In the wake of a flurry of studies to mark World Mental Health Day on 10 October,
health and wellbeing coaches are urging employers to embrace coaching more
fully when it comes to supporting staff with mental health issues

 

Mental health issues at work are on the rise and workers value support from employers to help them, yet many employers are still failing to step up adequately, according to a number of studies published to mark World Mental Health Day on 10 October.

On the same day, the UK hosted the first Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit in London, an event that strives to improve mental health around the world.

Mental health disorders are on the rise in every country in the world and could cost the global economy up to $16 trillion between 2010 and 2030 if a collective failure to respond is not addressed, according to the Lancet Commission report by 28 global specialists in psychiatry, public health and neuroscience, as well as mental health patients and advocacy groups.

Meanwhile, a survey of trade union health and safety representatives by UK union TUC, finds that stress is now the top concern at work. It’s particularly common in central government (90% cited it as a top five concern), health services (85%), and education (84%). Other concerns include bullying, harassment and overwork.

The TUC and others are calling on employers to step up further. Recent research from HR & people development body, CIPD, found fewer than one in three organisations (32%) train line managers to support staff with poor mental health, while Business in the Community’s (BiTC) Mental Health at Work 2018 report finds only 30% of line managers have received mental health training.

A separate study by Robert Half finds that only half of UK employers have a mental health policy in place, while a recent Mind mental health charity survey of more than 44,000 employees also found that only two in five (42%) felt their manager would be able to spot the signs they were struggling with poor mental health.

Health and wellbeing coaching experts are urging employers to offer more employees access to open-agenda coaching, where they feel free to share about health issues, and to train more managers in coaching skills to help foster a more open culture in which staff feel happier to speak up.

Health coaching expert Professor Stephen Palmer from the Wales Institute for Work Based Learning, said, “Health coaching gives the client permission to share their concerns about their physical and/or psychological wellbeing in a confidential setting. Through coaching they can tackle a range of health-related issues. In addition, training managers in coaching skills can enhance their
management competencies and also embed a coaching culture within an organisation.”

Anthony Eldridge-Rogers, health and recovery coach and CEO of FRC Worldwide, said, “For people to experience mental wellness they need to move out of the world of diagnosis and treatment and into lives where the ups and downs of all their minds are a normal and acceptable part of life. Coaching can be the go-to tool to support people to make that journey whatever the setting the coaching is delivered in.”

More than three-quarters (76%) of professionals would be ‘uncomfortable’ discussing mental health at their place of work, for fear of damaging their career prospects, finds the research by Robert Half.

Creating an open culture where staff feel able to talk about mental health is among a raft of recommendations from the CIPD and Mind to better support people with mental health problems to remain and thrive at work.

In their revised guide for managers to help employees experiencing stress and mental health issues, they also highlight the importance of equipping managers with skills and tools to sensitively and confidently start conversations about mental health.

Rachel Suff, senior employment relations adviser at the CIPD, said, “Mental health is still the elephant in the room in most workplaces, and a culture of silence can have a damaging impact on a business as well as individuals…. It is critical to foster an inclusive and supportive culture of respect and trust.”

Louise Aston, BiTC’s wellbeing director, highlights the importance of treating employees holistically and embedding mental health and wellbeing in the organisational culture, which of course coaching can support.

“Many leaders make a commitment to mental health at work but fail to ensure that their good intentions translate into genuine engagement at all levels of their organisation,” she said.

According to Dr Wolfgang Seidl, partner and workplace health consulting leader at Mercer Marsh BenefitsTM, helping managers be more empathic is what’s required.

“Perhaps seen as a luxury by some of our time-poor managers, empathy should be instilled as a key quality for those discharging their duty of care. It’s not rocket science and can be learned in a very short training session.”

Employees are keen for their employers to support them fully. According to Robert Half’s study, 97% of professionals believe their employer has a responsibility to support the mental health and wellbeing of staff and 88% of respondents take into consideration the mental health policies of a potential employer when looking for a new role.

Some 42% of professionals seek out information about a prospective employer’s mental wellbeing strategies via review sites, with 64% stating it was ‘difficult’ to find such information on a company website. Just 3% of companies mention their mental wellbeing strategies in job adverts.

There’s a disparity between strategies considered ‘important’ by employees, and those offered by the employer, finds Robert Half’s report, The Important of Mental Health Strategies in Attracting Top Talent.

For example, 74% of professionals ranked the ‘support for staff returning from (mental health-related) absence’ highly, while only 50% of companies provide this. Strategies such as remote working, widely offered by employers (71%), are considered less important in terms of enhancing mental wellbeing (60%).

Meanwhile, a study by Automatic Data Processing (ADP) finds that more than a quarter (27%) of UK employees feel it’s OK to “pull a sickie” at work. This is higher than the European average of 21%, according to the study, People Unboxed by ADP which surveyed over 2,000 workers across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and the UK. Of those UK workers who believe calling in sick is acceptable overall, 85% think it’s reasonable to do so two or more times a year.