Seven steps to supporting staff with mental ill-health

According to MIND, one in six of us reports experiencing a common mental health problem such as anxiety and depression in any given week. We experience negative emotions arising from situations like relationship breakdowns, bereavement, and the pressures and stresses from work. These can all impact on our emotional well-being.

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Understanding mental health and emotional welfare

Often, when we think of mental ill-health, we think of conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, or clinical depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). While these will affect some people in our workplaces, for the vast majority of us mental ill-health denotes the fluctuations in our emotional welfare. It’s the role of managers to make sure that employees feel comfortable in their place of work and are made to feel part of the team, even if their mental health is suffering. It’s therefore imperative for managers to be proactive managing and supporting staff with mental health issues. 

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Related news and features from Relocate Global:

• What to do if your team member is struggling with their mental health?
• World Mental Health Day: Young people in a changing world
• Expat mental health: taking a preventative approach

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Seven steps to supporting people with mental health problems at work

Here are some steps to take when you start to spot the first signs that an employee is struggling with the pressures of everyday life:

1. Begin an honest and open dialogue: You've noticed a change in their behaviour. Perhaps they've become irritable, or withdrawn, or their standard of work has dropped. They're not meeting deadlines like they used to. First up: start an honest conversation. “I've noticed you haven't been yourself recently, are you okay? Is there anything on your mind?” Everyone has an inbuilt need to feel seen, known and valued and your reaching out as their manager to engage them with a sincere “how are you really doing?” will communicate real care and an opportunity to be heard. Start where the person is at, listen, and ask them what they need.
2. Have regular catch-ups: make it a habit to check in with your staff to see how they're doing – not just in terms of work capability – but about what else might be affecting them internally, or how they're doing in other areas of their life. Establishing open lines of communication, and regularly too, will form an amazing foundation of trust so if they go through a distressing situation that affects their mental health, they know they can comfortably approach you without embarrassment or shame. Getting to know your staff will help you to recognise when something is not quite right and you can then offer support at the earliest opportunity. It's good to promote the idea that talking about feelings isn’t a sign of weakness too; it’s part of taking charge of your well-being and doing what you can to stay healthy.
3. Review work capacity: emotional strain resulting from issues outside of the work place might mean a colleague is not able to function and complete tasks to the same standard as before, so extend grace to them and focus on what they can achieve rather than what they can't. As a line manager, discuss and introduce adjustments to their workload, and be open to some creativity in terms of what they have the head space to do.Of course, don’t offer what is not possible according to company policy, but do ensure that reasonable adjustments are made so that as few barriers remain to their recovery as possible. This could include changing their working hours or patterns of work; giving them a place to go for their break; modifying sickness absence triggers and performance targets. Consideration for a person's situation goes a long way and will in the long run contribute to increased employee loyalty. Kindness when someone is passing through deep emotional waters is not easily forgotten.
4. Keep a paper trail: it's a good idea to log what you agree together, so if there's a change in personnel, your replacement can easily get up to speed with how the employee is doing. It is also important to regularly review any adjustments and amend as appropriate. A 'wellness and recovery plan' is an excellent way to outline triggers, warning signs and information on what will keep the person well – which really helps if signs of emotional issues are brewing so line managers can proactively put things in place to stop the situation from escalating. This paper trail can be invaluable evidence of the support that has been provided should this be required at a later stage.
5. Be flexible: Mental health issues can flare up and seem difficult in the moment, but they are often not on-going, rather episodes where people need support before they fully recover and gain their equilibrium again.
6. Create a culture of awareness: ensure resentment does not have any space to seed and grow – especially when others might have to temporarily take on more responsibility whilst a colleague recovers and takes steps to manage their mental health via counselling, medication or other intervention. The workplace needs to be target driven, but this doesn't exclude it from also being a place of community where compassion for employees is important too.
7. Communicate which mental health services are available: encourage people to seek advice and support from their GP or if your organisation has an Employee Assistance Programme it may be able to arrange counselling. As a manager you should seek advice/support from organisations such as MIND or your in-house occupational health practitioner, if appropriate. 

Create a culture of openness and support

Talking about and broaching the subject of mental health doesn't need to be scary. It is possible to create a culture of openness and support, especially when discussing feelings, so whatever your staff go through, it doesn't have to affect them or the business negatively in the long run.Showing your employees you care for them, and that you can accommodate their needs, is not only the right thing to do, but will also enhance loyalty, productivity and ultimately, profitability too.Head to the HR section for more features and insight into employee wellbeing. 

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