Sustainable Approaches To Workplace Mental Health

There is emerging evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing workplace mental health challenges, creating a new imperative to take holistic and methodical approaches to workplace mental health. The rise of wellbeing-focused co-working spaces could be one of many solutions to a hybrid new normal that caters to all of body, mind and soul.

{{divider}}

While much of the news around the pandemic has focused on vaccines and physical health, the impact on our mental lives has been equally important to consider. Many companies still believe that taking action on workplace mental health means allocating extra budget solely towards HR. However in order to generate real and sustainable change, a more holistic approach is required.

{{divider}}

Instead, workplace mental health best practices should be integrated into all elements of a company’s operating model, including its organisational culture. Doing so means bringing together workplace mental health research, deep organisational design and change expertise, and a value-first perspective. Taking such action can significantly bolster employee mental health and job satisfaction and has been shown to return full circle by being equally good for business.

{{divider}}

This means considering a variety of domains: designing workplaces to minimise harm, building both organisational and individual resilience, facilitating early help-seeking, and supporting recovery and return to work. Diagnosable mental health conditions are common and increasingly on the rise. For individuals, common mental health conditions can have a major impact on work performance and career trajectories. Individuals experiencing mental ill-health miss an average of ten to 12 workdays per year and suffer 14 to 18 days of reduced productivity.

{{divider}}

This affects both employers and society adversely. Depression, which is only one of the most common mental health conditions, is already the leading cause of disability world-wide and by 2030, it is forecast to be the leading cause of disease burden globally. Preexisting issues have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with psychological effects forecast to outstrip physical effects in countries such as Australia.

{{divider}}

This trend is both a demand and a supply issue; many existing mental health stressors including social isolation, job and financial loss, and housing insecurity have worsened, and lockdowns have made it more difficult to access mental health services. As a result, there has been a deterioration across a number of key mental health outcomes.

{{divider}}

Workplace Design

{{divider}}

This domain involves addressing core risk factors, such as high levels of role stress or a lack of support or flexibility. Positive action can take many forms. Co-working spaces are one example of an effective approach to the social isolation of working from home, given the interest-based community that they provide.

{{divider}}

An increasing number of co-working spaces are placing wellbeing at their core. Meaning that as well as providing access to the traditional essentials such as adequate space-use and smart technology, they are also designed with holistic care in mind. This includes access to natural light, greenery and social support.

{{divider}}

When it comes to enhanced flexibility, ensuring flexible work hours for parents can take many forms, such as offering additional paid and unpaid time off, reduced hours, or changed work patterns. Some organisations also offered activities for children, such as online activities during evenings or school holidays.

{{divider}}

Organisational Resilience

{{divider}}

Organisational resilience comes in many forms. Programmes focused on psychological safety and broad-based mental health awareness have proved to be effective, especially when paired with leader training. Leaders publicly shared their commitment to supporting and improving mental health, often through storytelling.

{{divider}}

Effective examples used a range of communication channels, with storytelling paired with tips, details of available resources, and activities. Some adopted a storytelling and check-in cascade, in which leaders shared stories with their direct team members and so on throughout the organisation.

{{divider}}

Another approach is boundary setting - for example some organisations have agreed to meeting-free lunch breaks, during which no internal or external meetings are able to be booked. Automated nudges can be given to employees who book or accept meetings during the hour. Many organisations provided access to additional mental health training for leaders, with some even making it mandatory across their entire organisation.

{{divider}}

Individual Resilience

{{divider}}

Using a range of approaches, CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) aims to change an individual’s specific misconceptions and maladaptive assumptions and to teach new skills for handling stressful situations. This may include resilience training, whereby workbooks are distributed containing a range of resilience challenges.

{{divider}}

Mindfulness programmes are also showing some level of success. One organisation started an opt-in programme for employees to regularly share their experiences and participate in evidence-based positive psychology activities. Others offered free or subsidised mindfulness and meditation apps.

{{divider}}

When it comes to physical activity, a number of organisations used virtual physical challenges for individuals and groups, such as opt-in daily step challenges, with stories and photos shared weekly to encourage commitment. At x+why, a purpose-lead co-working space with locations around the UK, we give all staff and members access to the Betterspace platform, providing holistic and personalised solutions to sustainably improving individual resilience and mental health.

{{divider}}

Help-Seeking

{{divider}}

Early help-seeking is more likely in organisations that have a strong awareness of the signs of mental ill-health, appropriate services available, and a culture that encourages asking for help. During the pandemic, some organisations created a multichannel communications series focused on the experiences of working parents, including detailing typical challenges to increase awareness, as well as providing advice and details on support resources.

{{divider}}

A number of organisations planned town halls to share stories, build awareness, and reduce stigma. This often included storytelling from the CEO or senior leaders, which helped foster an environment in which employees could show vulnerability. It may also be possible to allow for pre-existing mental health programmes to be expanded to include access for family members of employees - or even small-business suppliers or customers.

{{divider}}

Historically, many organisations expected employees with mental health issues to make a full recovery before returning to work. We now know that this approach is often misguided, and that returning to work is an important part of the recovery process. Changes to the workplace or job design may, however, be necessary. These changes can often be gradually modified and reduced as the employee recovers.

{{divider}}

Recovery and return to work have been especially difficult during the pandemic, and leading organisations have developed additional tools and services to assist their human resources, including direct access to psychological support or increased pandemic leave in pressing situations.

{{divider}}

To take effective action to sustainably improve workplace mental health, an organisation can start by understanding the factors that have been shown to contribute to the risk of diagnosable mental health conditions. Whether taking action as part of a focused workplace mental health effort or part of a broader organisational change, it is critical to be holistic and consider the entire operating model and cultural system.

{{divider}}

One size does not fit all when it comes to improving workplace mental health. Individuals experience each workplace differently and bring different elements of themselves and their personal life into the mix. Demographic and other data may help to identify different cohorts or personas that inform the suite of interventions necessary to build a more mentally healthy workplace, as well as identify the best way of tracking improvements.

{{divider}}

Many organisations strive to keep the work and the home separate when it comes to mental health, drawing a distinction between what they influence at work and what employees bring with them. Through the pandemic, the line between home and work became more blurred.

{{divider}}

With challenges continuing through the pandemic, sustainably improving workplace mental health has never been more important. The good news is that recent research shows how and where action can be taken. Workplaces across all industries can take this knowledge and act now to shine a light on the critical topic of workplace mental health, helping people to thrive outside of the shadows.

{{divider}}

‍