2. Tackling the causes

Identifying workplace triggers

Managers matterConsidering how much time we spend at work, it’s not surprising it can affect our mental health. The way that managers behave is often key in shaping whether being at work has a positive or a negative impact on staff. Effective managers help employees to manage their workloads, create opportunities for coaching and learning, and promote a culture of open dialogue – all of which help to boost staff mental wellbeing and employee engagement levels.Essential manager behavioursResearch on engagement has identified some essential manager behaviours that help employees to feel valued and well supported to do their job, including:• offering clarity• showing appreciation of employees’ effort and contribution• treating people as individuals and flexing your managerial style to suit their needs• ensuring that work is organised efficiently and effectively.

Spotting the signsTraining managers to recognise the early signs of mental health problems and ensuring they are able to effectively support staff will help maintain employee wellbeing.Managers should know the people in their team and may notice changes in them. However, it's important to remember everyone's experience of a mental health problem is different and there may be no outward sign - this is why it's so important to create an environment where people can be open.You should never make assumptions about people's mental health, but clues might include:• changes in people's behaviour or mood, or how they interact with colleagues• changes in their work output, motivation levels and focus• struggling to make decisions, get organised and find solutions to problems• appearing tired, anxious or withdrawn and losing interest in activities and tasks they previously enjoyed• changes in eating habits, appetite and increased smoking and drinking.Managers can also spot the signs by being alert to the potential workplace triggers, such as:• long hours and no breaks• unrealistic expectations or deadlines • unmanageable workloads or lack of control over work• negative relationships or poor communication• poor managerial support• job insecurity or change management• high-risk roles• lone working.

Checking-in with staffRegular supervisions or one-to-one meetings are crucial to building trust and giving employees a chance to raise issues at an early stage. Providing mentoring or on-the-job coaching also helps to develop this relationship.Ensuring the physical work environment is appropriate and and publicising available support pathways, such as Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) or occupational health (OH) can also help tackle the work-related causes of mental health problems.Routinely taking stock of staff wellbeingCarrying out an assessment of your workplace can give a clear picture of the state of the organisation as a whole, enabling you to understand what factors affect staff mental health in your workplace and what needs to be done to make improvements.You can also do this at a team or department level by asking people for their thoughts on what the team does well to promote good mental health and how this can be built upon. This could be followed by asking people to share what is currently impacting negatively on their mental wellbeing in the workplace so you can explore solutions.

How often do you assess staff wellbeing in your organisation?

Never
Every few years
Once a year
At least twice a year