<p><i>The vast number of visitors on
social media, particularly Twitter
and Peanut, conversing about <b
>Employee Mental Health
Initiatives</b> continues to grow
daily. Tell me your thoughts on <b
>Employee Mental Health
Initiatives</b>?</i></p>Currently,
there are a number of promising
developments in the workplace
mental wellbeing space which
should enable employers to better
support employees, as well as to
prioritise, quantify and track
employee mental health and
wellbeing. Anonymous pulse surveys
are useful tools for detecting
brewing mental health issues
before they emerge. Survey
responses will help assess the
organization’s overall mental
health climate and may help to
identify areas — specific
functions or teams, for example —
that require particular support.
Some employers have understood
that having a mental health
condition is something that can
and does get better. After all, if
I had epilepsy, many employers
would understand that the fits do
stop and they can be triggered by
stress. It’s just the same with
having bipolar disorder: the best
employers can see beyond a label
or diagnosis to get the best from
people. Now more than ever,
employers should prioritize
proactive and preventive workplace
mental health training for leaders
, managers, and individual
contributors Workers may come to
work even though they are unwell
because they are concerned that if
they disclose a mental health
problem, they will face prejudice.
Reduced productivity costs UK
businesses up to £15 billion a
year. Employees with different
mental illnesses can benefit from
varying treatment approaches. For
example, there is evidence that
cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT
) can successfully treat people
with depression. It can also be a
cost-effective option. <br /><br
><img src='https://everymindatwork
.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11
/diversity-teamwork-with-joined
-hands-2021-09-03-04-16-08-utc
-scaled.jpg' alt='Employee Mental
Health Initiatives'><br /><br
/>Through the efforts of many
advocates, organizations,
researchers, and brave patients,
we have gained an understanding of
how to helpfully treat mental
illness. Employers and unions
developed flexible work policies
(FWP) in part, to help workers
achieve more sustainable work-life
integration. Effective FWP might
also improve workers’ mental
health. FWP, such as telecommuting
and flexible time off have been
used for more than 30 years
globally, and yet, there is little
research on the relationship
between FWP and mental health.
Training in workplace mental
health can take many forms:
induction processes, staff
handbook modules, specialist
supervision, intranet hosted or
even lunch and learns. Training
can be internal but there are also
a range of options for bringing in
effective external support to
deliver training to be better at
understanding and responding to
their own and others mental heath
issues. Paying attention to
workplace mental health has never
been more important. Similarly to
any change that happens within
organizations, discussions around
<a href='https://everymindatwork
.com/27-workplace-wellness-ideas/'
>workplace wellbeing ideas</a>
need planning and implementing
properly.<br /><br /><h2>Evidence
-based Mental Health Promotion</h2
>Creating good mental health
wellbeing in the work place can
include encouraging and role-model
mindfulness, taking breaks away
from work, eating away from desks,
stretching. Create quiet spaces
indoors and out. Also, pay
attention to sick leave and annual
leave – if someone’s off sick a
lot, can you help? If someone’s
not taking annual leave, encourage
them to take a break. Once you’ve
identified the main stressors in
the workplace, make it a priority
to address employee mental health
in the workplace. If flexible
hours or telecommuting will help
people juggle work and life, get
on it. If resources are an issue,
staff up, contract out, add budget
or shift gears to put some
projects on hold. Effective
leaders know the value of
committing to their people and
integrating health and safety and
wellbeing into everyday business.
Leaders need to give high priority
to prevention, early intervention
and embracing the health benefits
of work. Senior leaders set the
‘tone at the top’ and tackle the
challenges to a life in work for
those with mental health
conditions. Not defending the
quality bar can be because an
employee is scared of speaking out
. One of the best ways to improve
employee mental wellness is by
helping employees talk openly
about mental health. Identifying
the issue and letting it be an
acceptable topic of conversation –
removing the taboo around
acknowledging work-related stress
- can create progress by itself,
helping employees realize they
aren’t alone. Discussing ideas
such as <a href='https
://everymindatwork.com/how-to
-manage-an-employee-with-anxiety/'
>how to manage an employee with
anxiety</a> is good for the staff
and the organisation as a whole.
<br /><br />Whereas once talking
about mental health was considered
taboo, conversations about mental
wellbeing are now commonplace in
the public and in the media, with
high-profile celebrities and
public figures openly discussing
their mental health experiences.
