With so many factors potentially impacting employee mental health it can be difficult to know everything you should cover to make your workplace a mentally positive one. A structured, strategic approach is best and our step-by-step guide will show you the way.
One in five Australians are likely to experience a mental health condition and research has shown that symptoms of anxiety and depression are more prevalent among small business owners and employees.
With Australian workers putting in an average of 34.6 hours per week, and anywhere from 50 to 75 for start up founders and SMB owners, it’s easy to see how our workplace can influence our mental health wellbeing. Whether it’s the demands of the job or psychological bullying, numerous job stressors have been linked to mental health issues, and no workplace is immune.
To meet Work Health & Safety and other legal obligations, employers must take steps to protect the mental health and wellbeing of their staff. And as more organisations recognise the value of creating a culture of health promotion, many are looking to introduce structured programs aimed specifically at enhancing mental wellbeing. Not only is this the ethically responsible thing to do, but an effective workplace mental health strategy also has the potential to reduce stigma, boost employee engagement, improve productivity and increase customer satisfaction.
But, with so many factors potentially impacting employee mental health, how do you know where to start?
The integrated approach
One approach to creating a positive mental health workplace endorsed by beyondblue is the ‘integrated approach‘ – a framework of actions that focuses on the areas of protection, promotion and support.
These three cornerstones may help you develop and refine a mental health program suited to your business. Here are the key steps involved:
1. Get leadership buy-in
Securing support from business owners and leaders is crucial to getting your strategy off the ground – you’ll need their active, visible commitment to ensure take up across the business. When pitching your arguments for addressing workplace mental health, consider which aspects they’ll respond to the most, be it ethical, financial, staff morale etc. It will also help to link this ‘sell’ to existing business objectives and KPIs, and weave in real life examples to build a more persuasive case.
2. Promote broad participation
You’ll need to establish a project management team to drive strategy development and it’s important to have representation from across all levels of the business so you get the full range of perspectives. In terms of other staff, think about ways to encourage participation across the board, such as regular opportunities for feedback and open access to information; and identify champions who can help to generate and maintain momentum. Creating a mentally positive workplace is a shared responsibility and everyone has a role to play.
3. Identify issues
The next step is to identify the job stressors specific to your business, what’s being done to mitigate risks and where you need to improve. To build a picture of how you’re currently faring, analyse internal data such as absenteeism rates, work-related stress claims and exit interview feedback and check how this compares to similar organisations, or industry research on mental health. You can cross-check any existing measures against the three areas of the integrated approach to see where you need to focus your attention.
4. Prioritise and set goals
You can now start to narrow down the issues you’ve highlighted, focusing primarily on high-impact, high-risk areas. Rank these in order of priority and ensure you get input from stakeholders who can help you develop a manageable short list of say five core goals; common ones include improving mental health literacy, tackling risks, promoting the positive and combating stigma. It’s a good idea to refer to goal-setting criteria to make sure yours are realistic and measurable, and agree on a baseline so you can measure impact later on.
5. Develop an action plan
Next, determine the specific actions you need to take to achieve each goal. Measures around mitigating risks, for instance, would include giving due consideration to staff who may be more exposed to job stress or a mental health disorder; and training managers to build on employee strengths and support their growth is one way to help promote the positive aspects of work. If you’re working with limited resources you can start small and work up from there. For instance, promoting events such as R U OK? Day will help to improve understanding and combat stigma by inviting a dialogue around mental health conditions.
6. Monitor progress
As you roll out your action plan it’s vital to check in regularly and evaluate its impact. Speak with staff to find out what’s working, what’s not and why, so you can tweak your program as required. It’s also vital to review your data and compare your findings against your baseline. A good rule of thumb is to do this monthly and conduct a thorough evaluation every 12 to 18 months. A mental wellbeing strategy is not a set and forget, there’s always room for improvements.
As with any organisational change, open and transparent communication with staff throughout the development and implementation of your strategy is instrumental to success. Make sure all employees understand why it’s important to address mental health at work and that they’re made aware of the goals of the program and why certain actions have been identified. Seeking feedback every step of the way will also help to reinforce the idea that everyone plays a part in ensuring the mental wellbeing of others.
For small businesses in particular, designing and maintaining a mental wellbeing program can feel like a drain on resources. It’s worth knowing then that every dollar spent on effective interventions can generate an ROI of $2.30 from reduced absenteeism and other factors. But of course there are many other potential benefits, and when staff are feeling their best they’re able to work at their best, making it all well worth the effort.
*The purpose of this article is to provide general information only. For specific advice on mental health, always seek out professional advice.
This article was first published on the Optus Yes Business hub in Oct, 2018.
