Checklist for managers
Managing for mental health
Policies and procedures
Does your organisation have a stated objective to promote the mental and physical well-being of employees through awareness raising activity and/or training / staff induction?Is there a person with a clear lead for workplace health?
Does your organisation have a mental health policy?
Is mental health specifically covered in relevant policies e.g. health and safety, flexible working, work-life balance, equal opportunities, diversity?
Are you aware of your duties under the Disability Discrimination Act?
Are you aware of your duties under health and safety legislation?
Are you familiar with your organisation’s policy around sickness absence?
Are there any policies or procedures around planning and monitoring the return to work from sickness?
Do you evaluate the effectiveness of the above policies?
Management practice
Using normal management processes
Do you have regular work-planning and appraisal sessions so that you can spot any mental health conditions in the early stages?Do you specifically check on the well-being of staff in these sessions? E.g. excessive travelling, long hours, pressures at home such as moving house, getting married, having children, bereavements etc?
Do staff know that they can talk to you confidentially if they have a problem?
Do you conduct staff attitude surveys?
Do you conduct exit interviews when people leave?
Is there a system to ensure that the organisation addresses feedback from attitude surveys and exit interviews?
Risk assessment
Do you carry out regular stress risk assessments?Are work teams involved in identifying problems and solutions in their area?
Do you ensure any actions are implemented following risk assessments?
Do you ever seek expert professional guidance in conducting risk assessments?
Monitoring
Do you monitor other factors that might indicate high levels of stress / mental health conditions e.g. levels of complaints from customers or staff, accidents, levels of harassment or bullying?Do you monitor sickness absence and is there any analysis of this data?
Do you monitor positive outcomes of workplace interventions?
Do you monitor and evaluate interventions implemented following risk assessments regularly?
Sickness absence/return to work
Do you have clear procedures about contact with staff when they are off sick? Are the relevant unions / staff representatives involved?Do you have provision for people to come in informally when they are off sick and is this carried out in a sensitive way?
Do you have return to work interviews after any kind of sickness absence?
Do you plan the return to work with the employee and involve any other relevant professionals e.g. occupational health, GP, HR, workplace counsellor, union?
Does the line manager take responsibility for co-ordinating the return plan and / or is there a system for ensuring that it is co-ordinated?
Do you discuss with the employee how any adjustments / absence will be communicated to peers or clients?
Managing people with an ongoing problem
Are you aware of staff or colleagues who have had a mental health condition?Has any attempt been made to learn from their experience – good or bad?
Where you have employees with an ongoing mental health problem are you aware of their coping strategies and their wishes about how you can help in the event of a relapse?
Are you aware of local schemes that offer support to employers in recruiting and supporting employees with known mental health conditions?
Knowledge of mental health
Could you list the early signs of stress / mental health conditions?Have you or other managers received any training in: mental health awareness and "people skills" such as listening, open questions, offering support?
Do you provide guidance, support or training to managers on return to work for mental health issues?
Has your organisation undertaken any programmes to raise awareness / tackle stigma around mental health?
Support for employees
Do you provide support to employees? E.g. in house counselling / welfare service, occupational health advice, Employee Assistance Programmes.Do you make staff aware of this support?
Do you have information available to give to staff about other local sources of information / support? E.g. Citizens Advice Bureau, local mental health organisations, external counselling provision.
