News / mental health
Bristol charity calls for companies to invest more in mental health support
Employers need to invest more in mental health support in the workplace, says a Bristol charity.
One in four people feel their job negatively impacts upon their mental health, and nearly a third say their workload is too much, according to CIPD UK Working Lives Survey, which was published earlier this year.
Milestones Trust says that while positive steps have been made in terms of changing attitudes to mental health, there needs to be an improvement in provision of support by companies.
Milestone Trust’s Beth Hendry says employers need to fulfill their responsibilities in helping employees to be well at work
Beth Hendry, assistant director of operations for mental health at Milestones Trust, said: “World Mental Health Day provides us all with the opportunity to start meaningful conversations about emotional health.
“We are starting to see positive changes in attitudes towards stress and mental health issues in the workplace.
“However, we need to see employers invest more in providing support to employees and raising awareness about mental health, so there is no longer a stigma associated with it.
“Employers need to fulfill their responsibilities in helping employees to be well at work through supportive environments that encourage openness and honesty about mental health.
“Simple, structured conversations about emotional wellbeing with staff as part of appraisals or regular work catch-ups can have a huge impact, helping to reduce the stigma through ‘normal’ conversations. Not only will a positive work life result in happier staff, but they are likely to be more productive too.”
Beth suggests that employers put in place wellness action plans, a simple guide for managers to use to support the mental health of team members, which can be downloaded from the MIND website.
Here are some suggestions for managers having conversations with staff about wellbeing and mental health (source: MIND):
1. What helps you to stay mentally well at work? For example: planning your holidays through the year, having a break, keeping a to-do list, having specific roles or having structure.
2. What can your manager do to support you to stay well at work? Is it regular feedback, validation of strengths and improvements, supervision or clear goal setting for example?
3. Are there situations at work that can trigger poor health or poor mental wellbeing for you?
4. How might stress or poor mental health difficulties impact upon your work? For example, staff may find it hard to make decisions, be unable to prioritise work tasks, or be unable to communicate clearly with others.
5. Are there any early warning signs that we might notice when you start feeling stressed or unwell? This could be changes in your usual behaviour, withdrawing form conversations or poor concentration for example.
Main photo by Jim-Cossey, courtesy of Destination Bristol.
Read more: ‘Support, activities and conversation need to happen all year round’
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
