Supporting Good Mental Health in the Workplace

Many of us spend a large amount of our time in the workplace throughout our lives. Therefore, it is important that employers are aware of the benefits of encouraging positive mental health in the workplace and placing an emphasis on employee wellbeing. Mental health is something that affects us all, and the majority of people in work will experience a mental health issue during their working life.

There are a number of benefits, for both employer and employee to creating mental health initiatives in the workplace, in order to support employees’ mental health and wellbeing. These include increased productivity, and employee retention amongst other things. The workplace can be a stressful place at times and it is vital that employers are able to recognise possible signs of mental health issues such as stress, anxiety and depression in order to work with employees to create a better workplace.

There are a variety of workplace initiatives that organisations can put in place in order to promote positive mental wellbeing and support those with mental health issues in the workplace. These include initiatives such as: mental health support groups, confidential helplines, counselling and wellbeing sessions to name a few. There is also training available to managers who may want to gain more confidence in dealing with employees’ mental wellbeing and mental health.

Here are just a couple of the organisations that Diversityjobs works with, that are actively working to break the stigma surrounding mental health and support their employees through periods of distress:

Royal Mail

In recent years, Royal Mail has created a strong wellbeing programme in order to help their employees stay healthy, motivated and efficient both inside and outside of the workplace. Royal Mail has a variety of workplace initiatives available to employees such as, an online wellbeing portal, wellness check-ups and advice on issues ranging from physical fitness to quitting smoking.

In addition to employees’ mental wellbeing, Royal Mail also encourages its employees to keep physically fit by offering staff a discounted gym membership at the 38 fitness centres within some of Royal Mails larger sites. These centres are run by trained instructors as part of the ‘Shift into Sports’ scheme. Royal Mail also runs health roadshows that offer employees free health checks and advice.

As part of the Royal Mail wellbeing programme, they have an Employee Assist Service, HELP, that offers counselling, manager coaching, financial and legal advice to staff. They have also partnered with Target Depression in the Workplace, a European programme that aims to improve individuals’ mental health by raising awareness of depression in the workplace. This scheme brings several major European firms together for the first time in order to address and assess depression at work.

It has been found that depression is now the leading cause of disability worldwide, mainly affecting those who are of working age; depression at work can have a negative impact on both employer and employee as depression has been found to cause considerable reduction of productivity. Through the Target Depression in the Workplace initiative, Royal Mail will be working with other leading European employers in order to define and drive best practice and improve the well-being of its’ employees.

Bank of England

Bank of England place a focus on their employees mental, physical and social wellbeing. This is highlighted through their ‘Think well, live well, be well’ initiative that incorporates a range of services, benefits, initiatives and policies in order to ensure that staff are supported in managing all aspects of their mental and physical health and wellbeing.

Think well, is focused on psychological wellbeing, some of the services include guidance for employees on everything from day-to-day matters to more serious issues that they may be facing. The aim of think well is to ensure that employees maintain a positive attitude and sense of purpose, not only in the workplace but also in their personal lives.

Live well, supports employees with their physical wellbeing and encourages them to set and achieve health and fitness goals. Bank of England gives its employees the tools to manage their physical activity in a way that best suits them and their lifestyle. It has been found that poor physical health can lead to an increased risk of developing mental health problems and so improved physical health can have a positive effect on both body and mind.

Be well, provides employees with a wealth of social activities and networks to get involved in, in order to benefit their social wellbeing. Be well gives Bank of England staff the opportunity to get involved with events that are of interest to them and where they can meet new people along the way. It can be a great support for employees to meet with other like-minded individuals in the organisation, in order to create their own informal support networks and allow themselves to explore new activities.

In addition to the various initiatives that they have, Bank of England also understands the importance of a successful work/life balance and aims to ensure that its employees are able to work in a way that suits their needs by offering flexible working where possible. Options for this include variable hours, part-time working and home-working.

Bank of England works to understand how they can best support their employees throughout their career with them and the changing responsibilities that may occur during this time, both at home and at work. For example, employees may need to adjust their working pattern due to becoming a parent or carer.

In addition to the work that Bank of England does surrounding its employee’s health and wellbeing, they also offer an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). This offers confidential and independent advice 24 hours a day for Bank of England employees who may need information or emotional support.

Are you interested in a career with Royal Mail? Please click here.

Are you interested in a career with Bank of England? Please click here.

Diversityjobs work with over one hundred clients who are committed to creating an inclusive work environment, which includes the embracing of those with mental health conditions. If you are an employer and interested in working with diversityjobs to promote your diversity and inclusion initiatives and attract the best candidates, please call 02037405973 or email [email protected] for more information.

We are also officially recommended by Disability Confident as a step on achieving Employer status, please click here for more information.