Managing Mental Well-being

At this moment in time, in the UK, 1 in 6 workers are dealing with a mental health problem such as anxiety, stress or depression. This can stop people performing at their best. We all have mental health – it moves up and down a spectrum from good to poor and it’s affected by a range of factors both in and outside of work. Starting a conversation about it doesn’t have to be difficult – we can show you how to effectively support your staff and increase employee engagement, motivation and productivity.

Work is the most stressful factor in people’s lives but often people don’t feel able to ask for help when they’re struggling. This silence feeds misunderstanding and prejudice which can make it harder for people to be open. It is important as a line manager that you ask your members of staff how they are and discuss their mental health before it turns into a mental health problem.

If you think a member of your team may be experiencing a mental health problem, you may need to take the lead and raise this with them, as people often don’t feel able to bring it up themselves. It is vital that the process of talking about mental health starts in a positive and supportive way. The first step is to establish open communication (which should be maintained if people take time off for sickness absence) leading to understanding and appropriate support.

If you are a manager looking for guidance on dealing with a members of staff's mental well-being, using the buttons below, you will find practical information on all processes including the process of referring a member of staff to Occupational Health, how to conduct Stress Risk Assessments and Well-being Rapid Action Plans and how to help a member of your team in urgent crisis.

If you need further guidance on any process, please contact your HR Business Partner.

How to have a Conversation with an Individual About their Mental Health

Choose an appropriate place - you will need to find somewhere private and quiet where the member of staff feels comfortable. This could even be a space outside of the workplace.

Encourage people to talk - people can find it difficult to talk about their mental health, but it helps to have an open culture where conversations about mental health are routine and normal. Ask simple, open and non-judgmental questions and let people explain in their own words.

Don't make assumptions - don't try to guess what symptoms an employee might have and how these might affect their ability to do their job. Many people re able to manage mental health problems and perform in their role to a high standard but may require support during difficult periods.

Listen to people and respond flexibly - everyone's experience of a mental health problem is different so you need to treat people as individual and focus on the problem. Adapt your support to the individual. Remember effective workplace adjustments are often quite individual but don't have to be costly or require huge changes.

Be honest and clear - If there are specific grounds for concern like high absence levels or poor performance, it is important to address this at an early stage.

Reassure people - people may not always be ready to talk straight away so it is important to outline that your support is always available. Tell them you always have an open door and that you will make sure they get the support they need.

How to Manage an Employee's Time Off Sick

Sometimes an employee may be so unwell they need time off work to recover. The way managing periods of sickness is key in shaping how well and how quickly people are able to return to work. To effectively support staff to recover and return to work as quickly as possible you should:

• be proactive and get involved as early as possible if someone is unwell
• take a person centered approach and be sensitive to the individuals needs
• be positive and supportive throughout the process
• maintain contact with people throughout their sickness absence.

If a member of staff is signed off with a mental health problem, you should contact your HR Business Partner to arrange an Occupational Health appointment. If the member of staff is signed off with stress, you should also send them a Stress Risk Assessment to complete. The Stress Risk Assessment allows you to identify the key areas of stress which can help you to put adjustments in place to facilitate them returning to work. Early intervention is vital to help individuals returning to work so the quicker you act, the likelihood of a return to work can be much quicker than anticipated.

How to Conduct a Return to Work Interview

• Tell people that they were missed
• Explain the return to work process
• Reassure them they are not expected to walk straight back into full time hours. Develop a Phased Return to Work Plan.
• Ask them how they are feeling.
• Listen and empathise with the member of staff.
• Discuss their mental health problem and look at solutions within the workplace as well as external support.
• Discuss possible solutions and ensure they are aware of sources of support that is available.
• Discuss any worries the person has about returning to work, reassure them that this is normal and agree a strategy to address these concerns together.
• Try to prepare people for how they may feel on their return and also to think about how they want to manage their return.
• Understand that despite looking fine, someone may still be unwell.

The First Day Back at Work

The first day back at work for an individual is very important. You should try and make this as smooth as possible. People often feel anxious about returning to work. You should decide together beforehand what colleagues will be told. Some people might like you to meet them at the door. You may also want to check that they have plans for lunch to ensure they are not isolated.

You should meet with the member of staff on their first day back. Discuss if there are particular tasks, responsibilities or relationships that people are apprehensive about and consider temporary changes to their role during their initial return to work to help manage this. Promote a positive team spirit and encourage colleagues to make sure the person feels welcome and their return is comfortable.

Ensure there are regular on-going opportunities to monitor and review what’s going well and what’s not going well, to make sure the support / adjustments are helping and to tweak these if they aren’t quite right.