Encourage employees to regularly
get some headspace (like a short
walk around the block, or it could
be as simple as stepping away from
their desk to make a cuppa). The
workplace can provide a mentally
healthy environment that is
supportive to all the workers. A
wide range of interventions can
promote mental health and prevent
stress and help to develop
resilience amongst employees as
well. Really long-term effects can
be achieved only with
comprehensive health promotion and
prevention strategies, developed
and implemented in a coordinated
effort by those responsible on all
levels. We know that there are
many people who face the
challenges of mental ill health
every day. It is important to
remember there are also carers of
these people who face many of the
same challenges. Being a carer for
someone living with a mental
health issue has been found to be
a long term commitment - more than
six years for over half of
respondents in one study. The
caring role is mostly undertaken
by older women and is one that
affects their overall health and
wellbeing. A nationwide employee
survey found that what people want
the most in the workplace are
trainings and more easily
accessible information about where
to go or who to ask for mental
health support. A more open
culture about mental health at
work is also important to
employees, according to the survey
. An opinion on <a href='https
://everymindatwork.com
/mental_health_employers_duty_of_c
are/'>employers duty of care
mental health</a> is undoubtebly
to be had in every workplace in
the country.<br /><br /><h2>Use
Mediation To Resolve Any Conflict
</h2>Digital mental health
services are growing in number and
complexity. More services and
supports are being delivered and
commissioned online and the global
pandemic has seen digital mental
health services come more to the
fore as both complements to and
alternatives to face to face
support. Regular staff surveys and
other research are useful to build
data about staff mental health,
using findings to plan and deliver
action and inform workplace
policies. Small and medium
organisations account for 99% of
the businesses in the UK. But
research shows that, when it comes
to mental health, they often fall
behind larger organisations. There
does not appear to be any clear
legal requirement on digital
mental health providers in respect
of their approach to risk
escalation and responding to and
managing crisis online. This is a
gap in current legislation and
regulation, and those using
digital services are reliant on
providers to voluntarily put
policies and processes in place.
Employers – especially line
managers – need to take the first
step by sending a signal that
staff mental health is valued and
that people can feel confident
that disclosure will lead to
support, not discrimination.
Subjects such as <a href='https
://everymindatwork.com/'>workplace
wellbeing support</a> can be
tackled by getting the appropriate
support in place.<br /><br
/>Putting workplace support in
place for mental health early to
deal with any issues could prevent
the problem escalating and having
a larger impact on both the
individual and the team. You know
the saying, a problem shared…If
you aren’t coping, tell someone.
Many of us tell others to ask for
help, yet don’t do the same
ourselves. Whether it’s an issue
about workload or there’s
something going on at home, ask
for an adjustment or some
flexibility in hours. All
organisations, whatever their size
, should be equipped with the
awareness and tools to not only
address but prevent mental ill
-health caused or worsened by work
and equipped to support
individuals with a mental health
condition to thrive from
recruitment, and throughout the
organisation. Employees should
also be aware of how to get access
to timely help to reduce sickness
absence caused by mental ill
health. Work-related stress, as
defined by the WHO, is the
response people may have when
presented with demands and
pressures that are not matched to
their abilities, leading to an
inability to cope, especially when
employees feel they have little
support from supervisors and
little control over work processes
. Around 264 million people
globally, suffer from depression
and from anxiety, and 450 million
people experience mental or
neurological disorders. A study in
Korea found that 75 percent of
those who attempted suicide, were
living with more than one mental
illness, and in Australia, the
suicide rate amongst people with a
mental illness is more than seven
times higher than in the rest of
the population. Don't forget to
send out proper internal
communications around <a href
='https://everymindatwork.com/how
-to-manage-employees-with-mental
-health-issues/'>managing
employees with mental health
issues</a> in your organisation
.<br /><br /><h2>Build A Culture
Of Connection Through Check-ins
</h2>Mental well-being is the
ability to cope with the day-to
-day stresses of life, work
productively, interact positively
with others and realise our own
potential. When we talk about well
-being we are referring to mental
well-being. Small businesses have
the right attitude to mental
health but don’t have the
resources to implement
comprehensive strategies - we need
to penetrate them as soon as
possible as the current reach is
very limited, possibly, fewer than
10% of SMEs have a mental health
strategy in their workplace. Many
employers, when faced with the
words ‘mental illness,’ react with
fear and doubt. But it is
important to recognize that people
who have been diagnosed as having
a mental illness can still have
mental wellbeing. How is this
possible? Mental illness and
wellbeing are not mutually
exclusive—someone with a diagnosed
mental illness can still be high
functioning with the right
environmental and lifestyle
conditions. One can uncover more
insights regarding Employee Mental
Health Initiatives on this <a
href='https://www.who.int/teams
/mental-health-and-substance-use
/promotion-prevention/mental
-health-in-the-workplace'>World
Health Organisation </a> entry.<br
/><br /><h2>Related Articles:</h2>
