12 practical (low cost) steps to achieving a mentally healthy workplace that are so easy you can start today!

​We know COVID-19 has impacted mental health. What with quarantine, lock downs, remote work, no work, job insecurity, economic downturn, travel restrictions, grocery shortages, physical distancing, home schooling and the list goes on. More than ever, employers are thinking about what they can do to support the mental health of their employees. Are you one of those employers, but don’t know where to start? I am going to share some straight-forward, practical steps that you can start today.

Before I get into the 12 simple steps, it would be remiss of me not to share the “what” and the “why” before we get to the “how”.

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​The Australian context
45% of Australians between the ages of 16-85 will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime and 1 in 5 Australian employees report that they have taken time off work due to feeling mentally unwell in the past 12 months (The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2007 National Mental Health and Well-Being Survey).

​Key findings from the 2014 TNS report “State of Workplace Mental Health in Australia” indicate that 91% of Australian employees believe mental health in the workplace is important but despite this, only 52% of employees believe their workplace is mentally healthy compared to 76% for physical safety. Only 56% believe their most senior leader values mental health. It goes on to state that mentally unhealthy workplaces have an impact on employee behaviour and that Australian employees have an expectation of mental health support in the workplace.
According to Safe Work Australia, 6% of all serious workers compensation claims are for work-related mental health conditions, 7140 Australians are compensated for work-related mental health conditions per year and 92% of serious work-related mental health conditions are attributed to work-related mental stress.
As an employer you’ll want to look at psychological health from two angles. Not only will you need to ensure that the work environment is free of situations that could cause mental health conditions but you’ll also want to provide a mentally healthy environment that supports all employees (whether the origin of the potential mental health condition is work-related or not). The mental health of an employee has a direct impact on their performance at work. Employees bring their whole selves to work, personal and professional.

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What is a mentally healthy workplace?
A mentally healthy workplace is one in which employees are provided with a safe work environment which does not create or aggravate mental health conditions and is supportive of employees who may experience mental illness. Recognising and promoting mental health is an important facet of any organisation.
​This can be achieved through:

• Identifying any potential psychological safety risks in the workplace and putting strategies in place to minimise or mitigate these
• Nurturing a culture that supports positive mental health through effective workplace practices
• Creating a workplace culture that is free from stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness
• Implementing some, or all, of the 12 steps below

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​What is mental health?
Mental health is defined by the World Health Organisation as a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. 
A mentally healthy workplace starts with a vision of supporting positive mental health and is achieved through creating, implementing, and evaluating practical plans and actions.

​Why is a mentally healthy workplace important?
First and foremost, it is important for your employees’ health and wellbeing. Employers play an important role in maintaining the mental health and wellbeing of their employees.
Secondly, employers have a duty under the Workplace Health and Safety Act to manage risk resulting in physical or psychological harm. Similarly, workers also have obligations under the Act in that they are required to take reasonable care of their own health and not adversely affect others health and safety. Other legal obligations surrounding mental health is to ensure that employees who are experiencing mental illness are not discriminated against, no adverse actions are taken against them as a result of their illness and employers are required to make reasonable adjustments to meet the needs of employees with a mental illness (Federal and State disability discrimination legislation). Another legal obligation is to ensure that personal information about employees’ mental status is not disclosed without their consent (Privacy Act).
Thirdly, organisations will reap great benefits, some of which are listed next.

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What are the benefits of a mentally healthy workplace?
A mentally healthy workplace nurtures happy, healthy employees resulting in:

• Reduced absenteeism and presenteeism
• Increased productivity
• Higher levels of customer service
• Stronger team relationships and collaboration
• Decreased occupational diseases and injuries
• Decreased workers compensation claims
• Increased job satisfaction, engagement, and retention
• Decreased employee turnover
• Increased attraction of new talent
• A healthy return on investment - $2.30 for every $1 invested

The 12 steps
Creating a mentally healthy workplace requires an integrated approach – a combination of workplace practices. Below is a list of 12 practices that you can put in place. They are listed in no particular order, except for number 1 and 12, because it starts and ends with you.

