How to raise awareness of mental health in the workplace

Mental health in the workplace has always been a topic of discussion. According to Action Mental Health, unfortunately a substantial portion of UK workers (73%) fear they might jeopardize their job status by disclosing any mental health problems. By destigmatising mental health problems, normalising open conversations and curating a supportive workplace environment, people can feel more confident to confide in trusted colleagues and management, as well as feel psychologically safe in the workplace.

When people experience psychological safety at work, overall wellbeing is further reinforced and strengthened, in turn, making the working environment of an organisation a pleasant one. With these benefits in mind, how can organisations effectively raise awareness of mental health in the workplace?

What is mental health and how does it affect people at work? 

Mental health is how we feel based on our psychological state and social wellbeing. Given we spend most of our time at work, psychological safety must be emphasised for people to feel comfortable enough to engage in their daily duties. In contrast, poor accommodation of mental health which cause periods of poor mental wellbeing can significantly impact an individual’s ability to work efficiently.

By accommodating for mental health conditions and normalising discussions around the topic, people can feel more comfortable, confident and better able to produce quality work. This benefits them as well as the organisation through greater productivity and team harmony.

Why should you raise awareness of mental health at work? 

Raising awareness of mental health at work is one of the many ways we can reduce the stigma around the topic. Plus, organisations have a legal duty of care and must be ready and willing to accommodate for anyone who needs additional aids to support their work.

Being able to normalise the topic of mental health means individuals can feel safer to come forward about any challenges they’re facing, communicate what accommodations they need and much more. Plus, raising awareness of mental health at work can:

• Reduce staff turnover

• Grant organisations access to a wider talent pool

• Improve productivity, collaboration and creativity

• Reduce mental health-related absences from work

• Reinforces legal duty of care

• Enhance the reputation of an organisation as a good place to work

• Improve working relationships and contribute to a positive working environment

What are the legalities behind mental health at work in the UK for employers? 

As mentioned, employers have a duty of care to their people – including agency workers and other temporary staff.

In cases where an individual identifies as having a disability, organisations need to ensure they do what they can to accommodate to avoid breaching the Equality Act 2010. According to ACAS, someone with poor mental health can be considered disabled if:

• Their symptom(s) have a substantial adverse effect on their life. For example, they may not be able to sustain focus on tasks for long periods of time, or need extra time to complete them

• Difficulties last (or are expected to last) at least 12 months

• It affects day-to-day activities and interactions.

How to explain mental health to an employer 

Explaining how you feel and how it affects your work can be daunting to think about. However, it’s a way to raise awareness of mental health directly, as well as address any sentiment in the office that may have an air of stigma surrounding mental health. By opening up to your employer, you can make them aware of what you need and possibly find out more about accommodations that can be made that you weren’t aware of previously.

1. Gather your thoughts

It’s important to take some time to figure out what to say before you can plan your approach. It may be helpful to make a list of key points and bring them with you to a scheduled meeting with your manager. It can serve as a way to get all of your thoughts down, as well as help articulate what you want to say. Clearly and effectively.

2. Schedule a meeting with your line manager

Your line manager is the first person you’ll likely go to when you explain any mental health concerns you may be facing. Choose a time and place where you both feel comfortable to speak, away from colleagues or anyone else who may be in earshot to ensure confidentiality.

3. Be direct

Although it can be daunting to explain how your mental health may be impacting your work, openness and honesty is the first step to developing a plan of action to improve your wellbeing. Concerns about how you may come across are very normal, but by explaining what specifically is impacted, how you’d like to be managed or asking about what solutions may be available to you can be just what you need to get the accommodations you require.

4. Share relevant information

Some accommodations may require a formal diagnosis (such as noise cancelling headphones for someone with auditory sensitivities), so if you feel comfortable in doing so, you can offer to show any diagnoses letters you have to hand. However, explaining exactly what impacts your mental health at work is what matters. You don’t necessarily have to have a diagnosis.

