With Mental Health Awareness Week running from 15 – 21 May, it seems appropriate to reflect on the topic of mental health in the workplace, which has been high on many employers' agenda, especially since the pandemic.

The statistics are quite startling, 1 in 4 of us are affected by a mental health problem. The theme of this year's Awareness Week is anxiety.

Anxiety disorders affect over 8 million people in the UK – that's a little over 1 in 10 of us – and there are lots of different types of them. Common types include obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), phobias and social anxiety.

When we talk about anxiety, we might dismiss or invalidate it as someone "just worrying" or "just being stressed". These common phrases can not only be harmful, but they also fail to recognise that whilst anxiety and other mental health issues aren't necessarily caused or rooted in matters arising at work, they do have an impact on work and the individual's performance in their job.

Everyone's experiences of anxiety disorders are different, they can have both physical and mental symptoms and not everyone who has an anxiety disorder will experience the same symptoms. It can make it difficult to carry out ordinary daily tasks and can also lead to further mental health problems such as depression.

Mental symptoms can include uncontrollable over-thinking, trouble concentrating, feelings of dread, panic or ‘impending doom', feeling irritable and trouble sleeping. Physical symptoms can include sweating, heavy and fast breathing, racing heartbeat, hair loss, extreme tiredness or lack of energy and stomach aches, nausea and sickness.

It stands to reason that anyone presenting these types of symptoms (regardless of their root cause) is unlikely to bring the best version of themselves to work and be able to consistently perform at their best!

So, what can employers do?

Educate, raise awareness and create an environment where it's ok to have open and honest conversations.

Some employers have wellbeing discussions as part of their process of regular 1-1's. So, in addition to talking about performance, objectives and development, they also talk about "you" (i.e. the employee). Simple, non-judgmental questions such as "how are you" or "how are you feeling about your current workload" could help to open a deeper conversation.

For some, a Wellbeing Action Plan can be an excellent tool to focus on an employee's wellbeing:

A Wellbeing Action Plan might include:

• What helps them to stay healthy? What can they do to help themselves?

• What can you (as their manager) do to proactively support them to stay healthy at work e.g. provide regular feedback, have regular catchups, offer flexible working?

• Are there any situations that can trigger poor health e.g. conflict, change, tight deadlines, things not going right, working too many hours, not taking regular annual leave?

• Are there any early warning signs you might notice if they are starting to experience poor health e.g. physical health symptoms, fatigue, increased irritability?

• What support could be put in place to minimise the triggers or help manage the impact e.g. extra catch-up time, guidance on prioritising workload, flexible working, scheduling regular annual leave, reviewing working patterns?

• Is there anything else you should be aware of e.g. preference for more or less face-to-face time, fluctuating energy levels at different times of the days, things happening outside of work?

• If you notice early warning signs, what should you do? Talk to them discretely about it, or contact someone else they have nominated?

• Agree when would be a good time to review this and talk again?

Some employers will invest in workshops to raise the awareness and profile of mental health in the workplace and others in training some employees as Mental Health First Aiders.

Encourage Professional Support

Encourage employees to make an appointment with their GP to seek a professional diagnosis. If there is a clinical diagnosis of their condition, it is particularly important to understand if the condition is classed as a disability under the Equality Act 2010. Depending on the circumstances, an occupational health referral might be helpful too.

Don't Fall Back on Supporting Them

Support them in undergoing relevant treatment, maybe through allowing time-off or providing flexible working. It will also help to be flexible if appointments are during working hours.

Of course, prevention is always better than cure so thinking as an employer what you will do to maintain your employees' wellbeing is critical. Some will call this their Wellbeing Strategy, but whatever title you put on it, thinking about the conditions you will put in place to help your workforce perform to the best of their ability is common sense.

To discuss how you can support your employees' wellbeing please contact Adam:

adam@petaurumhr.co.uk | petaurumsolutions.co.uk | 01522 719438