Mental Health Week
Mental Health is a topic that is close to my heart. As someone that has worked in HR for many years I have seen people genuinely struggle - both with long and short term conditions. No case is ever really the same, people cope in different ways and need different support. Unfortunately I have also seen poor mental health in my personal life. It is important to note that I am not a medical expert or healthcare professional. This article is based on my own reading and experience.
National campaigns are a great way to raise awareness of various conditions and topics, an opportunity to highlight support that is available and to get people talking. But this in isolation will never be enough. Organisations must have a plan in place to talk about and support mental health on an ongoing basis. If the topic is only ever discussed during weeks or days of National Campaigns then you’d have to question the authenticity of it.
What can businesses do to support mental health?
Culture and Environment - This is probably the most important thing to reduce mental health issues in the workplace. If people are working too may hours they will get burnt out. If they are not trusted and they are micromanaged they will feel pressure being put on them. People must be encouraged to have healthy conflict and know how to deal with it, otherwise people will feel like they can’t have an opinion or when there is conflict it will descend into negativity. These aren’t small things to tackle!
Provide an EAP Service - These helplines are usually available 24/7 hours a day and can help with short term issues. In HR we need to make sure employees know what to expect when they phone the helpline, don’t just take for granted that they will know. It is also something that employees will worry about. Will they get through to someone who can support them straight away, will they have to book an appointment? Make sure this is communicated. I have personally phoned an EAP service through my employer and it was exactly what I needed in that moment. I have shared my story with many employees who have thanked me for being open and they said that it made them feel better about phoning. I was having a particularly difficult morning (right in the middle of a horrible court case), my chest felt tight, the tears were coming and in that moment I couldn’t cope. My thoughts were taking over. I was close to having a panic attack. So I phoned the EAP helpline and simply said, “I didn’t know who else to phone, can you help me?”. The lady explained to me that she was a trained therapist and started asking questions. We spoke for about 75 minutes and I was incredibly grateful for her time. Remember, it’s no good just putting that you provide an EAP service on an email, you have to bring it to life and show the value that it can offer.
Mental Health First Aiders - I am a little bit on the fence when it comes to Mental Health First Aiders. Probably not something you would expect a HR person to say! I am recommending that organisations put them in place but let me explain why I’m on the fence. When it comes to discussing mental health I think people are generally either in two camps, they want to speak to someone completely independent and impartial that doesn’t know them, or they want to speak to someone they have a relationship with, someone that will understand them, like their line manager. So are they likely to reach out to a Mental Health First Aider that works for the organisation, who knows of them, but not well. Will they trust them to keep their information confidential? That being said, I do think it is good to have people in the organisation that don’t work in HR that people can reach out to because you never really know what everyone needs so having another option is not a bad thing .
I do think that for the Mental Health First Aiders to be successful the organisation has a duty to make sure they are introduced in the right way. People need to know who they are, what training they’ve had, what they can help with and what they can’t, the rules around confidentiality etc.
Provide line managers with training
This may seem like an obvious one but it is so important. Managers speak to their teams on a regular basis and hopefully have a good relationship. They have opportunity to pick up on any sign of problems brewing, any changes in mood or behaviour for example. But the question is what do they need training in?
How to have a successful 1:1 - I think this is a good place to start because wellbeing should form part of the overall conversation. Managers need to feel comfortable asking questions like “How is everything from a wellbeing perspective?”. Or saying “I’ve noticed you seemed a little distance in the last couple of team meetings, how is everything?”
Emotional Intelligence - Being able to pick up on non-verbal cues is a great skill to have. Being aware of any subtle changes and responding to them.
Effective Communication - Finely linked to the point above but wanted to highlight this as Active Listening is incredibly important. Managers don’t have to be therapists, they need to be able to listen, show empathy, offer support that is within their remit and signpost to further support. In the case of the manager they may encourage them to speak to a mental health first aider, the EAP or HR.
Sharing Stories - One way to encourage people to open up is for others to share their stories. I learnt about this a few years ago and in my HR role I have encouraged this a lot. As part of writing this article I thought I would look into it again to see if I could explain why storytelling is so powerful. I came across this:
Many years ago, a team of scientists discovered a neurological connection between stories and the area of the brain which is responsible for empathy, compassion and cooperation. These feelings ― controlled by a chemical called oxytocin ― tend to increase when we are told stories which resonate with us.
Oxytocin is also known as the feel good hormone, so if that is increasing that can only be a good thing. The article went on to say:
With the help of brain-imaging, neurologists have also shown that our brains become more active when we are told a story. Normally, the ‘language processing’ region of the brain would light up when we take in new information. However, when information is delivered in the form of a story, other areas become activated as well, such as the sensory cortex and motor cortex. These are the parts of the brain typically triggered when we experience events first-hand.
So I guess in that case, if people are hearing a story from someone saying how they got through their difficult experience, the listener may start to feel like they too will be able to get through it.
I know from my own experiences that there is something comforting about hearing other people have been through something similar. I somehow just felt less alone. When you know people can relate to you, you may also feel more willing to share your story with them.
So what does story telling look like in the workplace? If you have some willing volunteers that would be happy to write a blog post, or even to jump on a Lunch and Learn you can give people access to them in a safe space.
Signposting - And finally make sure people know where to turn. The Samaritans are trained to deal with people contemplating suicide. This is not something we are trained to deal with as HR professionals so if you know someone is at crisis point please don’t be afraid to point them to immediate help. They have a 24/7 phone line - 116 123 (https://www.samaritans.org/). Other organisations provide some fantastic resources that you might want to sign post people to. (https://www.mind.org.uk/) (https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/)
You may also want to check out the article on Avoiding Burnout.
Reference: You & Co.