Another question I’ve been asked a few times while giving my mental health talk is “what can I do to support my team?” I was pleasantly surprised by this, and its encouraging that so many managers are thinking about it.
So, what can you do to look after the mental health of your team?
Supporting your team
We’ve tried to pull together some tips and advice on our resources page. But in this blog post, I want to focus on some key things that have come up during various conversations at events over the last few months.
Listen
The most important thing that you can do as a manager is to listen to your team. Give people the opportunity to raise concerns and respond to those concerns appropriately. It’s always easier to address issues early on, and failing to do so can lead to much more serious problems in the long run.
Now, I fully acknowledge that it won’t always be possible to push back deadlines or divert additional resources to support someone who is struggling. However, it is important to listen, take their concerns seriously and to do what you can to help, even if there doesn’t seem to be much that you can do. Even if there isn’t much you can do, there may be resources or support available through your institution that you can refer them to (I will discuss this later in this post).
I know first hand, the worst thing you can do is to make that person feel like you are not taking their concerns seriously. This may lead to them feeling isolated and unsupported, which will only make things worse.
Consider appointing a Mental Health First Aider
Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA), like regular first aiders, are trained to provide emergency support to people who are experiencing a mental health crisis. They can help to identify warning signs and are trained to approach and listen to people who are struggling and to signpost them to appropriate support services.
- MHFA training costs £325 per person (excluding VAT) and consists of a two-day course, which can be run in-person or online.
That’s not a lot, especially compared to the cost of someone having to take time off because they have burned out or experienced a serious mental health crisis. I estimated that the total cost of my six week absence (which was mandated by Occupational Health) after experiencing an anxiety attack would cost my institution as much as £12,000. Whereas the MHFA training (even including the two days that person would have to take off to complete it) is £1,200. If having an MHFA on your team can prevent even a single a prolonged absence, that is a definite investment in your team, one which will pay off not just in terms of happiness and productivity, but also in cold hard cash!
And don’t just take my word for it, according to MHFA England, absence due to poor mental health was responsible for 72 million lost working days in 2019 [1], costing as much as £57 billion [2].
Our recommendation is that all leaders and line managers go through this training, but even having a single MHFA on your team can make a big difference.
Training and resources
There may be training courses on mental health available from your institution. This can help you to understand what warning signs to look out for and how to refer people to the appropriate support services. For example, our mandatory training at Newcastle University includes a module on Mental Health and Wellbeing Awareness, and another from the Zero Suicide Alliance.
Other institutional resources may include:
- The Occupational Health service, who can help make accommodations for people who are struggling. Note: you or a member of the HR team may need to refer your staff to Occupational Health.
- There may also be an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), or similar, which staff can self-refer themselves to and get confidential support, including free counselling or therapy sessions.
We encourage you to take some time to learn what those resources are and how employees can access them. Consider including this information in guidance for line managers and other members of your team.
Final thoughts
As managers, we have a responsibility to look after the mental health of our teams. It won’t always be possible to move heaven and earth to support someone, but by creating opportunities for frank and honest conversations, being sure to listen and take their concerns seriously, and being aware of what support is available, you can help to create a better workplace culture, and make sure that everyone feels supported and valued.
- Remember to check out the resources page for more tips and advice on how to support your team. We will be adding more to these pages over time.
- Also check out our blog, where we hope to have a range of tips and conversations about what managers can do to support better mental health in the workplace.
Thanks for reading.
Take care of yourselves.
