Burnout can make people feel exhausted or unmotivated. Stress is not a medical diagnosis, but severe stress that continues for a long time may lead to a diagnosis of depression or anxiety, https://3cisd.com/how-motivational-interviewing-supports-behavior-change/ or other mental health problems. These make up the majority of the problems that lead to one in four people experiencing a mental health problem in any given year.
This work was supported by funding from the Mental Health at Work Index Founding Corporate Council composed of AXA, Aon, Bank of America, Business Group on Health, HCA Healthcare, Jardine Matheson, MINDSET Care Limited (Singapore) and MINDSET Limited (Hong Kong), LifeWorks, Prudential, and URAC. There would be great value in the development of additional studies focused on comprehensive, real-world programs. Based on the framework described above, a Mental Health at Work Index self-assessment was developed that spans the 3 Ps and 10 categories of practices. When organizations take a holistic approach to well-being, they are likely to achieve better health outcomes overall. Mature efforts ensure equitable access to a broad network of providers, timely appointments, affordable services with no unreasonable limits, and culturally appropriate care that is coordinated and integrated across service providers for a seamless experience. Milot (100) found that EAP users had significantly reduced psychological distress and work presenteeism, as well as increased work engagement and life satisfaction, when compared to non-EAP users.
- Efforts to promote work–life harmony can increase job satisfaction and productivity, strengthen commitment to the organization, and reduce absenteeism and turnover (117–119).
- If a worker’s mental health problem is a disability, or could reasonably be believed to be a disability, you must make reasonable adjustments.
- Conciliation service, providing briefings, training and support on conflict at work, discrimination and dispute./
- ’ during a conversation about someone’s mental health.
- A diet that is good for your physical health is also good for your mental health.
You are here: Mental Health – How to Address and Support
Broader manager training can also help supervisors foster better relationships with workers, identify and address psychosocial stressors, and design healthy work environments that are conducive to mental health and psychological well-being. One of the strongest recommendations in the WHO guidelines (6) is to train managers to support worker mental health in order to improve supervisors’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors and to encourage workers to seek help when needed. Work design, interpersonal interactions, and the work environment itself can expose workers to psychosocial hazards that pose risks to their mental health (76) and create liabilities for the organization in terms of absenteeism, turnover, hiring and training costs, lawsuits and complaints, and reputational damage (20). Research suggests that supervisor support encourages participation in workplace wellness programs (70) and managers can engage their direct reports in a variety of ways. Two key involvement practices are establishing a cross-functional team that has direct input into the organization’s workforce mental health efforts and developing a network of champions who serve as local ambassadors in their respective business units. Decades of research links high-involvement management practices to worker well-being and organizational performance (61–65).
Doing so has been linked to reducing psychosocial risks and improving worker mental health (66) and has the added benefit of helping an organization put initiatives in place that are tailored to meet the unique needs of its workforce and, therefore, more likely to be successful (67). Similar to what has become common practice in corporate ethics, some organizations are expanding their influence, holding third parties accountable for abiding by the same standards and considering mental health practices when selecting vendors, suppliers, and partners. Concrete actions to promote a positive social climate play a significant role in supporting workforce mental health. An organization’s commitment to mental health can be reinforced by leader communications, articulated in materials like values statements and annual reports, and reflected in actions throughout the organization, such as how people treat each other and the mental health impact of decision-making processes.
Mental Health Response Programs Build Supportive Workplaces
Training related to mental health has gained in popularity in recent years and is often a core element of employers’ workforce mental health efforts. Practices in the Communication category include having a formal communication plan for workforce mental health efforts that is aligned with an overarching mental health strategy, implemented consistently, and updated regularly based on changing risks and needs. Additionally, effective workforce mental health communications can help reduce stigma and improve employee help seeking (92). Mature workforce mental health efforts have processes for proactively identifying psychosocial hazards and managing risks, policies and practices that promote psychological well-being, and work design that bolsters mental health. Examples include workforce surveys, all-hands meetings, one-on-one or small group interactions with managers and leadership, physical and virtual suggestion boxes, and anonymous whistleblower hotlines.
A requirement to work set hours, for example, or the practice of only having occasional supervision might cause a substantial disadvantage for someone with certain mental health problems. In relation to mental health, more often the obstacles are less tangible and relate to negotiating the social, rather than the physical, world of work. By allowing the person to take ownership of the process and of the Wellness Action Plan itself they’ll be empowered to feel more in control.