Mental Health Awareness Week is just around the corner. You’ll soon see campaigns running and social media conversations start – and that’s a great thing. But while it’s crucial that awareness is raised in this way, the real goal is to make sure mental health is given the same consideration as physical health – everywhere, every day. 

Workplace health and safety often focuses on physical risks like slips, trips and physical risks, but mental health matters too. Burnout, stress, anxiety and even low morale can be just as damaging for your people. (And just as costly for your business!).

In this blog, we’ll explore why mental health is the missing piece in many health and safety strategies and how to better protect your employees.

mental health

The Link Between Mental and Physical Health

Mental and physical health are strongly connected, with poor mental wellbeing – including stress, anxiety and depression – presenting a huge risk factor for the development of physical problems like headaches, digestive issues, fatigue and even heart problems. Over time, chronic stress can also weaken the immune system, meaning individuals are at higher risk of developing illnesses.

Not only do mental health issues link strongly to physical health, but they also increase the risk of accidents and injuries due to decreased concentration. Employees suffering from physical symptoms may require time off, increasing absenteeism, or be less productive at work, affecting morale and business continuity. 

Mental Health And The Workplace

Just like physical health, mental health is broad. In the context of the workplace, the term mental health covers things such as:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Stress
  • Burnout

Mental health issues can occur from many different areas of someone’s life. Work is one of those areas, with someone’s comfort and safety in the workplace playing a significant role in supporting (or harming) their mental wellbeing. Let’s take stress as an example. Workplaces can cause or exacerbate stress in numerous ways:

  • Heavy workloads and unrealistic or poorly communicated expectations
  • Tight, unrelenting deadlines
  • Poor work/life balance due to too much overtime and an inability to switch off outside of working hours
  • Workplace bullying or harassment
  • Unsafe working environments. 

These factors don’t just create a difficult work environment and unhappy employees, they can contribute to poor mental wellbeing and long-term or chronic conditions, which heavily affect both your people and your business.

Employer Obligations

As an employer, you have obligations to ensure the well-being of your staff. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers are legally required to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, their employees’ health, safety and welfare. This includes both physical and mental health.

To protect the mental well-being of employees, businesses must identify the psychological risks in the workplace, take steps to mitigate them and provide appropriate support when they arise. 

What Can A Workplace Do?

Creating a mentally safe place to work takes awareness and proaction. Businesses must review their health and safety strategy regularly and incorporate measures to support good mental health. Here are some key practical and meaningful elements to consider that will help you support mental well-being at work…

Clear Boundaries Surrounding Working Hours

Encourage staff to switch off when they’re not on the clock. This might mean turning off email notifications and not taking work home. Getting proper rest protects people against burnout; modelling these behaviours from the top down is key. 

Regular Check-Ins

It can be incredibly useful to hold regular check-ins with employees to see how they’re doing, especially during times of high pressure within the company. This way, any problems can be spotted early on before they escalate. 

Open-Door Policy

Nurture a positive environment that encourages people to speak up when they need help, regardless of whether their problems are work-related or personal. 

Flexible Working

Offer flexible working arrangements where possible to support individuals who are struggling. Flexibility around working hours and location can help employees in managing work/life balance and reduce stress all round.

Promote Mental Health Awareness

Use internal comms to spread the word; share tips, resources and relevant campaigns such as Mental Health Awareness Week. 

Train Your Managers

Provide managers with the skills they need to best support their teams. A well-informed manager can spot early warning signs and have supportive, productive conversations with staff members.

Introduce Mental Health First Aiders

Mental health first aid is as important as physical first aid. Mental health first aiders provide a critical first line of support in the workplace. You can read more about their role here.

What Is Mental Health First Aid?

The term mental health first aid was born in Australia in 2000 and has since become a global initiative, supporting millions of people worldwide. 

Mental health first aid training programmes teach people how to recognise the signs and symptoms of mental health problems, provide initial help and guide individuals towards appropriate professional support. And with 1 in 4 people experiencing mental health issues, it’s highly likely that people in your employment will need support at some point. 

The Qualsafe Level 3 Award in Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace is a 2-day course that equips candidates with an understanding of common mental health conditions, as well as how best to support and guide individuals who are struggling.

The course covers a wide range of topics, including the Mental Health Continuum, how poor mental health affects employers and work-related stress. Candidates will explore the role of the Mental Health First Aider, the legislation that sits behind keeping employees well at work and how to promote a positive mental health culture. Here’s a list of the sections this comprehensive course dives into:

  • What is Mental Health?
  • The Mental Health Continuum
  • How poor Mental Health affects employers
  •  Why positive Mental Health is important to employees
  • Recognise contributory factors of work-related Stress
  • Role of the Mental Health First Aider
  • Legislation and the Core Standard
  • How to promote a positive Mental Health culture
  • Active listening skills
  • Understanding Anxiety Disorders, Eating Disorders, Self-Harm and Psychosis
  • Understanding Work-Related Stress, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Suicide
  • Understanding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Phobias, Bipolar and Depression
  • Implementing good Mental Health practice in the Workplace
  • Identify coping strategies
  • Identify support for those who are experiencing Mental Health issues
  • Sources of reliable information
  • Provisions available for those off work with a Mental Health illness

Mental Health First Aid training isn’t just about ensuring your business remains compliant; it helps create a workplace where mental health is talked about and staff members look out for one another.

Health and Safety Strategy Needs to Include Mental Health

Creating a Positive Mental Health Culture For A Safer Workplace

Long considered something shameful or secret, mental health can be hard to talk about. But it’s a core component of workplace safety. To properly protect their employees – and their business – organisations must consider it as much of a priority as physical health and take time to assess and mitigate any risk factors.

Taking steps to build a company culture where speaking up when you’re struggling is safe is vital, but it’s not enough. You also need people within your teams who can confidently and competently act quickly and respond when someone is suffering. That’s where mental health first aid comes in.

Are you searching for a Mental Health First Aid training course that can be delivered virtually or in-house? Look no further. Contact Envesca today.