Mental Health and Wellbeing
We get up in the morning, we shower, we get dressed, we have breakfast, we walk out the front door, we get into our car, we drive to work, we arrive at work, we go in the door, we get to our desk and we start working for the day.
But what if you can’t? For some people who are dealing with mental health conditions each one of these steps is like climbing a mountain. Just the thought of walking out the front door or picking up the telephone to say I'm not going to be able to make it in today feels impossible.
There has been a lot of media coverage around mental health in the last 12 to 18 months and hopefully this has improved our understanding and awareness of the different types of conditions, the different impact that different conditions have and the fact that mental health conditions will vary from person to person and from day to day.
Not all people with mental health conditions have a bad day everyday today they could be absolutely fine that tomorrow there might be having a panic attack or might not being able to get out of bed. People who don’t have a formally diagnosed condition can still have days when they have poor mental health, and people with a diagnosed condition might have infrequent days of poor mental health - there is no one size fits all approach to this subject.
Covid has had a significant impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing. The fear of getting Covid followed by the fear of socialising now that the guidelines have been removed. The isolation of lockdown, followed by working from home that has made it difficult to develop or maintain relationships. The strain of trying to balance jobs, home schooling, caring or other activities in a very unusual time and environment. Losing your job or deciding that you want a career change after having the time to reflect on your life. Working throughout lockdown or being on Furlough. Most people have felt the effects on their mental health and wellbeing in some shape or form.
There are a forgotten group of people that may need support - those are the people that support partners, friends and/or family who have mental health conditions. The impact on their own mental health can be quite significant. Imagine spending the night talking through coping strategies with your partner, trying to coax them out of bed in the morning just so that they will get dressed to make first step in climbing that insurmountable mountain. That person supporting their partner on a daily basis whilst coming to work every day because theirs may be the only income in the house, pretending that nothing is wrong, but knowing that when they go home, the cycle continues also need our support and understanding in the workplace.
But why is it our responsibility as employers? Well, the short answer is that if you want a productive, sustainable workforce, with engaged employees who feel valued and cared for, where sickness absence is reduced because there is a supportive environment to phase people back to work after a period of long term sickness absence, and an environment that supports people which prevents them being absent, that should be reason enough.
If that isn’t, then we can bring out the big stick and refer to the provisions of the Equality Act 2010 linked to disability, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
So what can we do?
We need to listen! First and foremost, listen and hear what people are telling you, and if you are the cause of the concern, then make sure there is someone else for your employee to talk to.
We can train and appoint Mental Health First Aiders (or use a consultant who is trained) who can become the main point of contact for somebody going through any form of mental health problem, who can help us to identify the early signs and symptoms of mental health. It allows for a supportive conversation by listening non judgementally and providing reassurance, especially if we feel that there is a risk of self-harm or suicide. Mental health first aiders are not qualified counsellors but can risk assess and sign point and encourage people to the appropriate professional support. They can help reduce the stigma attached to mental health and promote awareness and provide a confidential and ongoing supportive work environment.
Mental Health First Aid England refer to the ALGEE approach:
A - approach the person assess and assist with any crisis
L - listen and communicate non judgementally
G - give support and information
E - encourage the person to get appropriate professional help
E - encourage others support
A mental health first aider is not necessarily a manager or your HR Department. Anybody in the organisation who has that empathetic ear, who is able to be independent and supportive at a person's time of need could undergo the training and take on this role.
It isn’t always easy supporting someone who talks of completing suicide, or who has a panic attack in front of you and even though you may be referring them to the correct support, it does take a toll and the Mental health first aider might also need someone to talk to, so for larger companies, allowing them to meet as a group, not to divulge confidential information, but rather to support each other would be important.
We might have a policy that says you must phone in when you are ill, that you are not allowed to text, but we need to make allowances and understand that for some people the very act of picking up the phone and having a conversation is insurmountable on that particular day. We need to know our staff and make allowances where appropriate.
When we need to manage performance, or handle a disciplinary situation, we need to be conscious of people’s mental health conditions, and check that they have a support system in place if we are taking action against them. We need to still be able to manage but manage sensitively.
Tarnya Brink is a Mental Health First Aider and supports her clients to offer that independent conversation with their employees to get the first steps of support in place. If you want to have a chat about how she can support you, please give her a call on 07986 544 694.