4 practical ways to support employee mental health and why it matters

Mental Health Awareness Week is taking place from 15 May to 21 May 2023. With the aim of helping increase awareness and understanding of a widespread issue, this year’s theme is “anxiety”.

In the UK, anxiety is among the most common mental health disorders; according to Mental Health UK, more than 8 million people in the UK are experiencing an anxiety disorder at any one time.

In 2022, the Health and Safety Executive estimated that 822,000 workers are affected by work-related stress, depression, or anxiety every year, leading to 17 million working days lost in 2021/22 due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety.

The rising level of anxiety, along with other mental health problems, can pose a huge issue for employers – potentially harming both your employee’s health and your company’s productivity.

At Aspira, we have prioritised creating an open and supportive work environment for our employees and have seen first-hand the positive impact this approach can have.

By fostering a culture where individuals feel comfortable discussing their feelings and concerns, and providing benefits that give almost instant access to mental health professionals, we have seen increases in employee engagement, reduced sick leave and turnover. We believe that by supporting each other, we can perform at our best and achieve great success as a team.

Here are four practical ways you too can help support your employees’ mental health and protect business productivity.

1. Practice intentional connection with regular check-ins

Some issues associated with poor mental health at work occur due to undetected problems going left unchecked. In the worst case, relatively small issues can spiral into a crisis. Yet good communication and strong people management skills can help to prevent stress and poor mental health among employees.

With hybrid working now the norm, and many people still working from home, it’s crucial that managers intentionally check in with each of their direct reports on a regular basis.

Encourage managers to go beyond a simple “How are you?” and ask specific questions about what support would be helpful. It's important to wait for the full answer, really listen, and encourage people to air their questions and concerns.

2. Offer flexible working

A good work-life balance is crucial, but it can be hard to achieve, especially with our modern dependence on smartphones. Because we’re all glued to our devices, many employees end up feeling the need to be constantly available and put in more hours than they should.

Making sure that your employees know when to stop can help prevent the line between work and home becoming blurred.

While a single response takes only a moment, lots of small moments can mount up all too easily. So, encourage your team to give quality time to themselves, their family, and friends by establishing a policy that your employees shouldn’t answer emails or reply to internal messages out of hours.

Another way to promote a healthy work-life balance is to offer flexible working hours, and ensure you are providing adequate time off for annual leave, sick leave, and parental leave.

3. Be open to discussing workplace adjustments

Having to work set hours or only having occasional supervision might cause a substantial disadvantage for individuals with certain mental health problems.

Effective adjustments can be simple and low-cost. Often, adjustments involve simple changes such as flexible working hours, as discussed above, or increasing one-to-one supervision.

Make sure managers have supportive conversations with affected employees about how their mental health condition affects their work and what adjustments might help.

Typical workplace adjustments could include:

• Adjustments to working hours or shift patterns
• Adjusting responsibilities if some cause too much pressure
• Providing a mentor
• Temporary part-time hours
• Working from home
• Job sharing
• Minimising noise or providing a quiet working space
• Increasing supervision and support.

4. Encourage people to talk about their mental health and seek support

It’s important to establish an open dialogue with employees when discussing their mental health.

Do remember, though, that everyone’s experience of poor mental health is different. As a result, you may need to be flexible in how you deal with each situation, and resolutions you suggest will depend on the individual concerned.

If you have an employee assistance programme, part of that may include counselling services. Alternatively, you may also offer a range of additional support services that may help your people look after their mental health and wellbeing.

It’s a good idea to think about how accessible these benefits are to remote workers.

Finally, make sure all employees are aware of available resources and encourage them to take full advantage of them.

Why it matters

As mentioned above, more than 17 million days of work were lost due to work-related stress last year.

A happy and healthy workforce is key to reducing staff absenteeism and staff turnover, while increasing productivity. Aspira’s healthcare and wellbeing solutions help you to deliver on your commitment to staff and ensure your team remain engaged and motivated.

Get in touch

To find out more about the wide range of healthcare and wellbeing strategies we offer, please get in touch. Email info@lebc-aspira.com or call us on 01454 632 495.

Please note

The information contained in this article is based on the opinion of Aspira and does not constitute financial advice or a recommendation to any investment or retirement strategy.

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