As we approach RU OK day, how should we tackle what is increasingly described as an epidemic?
The average person spends a third of our lives at work so perhaps it’s not surprising that work is where we experience a lot of stress. As RU OK Day approaches, the mental health landscape indicates that for 41% of Australians, work is the main cause of their stress, according to global hiring platform Indeed. And while we have all been miserable at work from time to time, for 22% that feeling is prolonged for five or more consecutive months.
How are workplaces responding? Well, for two in five workers, the verdict on workplace wellbeing is only “average”.
“There are no quick fixes for managing mental health issues in the workplace, but you do have to make sure, at a minimum, that you have a good EAP service in place that is well communicated to staff,” says Chris Lamb who spent over 11 years as Lendlease’s Global Head of Organisational Development and is now Deputy Commissioner at NSW Public Service Commission.
Leadership that can show their own vulnerabilities is one of the most powerful messages to employees that it is safe to divulge their mental health issues at work and that it will be treated with care and in confidence.
“Having leaders with lived experience of mental ill health either personally or in their family – and share those stories with staff – can help enormously to break down the stigma that exists in talking about mental health,” says Lamb.
The reasons for poor mental health will be many and varied and unique to each individual. But whatever the cause, HR has a duty to support an employee experiencing poor mental health by engaging early intervention strategies. If an HR professional has noticed that a colleague or an employee is not travelling well, they are required to act under WHS legislation.
Employees understand this and, increasingly, they expect their employer will take some responsibility for their wellbeing. An expectation that has grown even more so since the pandemic. Qualtrics mental health research for 2022 shows that 34% of employees say that, besides themselves and their family, their employer must share duty of care.
So, how to begin?
It can start with just an “RU OK?” conversation. A chat with the employee to let them know that you have noticed a change and you are there to support them,” says Rachel Clements, Co-Founder and Director of Psychological Services at Centre For Corporate Health and Resilia.
Lamb agrees that visibly acknowledging events such as RU OK Day can demonstrate to employees that mental health is something the organisation takes seriously, even if it’s only in the early stages of implementing a strategy.
From his experience gathering information on employees’ mental wellbeing in big organisations, Lamb recommends having regular engagement or pulse surveys (ideally more than annually) as “it helps you understand what the trends are, and whether you have pockets of your organisation that need particular focus”.
Above all, says Lamb, monitor employees’ workloads and listen to what they’re telling you. “There’s not much credibility in the message if you’re telling people their mental health is the most important thing, and then continually work them to the point where their mental health suffers.”
Once poor mental health in an individual or group has been identified, Clements says a mental health intervention framework will offer a guide to the next steps.
“It gives HR the tools to determine which level of support is required for an employee experiencing poor mental health across the wellbeing continuum – from being well to becoming unwell, being unwell or in crisis. The support required for each of these stages differs and it’s important to have guidance around this from professionals such as the Employee Assistance Program or other specialist provider,” says Clements.
Even without a framework, the principles to best support employees are the same.
- Engage in a RU OK conversation with the employee to find how best to support them.
- Link them in with the EAP service, their GP or both
- If you are concerned about their safety, engage your crisis support through your EAP provider or call 000 if they are in danger. Remember not to leave the person alone while you wait for additional support
- Once you have linked the employee in with support, it is important to continue to check in with them on a regular basis to ensure their recovery remains on track
- If the employee goes off work because of their mental health, even if they do not lodge a workers’ compensation claim for psychological injury, engage a specialist psychological rehabilitation provider that can facilitate their return to recovery.
“While the employee continues to receive the support needed to get back on track, this is an HR opportunity to establish if there have been any work-related psychosocial risks that have contributed to the employees’ depleted wellbeing and put measures in place to mitigate these,” says Clements.
Top-three things employers can do to improve mental health of employees
- Offer a more flexible schedule (whether days or hours)
- Offer annual paid mental health day / week
- Provide on-site resources and make it a value
Courtesy: Qualtrics
