Mental health awareness
This week has been mental health awareness week which is in place to help reduce stigmas around mental health issues and promote open conversations. Every week, according to statistics, 1 in 6 adults experience a common mental health problem. There is a strong likelihood an employee or colleague of yours may be dealing with a mental health problem too.
Conversations about mental wellbeing at work may be difficult but are necessary. Work environments and culture can impact wellbeing and contribute to poor mental health. To help build a more supportive environment around mental health in your workplace:
- Promote wellbeing in your team, such as encouraging a healthy work/life balance. Ensure employees are taking breaks and are working reasonable hours. Ask senior colleagues to support this initiative, as they can help make wellbeing a priority across the organisation.
- Involve employees in decision-making so they can raise any issues that might affect them.
- Create open communication by letting employees know they can talk to you. Let them talk, and try not to assume how they are feeling, instead ask open-ended questions.
- Invest in employee skills and development. Learning opportunities can help employees feel valued within the organisation and engaged in their work. Mental health training programmes can also be a great tool to help prevent ill-health, as employees can learn ways to manage their wellbeing and notice signs of when they may need additional support.
Having good mental health doesn’t mean you can’t have ‘bad days’, rather the ability to manage your emotions and behaviours healthily and appropriately when problems arise.
Neoskill provides bespoke training solutions that can help support employee wellbeing in your workplace. Our stress management training, for example, offers learners techniques to manage their stress and recognise causes of stress in their lives. For more information or to discuss your specific training requirements, please contact us.
