In recent years, mental health has been talked about more openly than ever before. It feels as though attitudes are slowly changing, and people are more comfortable to speak up when they’re struggling with their mental wellbeing. When Simone Biles took time away from the Olympic Games earlier this summer to look after her mental health, she was celebrated for it by many. And Biles had said her inspiration came from Tennis player Naomi Osaka, who earlier this year shared her mental health struggles with the world and decided to take a break from her sport.
These women have inspired many to speak out and we know from research, that sharing your own mental health stories as a leader, makes employees feel more comfortable to talk to their employer about their mental health struggles too (Bonaccio, S., Lapierre, L. M., & O’Reilly, J., 2019).
World Suicide Prevention Day falls on Friday the 10th of September this year, and we wanted to take this opportunity to share a few facts and resources to help raise awareness of how to remove the stigma around mental health and what you can do as a leader in organisations.
1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England. When it comes to suicide, it is more common amongst men than women, and in particularly men in their 40s and their 50s and from lower socio-economic groups.
Approximately 6,000 people in the UK and Ireland take their own lives each year. There is no evidence to suggest that asking someone if they are OK will make them feel worse, in fact talking can help.
An article in the Harvard Business Review recently listed 8 ways that managers can support their employees with their mental health. These included:
- Being vulnerable: share your own experience and create a network of people in your organisation who can build awareness of mental health
- Model healthy behaviours: this is important – people don’t do what you say, they do what you do – make sure you display healthy behaviours, such as taking regular breaks and not over working.
- Build a culture of connection through check-ins: check in with your direct reports and ask how they are doing, making sure you give them time and space to answer. Consider starting a long meeting or workshop with a check-in – what word would they use to describe their mood that day? Anything to normalise human behaviour
- Offer flexibility and be inclusive: ask your team members what they need, don’t assume you know. If a person is struggling and need help with stressors such as childcare duties, do what you can to help with accommodating flexibility when at all possible.
- Communicate more than you think you need to: communicate and keep your team informed, set clear expectations and let employees know what is most important, so they can prioritise during stressful times. Share mental health resources available to employees often and be aware that shame and stigma prevent people from seeking help, so anything that can be done to normalise using those services – the better.
- Invest in training: invest in mental health training for staff to reduce stigma, expel myths and enable people to have conversations about mental health.
- Modify policies and practices: are the current policies and procedures in the organisation helpful to people with mental health issues? For example, look over how performance reviews are conducted – can you make it about an opportunity for compassionate feedback and positive spin on it, instead of it being a session around criticism? If an employee feels supported and cared for, they are more likely to perform.
- Measure: lastly, check in with regular pulse surveys to check how people are doing over time. Make sure you take action based on what the survey finds, as this will make staff feel listened to and engaged.
Even if you are not a leader, many of us will come into contact with someone in our lifetime who might be having suicidal thoughts, and it can be useful to know that there are many resources out there to recommend to friends, family or colleagues who are struggling:
Samaritans
The Samaritans give people confidential emotional support. In some areas they have local branches where you can go for support.
Telephone: 116 123 (UK) (24 hours)
Email: jo@samaritans.org
Website: www.samaritans.org
ASSISTline
National helpline offering supportive listening service to anyone throughout the UK with thoughts of suicide or thoughts of self-harm. They are open 24/7 for those aged 18 or over.
Telephone: 0800 689 5652
Saneline
This is a national helpline. The offer emotional support and information for people affected by mental health problems.
Telephone: 0300 304 7000 (4.30pm – 10.30pm daily)
Website: www.sane.org.uk
Finally, to look after your own mental health & wellbeing – sign up to our FREE 8-week Wellbeing Tool Kit
