In The People Bulletin’s story during the UK’s Mind Week,‘Workers terrified of admitting to stress’ there were some shocking statistics from the Mind’s research that "workers were too worried about being sacked or forced out of their jobs to admit they were suffering from stress".[1]
Mental health is often one of the most misunderstood disabilities, and thus presents for some HR personnel, a complex workplace issue and one which is prevalent amongst many staff. Mental health difficulties include a breadth of conditions including depression, OCD, bi-polar, anxiety, addictions and schizophrenia to name but a few. Statistics[2] have shown that nearly 30% of all employees will experience a mental health difficulty in any given year.
In addition to the long term effects of a mental health difficulty for the individual, there are also significant effects on an organisation’s ability to perform to its best. Therefore, it is vital that HR and management are equipped with the knowledge and ability to recognise the early signs of a mental health difficulty and put into place an effective policy whereby managers, in particular, understand how to properly support an employee experiencing a mental health difficulty. In addition, effective staff development is essential as mental health, in general, is often culturally avoided and many people feel a reticence in raising and discussing it. It is essential to explicitly equip managers with an understanding of mental health and how to raise this sensitive issue with those with whom they have concerns. This type of staff development, together with a supportive framework provided within a company policy enables those who are experiencing difficulties to receive the most appropriate support.
Recognising the signs
As with other ‘hidden disabilities’, such as dyslexia and dyspraxia, there may be no outward physical signs that an employee is experiencing a mental health difficulty. Consequently, it is essential that HR ensure that their staff, particularly key management throughout an organisation, are given appropriate training on key indicators.
Recognising the early signs of stress is also vital if the appropriate support is to be provided at an early stage, preventing it from developing into the more serious condition of work-related depression. Some of the initial signs include changes to a person’s usual behaviour. This can include a sudden loss of motivation, appearance of being distracted, increased absenteeism, reliance on excessive amounts of caffeine, sudden outbursts of emotion and previously unseen difficulties coping with their usual work.
Implementing a mental health policy
One of the most effective ways of developing a supportive environment within an organisation is to provide and actively promote an effective mental health policy. The overall aim is to create a positive culture whereby mental health difficulties are perceived as part and parcel of every day experience. This creates a safe atmosphere for a distressed employee to speak to their line manager or HR representative. A proactive approach, in terms of a policy and staff development, sends a clear a message that mental health issues are acknowledged and supported and the business really cares about its employees.
Despite the obvious benefits of having a supportive policy, it was somewhat surprising that in a recent survey [3]of 500 business leaders, the national disability charity, Shaw Trust, found that over 70% of organisations did not have a formal policy in place for mental health issues. This is despite the legal requirement under the Equality Act to make provision to support all disabled employees, including those with mental health difficulties. It raises the question of how these organisations will seek to meet their obligations in a fair and consistent manner without the guidance of policy.
Current economic circumstances and mental health
Throughout recent history, a rise in depression and other related mental health difficulties such as anxiety, have closely matched a downward trend in economic activity, such as we are currently experiencing. Therefore, it is expected that as employees become ever more fearful for their long term work security, stress levels will rise, which, if not addressed, can ultimately result in work-related depression. It is therefore essential that employees feel able to raise the issue of stress within the workplace and know they will receive a supportive response.
Likewise, line managers and HR professionals must feel that the culture of the organisation encourages open and two way discussions allowing for the sharing of information about job status and roles and responsibilities, which facilitates a feeling of support. Simply ensuring that communication is open and proactive can lead to an improved and supportive workplace environment. With this point in mind, it is positive that The Shaw Trust survey results also reflected that the majority of managers were happy to discuss these issues.
Potential outcomes for HR
If it becomes apparent that an employee may be experiencing a mental health difficulty, HR should be contacted, either by the line manager or directly by the employee, for advice. At this point HR should seek a comprehensive work place assessment from an appropriate professional, who may suggest a range of appropriate reasonable adjustments aimed at reducing the difficulty in the workplace. This may mean allowing flexible working, working at home, or access to a quiet room to facilitate concentration. HR should also encourage the employee to visit their GP to access additional support to address their difficulties.
Whilst HR have a major role in writing and implementing policy, there is an overwhelming need for appropriate and high quality training to equip staff to respond to those employees in need. This, coupled with establishing a company-wide culture of both accepting and supporting those experiencing mental health difficulties, will not only nurture staff sense of worth, but also their overall performance, leading to an improved bottom line for the organisation.
[1] www.apbusinesscontacts.com/the_people_bulletin-pb_5/terrified.aspx
[2] Mental Health, The Last Workplace Taboo, June 2006, commissioned by The Shaw Trust and conducted by future foundation.
[3] www.tacklementalhealth.org.uk/_assets/documents/mental_health_report_2010.pdf