5. Have a think about solutions

It’s important to have a think about what may help you. Even if you can’t exactly achieve them (for example, full remote-working in a 5-day office environment), there may be other accommodations that can be made, such as flexible working hours.

6. Know your rights

In the UK, by law, your employer has a duty of care to ensure your wellbeing at work. Seek advice from your EAP, ACAS and/or Citizen’s Advice Bureau if you need more information.

7. Seek support in the process

Advocating for yourself, especially if it’s your first time, can be intimidating and stressful. Be sure to seek counselling support, or speak to trusted colleagues, friends and family for guidance.

What can employers do to raise awareness of mental health? 

If you’re an employer, there are lots of practical steps you can take to raise awareness and normalise mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.

1. Facilitate open communication

Open dialogue surrounding mental health and wellbeing topics should be encouraged within an organisation. This can enable your people to feel more comfortable to discuss what they are feeling – whether that’s in confidence to colleagues, teams or their line managers.

2. Lead by example

If you don’t practice what you preach, then your people won’t feel inclined to act. Simply saying “it’s okay not to be okay” and treating mental health and wellbeing like a tick-box exercise simply won’t do. Facilitating 1:1 meetings with your people, implementing wellness initiatives and even practicing random acts of kindness are just some ways to do this.

3. Challenge stigma surrounding mental health

In the same breath as the last point, what can you do as a manager or leader to break the stigma surrounding mental health? One thing you can do is challenge speech that stigmatises mental health. For example, if you overhear someone making an offensive statement such as “I’m a little OCD” or “everyone seems to have a mental health condition these days”, challenge them on these statements. Approach these difficult conversations with kindness so individuals don’t feel attacked but rather are made aware of how these statements can be offensive to others. Calm, civilised discussions allow these individuals to see someone else’s viewpoint and can help break the stigma around discussing the topic of mental health through understanding.

4. Provide mental health training

Having mental health champions at work can be really helpful, particularly in upholding the duty of care. Sometimes, individuals may not feel entirely confident going to their line manager about a mental health concern right away. And by having individuals in the business trained in Mental Health First Aid, they can pinpoint any mental health concerns before they get worse, as well as work with affected individuals to support their wellbeing.

5. Provide an employee assistance programme

Implementing an employee assistance programme is a great way to raise awareness about mental health. Here at HA | Wisdom Wellbeing, besides offering counselling to your people, we’re passionate about education too. That’s why our clients also receive exclusive content designed to improve education surrounding mental wellbeing in the workplace.

6. Implement policies and practices that facilitate a healthy environment

Sick leave and return-to-work must be a smooth process to facilitate the transition. You can support individuals by providing day one intervention and active care to ensure they’re receiving occupational health assessments, and having their mental health concerns addressed to resolve any issues that may be making them worse.

7. Practice equity

Equity – especially racial equity – has strong ties to psychological safety and how we feel in the workplace. For example, the 2022 Racial Equality in the Workplace survey found that 70% of ethnic minority employees reported experiencing or witnessing racism at work. Of this large percentage, there was a sense of hostility in their working environments that impacted their mental health and job performance.

How can an Employee Assistance Programme help with mental health awareness in the workplace?

As the UK’s leading EAP, we understand that it takes more than just offering support to raise awareness of mental health at work. We make it easier for managers and leaders to provide support by supplying exclusive content such as guides, eBooks, infographics and more to distribute with your people on a monthly basis.

In addition to this, we also have our exclusive app Wisdom – which all of our EAP customers and their people have access to. Wisdom includes our Live Chat, video and phone call features which can connect individuals to a therapist whenever they need support 24/7, 365 days a year. It also serves as a wellbeing hub filled an extensive content library, wellbeing tracking and so much more.

Conclusion

Raising awareness about mental health beyond awareness days and tick box exercises is what’s really going to normalise it in your workplace. That’s why continual education and openness is key to breaking the stigma. Get conversations around mental health going with your people, ensure they’re as accommodated as they can be and have regular check-ins with individuals to show your proactiveness as an employer.