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Mental wellness at work is an essential part of overall well-being that is often overlooked. Any job can be stressful, even if you love what you do. Some stress can be healthy, such as motivation to perform well, but long-term and unmanaged stress can be harmful to both physical and mental health. Mental health problems affect around one in four people in any given year. They range from common problems, such as depression and anxiety, to rarer problems such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Just over three quarters (78%) of people with a mental health condition require some support during the first six months in work. This falls to 35% after 12 months and 18% after 24 months. Some people will require time unlimited support to sustain work. Offering an EAP benefit that allows employees to access a handful of therapy sessions for free is important. But, many companies don't spend enough time reminding employees that they should access these services. As more and more employees struggle with mental health, it’s important to debunk common myths, reduce stigma, and build the necessary skills to have productive conversations about mental health at work. If you don’t have the budget to invest in training, mental health employee resource groups are a low-cost way to increase awareness, build community, and offer peer support. Managing underperformance where it is linked to mental ill health is among the most complex and difficult situations a manager can face. Clear expectations of roles, responsibilities, provision of support, as well as regular informal feedback on performance, help to create good relationships and a healthy performance management culture.



Despite your optimism, there are times when it appears that positivity has vanished from our existence. Opposing views and behaviors can occur at any time. Professional development requires us to build ourselves in ways that enhance our mental outlook and promote healthy self-esteem. Feelings of stress and anxiety can be common in work places but it is possible to manage them without them having an impact on an employee’s ability to do their job. There are steps your business can take to provide the support that employees need. According to specialist literature, exercise can also help reduce stress at work either in the form of company sport activities, fitness or jogging groups. It is therefore a good idea to include it as an element of the company prevention strategy. Sometimes people who have mental health problems are treated unfavourably because of their mental health condition. This is called discrimination and, if someone experiences it, they may have a legal right to challenge it. Even though it may not be easy to become an employee-centric company addressing workplace wellbeing ideas it is of utmost importance in this day and age.

Psychological & Social Support

There has been a lot written about how to tackle mental ill health and promote wellbeing in the workplace. While there are close links between mental and physical health and wellbeing, this report focuses on mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, and the need for dedicated strategies to be integrated in overarching human resources (HR) and health and safety policies. The employment relationship is not static—just like an organisation’s focus will change over time, the employee’s career and development needs will also change. Employees may require different levels of support and work adjustments at different times in their working life. As such, managers need to consider employees and their needs on an ongoing basis. Why not commit to developing an approach to mental health at work that protects and improves mental health for everyone, whilst supporting those people who experience distress? Line managers who know their staff and regularly hold catch-ups or supervision meetings to monitor work and well-being are well placed to spot any signs of stress or poor mental health at an early stage. Often the key is a change in typical behaviour. For employers not investing in wellbeing initiatives, how to manage an employee with anxiety can be a difficult notion to comprehend.

Mental health services are listed among ten essential health benefits required under the Affordable Care Act. Requiring providers to offer mental health coverage is a huge step toward ensuring that employees have access to necessary resources. How each insurance plan covers mental health services varies, but they must offer some coverage in order to stay compliant. The pace of work and life is very fast. When pressure is felt as growth not stress, then the outcomes are good- improved job satisfaction, contribution, engagement, creativity, and innovation. When pressure gets too much, outcomes are not so positive – for the employee, their family or other team members. You have to understand your employees and what you’re asking of them. I can produce quality work and keep going, but it isn’t sustainable. You have to be understanding toward people’s lives and the way they individually function. One of the easiest things you can do if you know someone to be struggling with mental health is to adjust their working patterns. This may involve offering flexible working, allowing for different start and finish times or allowing them to work from home if suitable. It could also include allowing them time off for appointments, spacing breaks differently or restructuring holiday time so it is spread more evenly throughout the year. Building emotional intelligence helps us "play well with others." Learn strategies to help you understand and respond to others' emotions and reactions in helpful ways (and without judgment). Don't forget to send out proper internal communications around workplace wellbeing support in your organisation.

Employee Mental Health Benefits

It can be an incredibly scary step to open up about mental health as an employee, mainly because of the uncertainty of how it could be received by their employer. Those who are struggling may fear being judged or maybe even that they could be perceived differently on a professional level because of their mental health problems. Specifically, employee wellbeing is about how your job – your duties, expectations, stress level, and environment – affects your overall health and happiness. And while it certainly includes things like exercise and nutrition, well-being isn’t just about physical health. It’s about mood and cognition, and less tangible factors like a sense of purpose. Employees might feel very happy to tell a colleague about a physical injury they’ve sustained, but when it comes to changes in their mental health, people can keep this to themselves through fear of being treated differently or judged. People have always looked to their managers for support, and that has increased since early 2020; tensions are at an all-time high. A leader’s actions and behaviors can serve as a guide to let team members know it’s OK to speak up and show vulnerabilities. Ensure your team feel like they can count on management and the company to be fair and even-handed. When employees trust their managers, they’re much more likely to ask for help when they need it. Similarly to any change that happens within organizations, discussions around managing employees with mental health issues need planning and implementing properly.

It might sound idealistic for your staff to embrace wellbeing initiatives and become more productive, healthier and happier. After all, if they don’t engage with your wellness programme then your money is wasted. Experts have noted that more initiatives fail than succeed because companies don’t have a game plan. Workplace mental health needs to be an important part of the wider transformation of how society approaches mental health, empowering individuals as employees to require transparency of their employers, and understand how to support themselves and others. Approximately 30% of the variation in service delivery outcomes at a team level is attributable to organisational climate, specifically, the quality of supportive leadership and people management practices. Those organisations that are starting to see mental health as a priority recognise that it is important for recruiting and retaining the talent of the future, and that good mental health and wellbeing is linked to strong performance. Work is an important element of the recovery model. Employment should be considered a key outcome at every level of the mental health system and included in people’s care plans as they move along the pathway to recovery. Thinking about concepts such as employers duty of care mental health is really helpful in a workplace environment.

Workplace Mental Health Programs

Creating good mental health wellbeing in the work place can include being flexible and generous with employees, including staff in community-based activities, supporting fundraising for a good cause or charity (strong businesses need strong communities and vice versa). It’s also about appropriately, authentically and publicly showing gratitude to employees. External triggers may have an effect on an employee’s mental health and well-being, such as bereavement andsevere or long-term stress. From addressing productivity and presenteeism to creating a culture of care, introducing or refreshing workplace wellbeing policy in line with a whole organisation approach can have huge benefits. Uncover further information regarding Employee Mental Health Programs on this World Health Organisation link.

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