1. Educate yourself and others
2. Policies that support a mentally healthy workplace culture
3. Good job design
4. Communication
5. Change management
6. Strong leadership
7. Celebrate events
8. Team socials
9. Support remote workers
10. EAP or equivalent
11. Performance feedback
12. Look after yourself

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1. Educate yourself and others
​The best place to start is with yourself. Educate yourself on the “what”, “why” and “how”. There are many free webinars, guides, video clips and online learning from websites such as Heads Up, Beyond Blue and the relevant State workplace health and safety departments.

3. Good job design
Job satisfaction has a positive effect on mental health. Employees thrive in jobs that are meaningful and well thought out. Writing up job or position descriptions can help with this process. Employees want to know what is expected of them in their role (role clarity) and they want to know, how what they do in their job, helps contribute to the achievement of the team and organisation goals. Plan workloads to ensure that employees are not over or under worked. Being bored in your job can be as stressful as being overloaded with too much work.

4. Communication
Every organisation I have every worked in has had challenges around communication. Take time out to talk to your employees and let them know what is going on in the team and organisation. How is business, what are our customers saying, share success stories, talk about what is coming up. Depending on your style you can take a structured, planned approach or a more informal approach. The approach is less important than the act. Communicate in-person, over the phone, via video calls, emails, newsletters, etc.

5. Change Management
This can be simple or sophisticated depending on the needs and size of your organisation. Change management helps people go on the journey, buy in to what you are doing, resist less and feel in control of the change rather than experiencing the change as something that is “happening” to them. The basic premise of managing change is to communicate the what, why, how, ask for input, incorporate the input, include people early on and keep them in the loop along the way. 

6. Strong leadership

By demonstrating strong leadership you will be supporting and driving a mentally healthy culture. Leading by example will encourage others to do the same which will go a long way in reducing the stigma associated with mental illness.

Strong leadership means…

• Educating yourself
• Being approachable
• Communicating and connecting with your staff and encouraging them to do the same (on site and remote workers)
• Identifying and actioning what needs to be done to create a mentally healthy workplace
• Supporting employees that are experiencing mental illness
• Openly supporting a healthy mental and physical lifestyle
• Reducing the stress factors at work
• Encouraging and role modelling work life balance
• Accommodating and promoting workplace flexibility, where feasible
• Encouraging people to take leave
• Showing an interest in your employee’s personal lives
• Treating all employees equally
• Being consistent and fair
• Providing feedback
• Celebrating diversity
• Encouraging inclusion
• And the list goes on…. pick a few to start with

7. Celebrate events
Celebrating national events openly demonstrates that mental health and wellbeing is important to you and your organisation. For me, this is one of the simplest ones to implement. Pick a few at the beginning of the year, diarise them and implement during the year.

Some popular events include:

• RUOK day
• Mental health week
• Safe Work month
• Harmony Day

The execution of these events can be simple (e.g. awareness via email communication and posters) or more complex (e.g. workplace event). Get people involved by delegating the planning and implementation to members/teams within your organisation.

8. Team socials
Although a little harder within a COVID-19 environment, team socials are always a great way to build relationships and de-stress with your work mates. (P.S. bear in mind that these are not everyone’s cup of tea so keep them optional).

9. Support remote workers
More than ever there is a need to keep remote workers connected and supported. There is an abundance of freely available information on how to achieve this. 

10. EAP or equivalent
Many organisations have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support employees through counselling and related services. If you do not have budget for an EAP program, click here for a consolidated list of free support services to provide your employees.

11. Performance feedback
Provide regular feedback (positive and constructive) to employees through informal and formal means like one-to-ones and performance development conversations.

12. Look after yourself 
Do not forget to take time out to look after your own health and wellbeing. Lead by example!

Checklist
​Contact us or email info@concepthrservices for a free PDF checklist of the 12 steps.