1.   We’ve come a long way with mental health discussions in the workplace

There’s definitely been a shift in recent years -particularly post pandemic – towards a more open discussion around mental health issues in the workplace.

We’ve seen a rise in the number of organisations taking note of the issue and implementing policies and solutions to address struggles employees might be facing. For example, Employee Assistance programmes, wellness initiatives, more resources made available to employees.

Separate to this, the rise in Diversity & Inclusion policies and networks is also having a positive impact on overall mental wellbeing of employees.

It’s certainly not perfect, and there are a lot of companies that have much more work to do, but it’s positive to see that there is an increasingly more open and transparent narrative around the topic.

2. You wouldn’t hide a broken leg, so why would you hide a mental health condition?

If you broke your leg, you wouldn’t hide the fact that you had broken it, including in the workplace.

In fact, quite the contrary. You would most likely explain your situation to your manager or HR department to find ways to help you cope with your injury at work in the best way possible. Likewise, if you had been put on medication to cope with the injury, particularly one that might have an impact on your energy or concentration levels, you would want your employer to be aware.

So why should this be any different to a mental health condition or medication?

Being open and transparent about mental health struggles is a sign of strength. And for those in more senior positions it also sets an excellent example for other employees.

3. Mental health issues look different for everyone

Mental health is an extremely personal experience and can look very different from person to person, and the warning signs can be very subtle.

There’s still a common misconception that if someone isn’t crying or tearing out their hair or displaying other physical symptoms, that they can’t possibly be suffering, but this is not the case. This belief might even mean we miss the warning signs in our own mental wellbeing if we take these assumptions!

What’s more, it can also lead to dangerous assumptions and biases about our colleagues and their own mental health. Never assume, never judge and never tell someone how they should be behaving.

4. Personal life stressors don’t clock off at the office

The source of any mental health struggles or stresses is irrelevant: personal life stress can affect workplace mental wellbeing just as much as workplace stress can affect personal life wellbeing.

Whatever the cause of stress may be, it doesn’t just disappear because we’ve started the working day. It is still there, still valid, and still needs to be managed.

No one should ever be made to feel like their personal life stresses don’t matter in the workplace or that they’re expected to simply leave them at the door.

5. Work-related mental health issues aren’t always the result of a toxic organisation

Of course, a toxic work environment can indeed have an incredibly negative impact on our mental health.

But burnout and mental health struggles that derive from the workplace aren’t always because the environment is toxic. Sometimes it could be down to one line manager who has poor managerial skills, rather than it being an entire organisational issue.

Other times, it could just be that the job is not right for that individual.

There are a whole number of factors that can exacerbate mental health struggles, which is why talking about them is the first step to finding a way forward.

6. Let’s be all for four days… as long as shorter weeks don’t mean longer days

The benefits of a four-day working week seem ideal in theory– one extra day in the week to focus on life admin bits that don’t really deserve a spot on our precious weekend down time. In an ideal world, this should deliver some extra mental health benefits too.

That said, the risk is it will have the adverse effect if people end up trying to squeeze in a five-day working week into four days.

If it’s going to work, then the onus should be on management teams to ensure that employees stick to their actual hours: it’s got to come from the top down.

7. Mental Health First Aider training should be part of regular first aid training

Mental Health First Aider training is a relatively new concept, but one that should be obligatory across every organisation and treated with as high regard as standard first aid training.

If your organisation doesn’t already have one in place, speak to your HR team about getting one implemented within the employee training programmes - see links below!

Check out some helpful mental health in the workplace resources:

Support and toolkits:

• Citizens Advice - for advice on your rights

• ACAS - for advice on your rights

• Mind - for helplines, guides and much more

Toolkits and training for managers:

• The Learning Curve Group

• Mental Health at Work

• Mental Health First Aid Training