Mental health can have a significant impact on an employee’s ability to work. Stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions are increasingly affecting workplaces, making it important for employers to understand how they can support their staff.
Supporting mental wellbeing is not only about helping employees feel comfortable at work.
It can also help reduce sickness absence, improve staff wellbeing and allow employees to remain in work.
As an employer, you have a duty of care towards your employees. This means taking reasonable steps to protect their health, safety and wellbeing, including their mental health.
Employers should take mental health as seriously as physical health. This includes considering whether there are risks within the workplace that could affect an employee’s wellbeing and taking reasonable steps to address them.
The Equality Act 2010 also protects employees whose mental health condition may be considered a disability.
A mental health condition may be considered a disability where it has a substantial and long-term effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. The condition must have lasted, or be expected to last, for at least 12 months.
A condition does not have to affect someone constantly to meet this definition. Employers should therefore consider each employee’s circumstances individually rather than making assumptions about their condition.
Creating an environment where employees feel comfortable talking about their mental health is an important first step.
Employees should know who they can speak to if they are struggling and should feel confident that their concerns will be taken seriously.
Where appropriate, employers should also consider whether reasonable adjustments could help an employee continue working.
Reasonable adjustments will depend on the employee and their individual circumstances. They could include:
Even relatively small changes can make a significant difference. Breaking larger tasks into smaller sections or adjusting deadlines may help an employee manage their workload more effectively.
Managing employees’ mental health in the workplace should be paramount to employers. After all, employees who feel their best will work their best.
Implementing robust mental health policies in the workplace will make work a better place for both employers and employees.
We can help you review your policies and procedures, identify areas for improvement and help to create a better environment that better supports mental health.
For support with managing employees’ mental health in the workplace, get in touch with our team today!
