Mental health support at work
It is recognised that people need a healthy level of both mental and physical health to underpin a positive sense of overall wellbeing. It is also known that there are many factors in our lives which can affect our mental health and wellbeing. Our experience at work can be a major influence. Additionally, if we are experiencing problems with our mental health which are not intrinsically related to our work, the support available in our workplaces can be a big positive or negative factor.
41% of people reported experiencing mental health symptoms caused or worsened by work in the past year
A joint report by Business in the Community & BUPA in 2021 produced statistics related to mental ill health and work. It stated that 41% of people reported experiencing mental health symptoms caused or worsened by work in the past year. Also, 51% of those surveyed reported that the poor mental health they felt related to work was due to pressure. However, the good news was that 76% of people said that their colleagues were supportive of their mental health needs and 69% of managers were the same.
Support available at Kent
We have a great deal of support in place for colleagues who feel affected by symptoms of poor mental health and for those who are diagnosed with mental health problems. There is a
- Thriving @ Work group which has worked on implementing the recommendations of the Stephenson-Farmer government review; its work has built on counselling and support provisions implemented by University and Occupational Health (OH), like the Employee Assistance Programme and funded psychotherapy.
- The Thriving @ Work group work has underpinned training available through Talent & Organisational Development (T&OD) in various areas of mental health support and understanding; the training is available for individuals and managers.
- When it carried out its needs assessment, the Thriving @ Work group could see problems with communicating available support for staff, so the the Mental Health Support One Stop Shop webpages were created. The information on all support available for staff is accessible there plus advice on how to access it.
Training on mental health subjects can be viewed and accessed on the T&OD webpages. Courses scheduled are:
- ‘Understanding Depression’ on 02/03/22
- ‘Understanding Stress & Anxiety’ on 23/03
- ‘Introduction to Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing’ on 11/05
- ‘Mental Health Training for Line Managers’ on 25/05
Mental Health Allies
Another important development was setting a Mental Health Allies network. This is someone who seeks out opportunities to learn more about mental health, advocates for people with mental health problems and looks for ways to support them while modelling behaviour which supports positive mental health. T&OD is offering training to staff who want to fulfil the role of a Mental Health Ally at the University. The first cohort of trainees went through the course last year. Contact T&OD to find out when the next course will be running.
OH Rehabilitation Programme
Finally, it is worth a reminder that staff who need time away from work due to mental health problems can be supported back to work gradually and safely by an OH rehabilitation programme. Management need to be essentially involved in this; they have to initiate OH involvement by completing a Management Referral. This process ensures that the individual being referred has sight of any paperwork before it is sent to OH; signatures of both parties are required for this purpose.
It’s really important that all staff know how much there is available to support their mental health needs. When you read this article, please make others aware by passing it on.
Resources:
University of Kent Staff Mental Health One Stop Shop
University of Kent Staff Health and Wellbeing webpages
University of Kent Staff Occupational Health webpages
University of Kent Training & Organisational Development webpages
‘Mental Health at Work: building back responsibly’: joint report by Business in the Community & BUPA