Right now, 1 in 6 workers is dealing with a mental health problem such as anxiety, depression or stress which can stop people performing to the best of their abilities.
Mental Health can be a tricky subject with factors both in the office and outside affecting it. Organisation work better when staff are motivated, healthy and focused.

As an employer, you have a responsibility to ensure both the physical and mental wellbeing of your staff. All too often, employees are scared to tell their manager about a mental health problem and so the problem can escalate further and further. A recent survey has shown that 1 in 5 people felt they couldn’t tell their boss about being overly stressed at work and less than half of people diagnosed with a mental health problem had told their manager.

So how do you create a welcoming atmosphere for people to come forward? Organisations need to send a clear signal to staff that their mental health matters and being open about it will lead to support, not discrimination. A simple way to communicate this is to explain that mental health will be treated in the same way as physical health.

How to spot a member experiencing a mental health problem

Mental health issues can manifest themselves in many ways but here are a few key things to look for:
• changes in people’s behaviour or mood or how they interact with colleagues
• changes in their work output, motivation levels and focus
• struggling to make decisions, get organised and find solutions to problems
• appearing tired, anxious or withdrawn and losing interest in activities and tasks they
previously enjoyed
• changes in eating habits, appetite and increased smoking and drinking.

How to support someone with a mental health problem

• Be positive – focus on what employees can do, rather than what they can’t.
• Work together and involve people in finding solutions as much as possible.
• Remember people are often the expert when it comes to identifying the support or adjustment they need and how to manage their triggers for poor mental health.