<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_care/'
>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
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