (education is key to having an open and inclusive environment). You will learn to recognise warning signs of ill mental health and develop the skills to help someone whilst keeping yourself safe.
3 – Share useful contacts and resources
As an employer, if you offer an employee assistance programme and/or counselling services then making sure your employees know how to access this support scheme is vital. Posters on notice boards, leaflets in new starter packs and a dedicated section on company intranets or shared online spaces are just some of the ways you can spread awareness.
Various mental health charities such as MIND, the mental health foundation and BACP provide helpful and informative resources, which you can also share with your employees so they can access them if in need.
