Managers have a vital role in supporting mental wellbeing in the workplace. Because, even though work might not cause an employee’s mental health problems, the company, the manager and the team will all be impacted significantly by an employee who is struggling with their mental wellbeing.
An employee struggling with their mental health will be less productive and the company will see an increase in absence and lost working time. Some absence is good – but much of it avoidable.
And this is where the manager can make a real difference as the manager is in a unique position to be able to spot the signs and speak to the employee about their mental health. They have opportunity – both formally through 121s, for example, and informally. They have regular contact; after all, more often than not, the employee spends more time with work colleagues than at home.
Our experience though, is that managers are often daunted by the prospect of having conversations about mental health, concerned by what they should say and what they shouldn’t. Which means that often these conversations don’t happen. Which is damaging for the individual and for the organisation.
Which is why we have teamed up with Bamboo Mental Health to offer Mental Health for Managers, an interactive and inspiring one-day workshop which aims to provide managers with the skills, knowledge, understanding, tools, techniques, and insight to empower them to feel confident to support employees around their mental health. By the end of a one day course, managers will be able to:
- Identify and recognise the signs of poor mental health;
- Understand the impact that poor mental wellbeing has on an employee, the manager and the team;
- Have safe and effective conversations around mental health;
- Identify what support they can offer, within their remit as a manager;
- Support a team member during absence, and on their return;
- Understand the legislation that impacts upon mental health at work;
- Develop a plan for wellbeing support for an individual;
- Understand their own wellbeing and develop a plan to empower their own wellbeing, and identify where they can seek support as a manager;
- Play their part in breaking the stigma around workplace mental health.
Productivity, performance, and mitigating and minimising absence provide the cornerstones of a powerful business case for managers having conversations about mental health. But, it’s about more than that. It’s about increasing satisfaction. It’s about creating a workplace where people feel safe and supported. It’s about focusing on the person and their needs. It’s about a duty of care. Managers who are talking about mental health can and do make a significant and positive impact with the people they manage, their teams, their companies, and indeed themselves. And their role is absolutely fundamental to empowering mental wellbeing in the workplace.
*Our Mental Health for Managers workshop recently featured in the EDP: http://www.edp24.co.uk/business/businesses-coached-in-dealing-with-mental-ill-health-in-the-workplace-1-5228922?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social_Icon&utm_campaign=in_article_social_icons
*For more information about the Mental Health for Managers one-day workshop, please email michelle@engaging-people.co.uk or tom@bamboomentalhealth.co.uk or call Michelle on 07834 578872 or Tom on 07718 130930.
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