05/09/2018

Changing the landscape of workplace mental health

Jaan Madan

Workplace Lead at Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England

Four in four of us have mental health, and four in four of us now have everything we need at our fingertips.

Workplace mental health is something that is part of nearly all of our lives. Over 32 million people are in work in the UK and, as a friend reminded me recently, four in four of us have mental health.

We also spend a significant proportion of our time in the workplace – one third of our adults lives to be precise. For many of us, it’s here that many of the pressures and stresses that most significantly affect our mental health will be experienced. Indeed, research shows that nearly two thirds of us have experienced a mental health issue where work is a contributing factor.

As employers we therefore have a key responsibility for supporting our team’s mental health. This means creating a space where people can thrive; it means creating supportive and engaging working environments, which in turn ensures our organisations are positive and productive places to work. Changing our work culture to achieve this can seem like a daunting process, but with clear guidance and opportunities to learn what works from our peers, it’s a journey all employers can succeed in.

And we are getting there. There’s still a long way to go, but thanks to two decades of intense campaigning, mental health awareness is stronger than ever. This increased focus means that more resources and mental health training is available to UK employers today than at any time in history. This is really positive but it’s fair to say that navigating this landscape isn’t always straightforward.

The launch of the Heads Together Mental Health at Work gateway represents a huge step forward.

The launch of the Heads Together Mental Health at Work gateway represents a huge step forward. This new portal will give employers at all stages of their mental health journey access to a comprehensive set of resources and information covering everything from awareness raising, to self-help, to training needs.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England is proud to be supporting Heads Together as one of the 11 programme partners for this site. As part of this collaboration, we have worked closely together to incorporate our range of workplace resources into this new gateway. This includes not only information on mental health training​Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England one day workplace training Web page Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England offers a variety of training for employers across the UK. This one day workplace course will qualify you as a Mental Health First Aid Champion.Paid forRequires pre-booking By: Mental Health First Aid England View resource, but also practical awareness raising resources like our Take 10 Together​Take 10 Together: Starting the conversation PDF Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England is calling on everyone to ‘Take 10 Together’ and take ten minutes to start a conversation about mental health. Free By: Mental Health First Aid England View resource and Address Your Stress toolkits, as well as strategic guides like our Workplace Wellbeing toolkit​Workplace Wellbeing Toolkit: a strategic guide to creating a mentally healthy organisation PDF Sensitise, skills and sustainability. This toolkit explains these three key steps to creating a mentally healthy workplace. Free By: Mental Health First Aid England View resource and our Line Manager’s resource​Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England Line Managers’ Resource PDF This resource is regarded as highly valuable by line managers across private, public and third-sector organisations to help them create healthier workplaces.Free By: Mental Health First Aid England View resource.

The Mental Health at Work gateway means improving support for employees will be that bit easier for managers and senior leaders. As many begin this journey and others advance, collaboration, sharing knowledge and promoting good ideas will be key as the workplace wellbeing agenda progresses. This new co-created resource is a shining example of this.

In 2017, three out of four managers surveyed said they believe there are barriers to supporting their staff. From 2018, thanks to this new resource, accessibility certainly won’t be one of them. Four in four of us have mental health, and four in four of us now have everything we need at our fingertips.

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Whether you work with 10 people, 10,000 people or just yourself, paying attention to mental health in the workplace has never been more important.

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