Promoting well-being
As a manager, your first step to improving the mental health of people at work is to discuss it with employees so they become more aware of the issues that might have an impact on their well-being.
Sometimes people do not know that making healthy choices, like eating a balanced diet, taking exercise and having a work-life balance, can protect their mental health in the same way that it does their physical health.
When an employee does develop a mental health condition, they may not recognise some of the early symptoms or they may be anxious about seeking help.
As a manager, you are not expected to have specialist knowledge of mental health conditions but you are well placed to help all of your team by providing information on how they can look after their mental well-being and where to access services and support.
By presenting the issue in terms of well-being rather than mental ill–health you are also much more likely to overcome barriers around stigma and to achieve buy-in from staff. If employees are more aware of what well-being means they will be better able to help themselves and more sensitive to the needs of others.
If you recognise the problems of colleagues at an early stage you can help them more effectively and give appropriate support. Good general line management skills will often be enough to help support and maintain the well-being of your team. Your investment in promoting the mental and physical well-being of your staff will be repaid many times over in terms of productivity and morale.
Tips for supporting the well-being of your team
Promoting practice that supports people’s well-being will help to create a more positive working environment.Aim to;
- develop a work culture where everyone is treated with
respect and dignity and issues such as bullying and
harassment are not tolerated
- develop a culture where open and honest communication
is encouraged and support and mutual respect are the
norm. Encouraging an ethos where staff know that it is OK
to talk about mental health and that it is safe to
disclose their own mental health conditions will help
reduce the stigma that surrounds it. It will also allow
staff to tell you if they need any adaptations to working
practice that will support them in doing their job
- give employees control over their work. Lack of
control is known to increase stress
- ensure that the employee has the right level of
skills for the job
- make sure that staff have a manageable workload
- operate flexible working hours so that employees can
balance the demands of home life with work, and
- check the work environment and eliminate stressors such as flickering lights
Five steps to improving your mental well-being
Based on an extensive review of the evidence, five simple steps were identified in the Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project about how people can improve their mental well-being.As a manager you can help by making staff more aware of these steps and the other healthy choices that they could be taking advantage of.
Connect...
1. With the people around you. With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. At home, work, school or in your local community. Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in them. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day.
Be active...
2. Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy and that suits your level of mobility and fitness.
Take notice...
3. Be curious. Catch sight of beautiful things. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.
Keep learning...
4. Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun.
Give...
5. Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Look out, as well as in. Seeing yourself, and your happiness, as linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you.
For more information go to: www.foresight.gov.uk
There are a number of resources available that can be delivered in-house to help support you in the task of raising mental health awareness and supporting staff.
A holistic approach to well-being at work
The chart below presents some ideas for a holistic approach to well-being. It is based around an employee’s journey within an organisation and how their experience can be positively shaped by their line manager and at an organisational level from initial recruitment, through a mental health condition and back into work.The chart recognises that each employee’s journey will be different and the support provided will operate at different levels and in multiple ways. At the corporate level, for example, it is good for an organisation to have policies , structures and appropriate processes in place to cope with an employee’s physical and/or mental well-being as and when problems arise.
It is equally important however that managers watch what is happening at work on a day-to- day basis – especially the interaction between the employee and their immediate manager and colleagues or team.
Most of the ideas presented here are just good management practice. The way forward is to bring mental well-being within the boundaries of normal working life, rather than focusing on it as out of the ordinary and thereby something ‘different’ and therefore potentially stigmatised.
Chart: An holistic approach to managing an individual
We gratefully acknowledge the work of Heron and Teasdale which has informed this diagram.
A higher quality version of this diagram can be found in the PDF version of the Line Managers' Resource.
Find further evidence based person- and work- orientated interventions that improve the health and well-being of staff.
NICE is also developing further guidance for employers on promoting mental wellbeing through productive and healthy working conditions: www.nice.org.uk/guidance
See also our checklist for managers. The answers to the questions can be used to gauge what next steps you and your organisation need to take to improve the mental well-being of your workforce.
Next page: Identifying the early warning signs and talking at an early stage
