As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, it is a good reminder for leaders to take time to evaluate if they are doing everything they can to better mental health in their workplace, especially as we are surrounded by an increasing number of triggers and stressors every day.
 

Being busy, working long hours, and being in demand even when we are supposed to be having downtime is no longer a badge of honor. According to NICE, there are 13.7 million working days lost annually in the UK as a result of work-related stress, anxiety and depression, costing approximately £28.3 billion.

91% of adults in the Burnout Report 2024 reported experiencing high or extreme levels of pressure or stress at some point in the past year, and one in four said they felt unable to manage stress and pressure in their lives. One in five working adults (20%) need to take time off work due to poor mental health caused by pressure or stress in the past year. Worryingly, it is thought that 36% of workers believe that their organizations have done nothing to help stave off employee burnout.

So, how can leaders crack the code to better mental health at work?

1. Assess What’s in Your ‘Too Difficult’ Tray and Start There

Look at what you’re not attending to that actually needs to be dealt with. Get back to what is the DNA of the business, the people. This may involve dealing with burnout, a culture associated with over-pressuring employees, poor leadership, a lack of inclusivity, or a toxic environment at work.

2. Agree on Achievable Goals and Targets

People want to be surrounded by those who want them to succeed, not set them up to fail. Is the current workload sustainable, or do your employees feel threatened and exhausted by improbable expectations?

3. Change from Reactive to Proactive When It Comes to Looking After Your People

Avoid tickbox, tokenistic attempts at mental health protocols. Understand you have a duty of care. Prioritize mental and physical health. Encourage employees to look after themselves and their families by making reasonable adjustments and showing genuine flexibility.

Totaljobs.com, for example, reports that two-fifths of working mothers have turned down a promotion due to childcare pressures, and only a third (31%) of working mothers have access to the flexible working arrangements that they need.

4. Know Your People, What’s Going On, and What’s Missing

What are your rates of absenteeism and presenteeism? Create and maintain real connections by regularly walking around the office and chatting with colleagues. Are your employees happy and smiling around the office, or do they look drained, and is the atmosphere tense? If you are in a hybrid situation, ensure that when people are in the office, they spend time interacting and collaborating rather than sending emails, which they could be doing at home. Good leadership means guiding employees and helping to enable them to develop and achieve.

5. Language Is Important

Don’t lose sight of the weight and consequences of language and its capacity to build up and tear down in equal measure. Speaking appropriately and being considered before you talk can reduce conflict and hurt. Don't try shaping opinions to match yours.

6. Don’t Let Toxicity Grow

In their Toxic Work Environment Report of 2022, CareerPlug revealed that 72% of respondents had left a job because of a toxic workplace. Call things out bravely at the moment and take positive action. Talk about the ‘elephants in the room’. Look for poor behavior and actively address it. Don’t let the problem become systemic.

7. Be Present and Listen

Stop what you are doing when someone is talking to you, look at them and bring your full self to the interaction. Often, when we are in trouble, we don’t want a solution, we just want someone to hear what we are thinking and feeling. Simply lending an ear can provide the necessary support so that a person can feel empowered to tap into their own resources and find solutions whilst alleviating feelings of isolation.

8. Healthy Boundary Setting

As part of the work culture work/life balance must be prioritized. Holidays and weekends should be uninterrupted, and working excessive hours should not be part of the culture, no matter what your salary.

9. Empower Your Team

Know what they need to thrive and don’t hyper micro-manage. Allow employees a routine that works for them. Upskill them so they feel they are always learning and growing to avoid feeling stagnant. Let them know you trust them, and equally, they can trust you.

10. Recognize the Signs

When employees are dealing with personal and sensitive issues, they may be attending work mentally unfit. Look for signs of withdrawal, emotional distancing, loss of productivity and absenteeism. Deal with lack of inclusivity head-on. Offer collaborations to those you may suspect are suffering from loneliness.

11. Talk About Mental Health Issues

Whilst talking about and dealing with mental health issues has come on leaps and bounds, we are not there yet. Offer training and talks about mental health on an annual basis. Check your and your organization’s unconscious biases towards any kind of illness that isn’t clearly visible regularly.

12. Deal with Kindness

Ensure privacy and offer flexibility in timing and location when talking with someone who is suffering. Understand that discussing mental health can be challenging. Be reassuring, calm, and patient, and remember that just because you cannot identify with the other’s experience, that does not invalidate their experience. Foster open dialogue as part of work culture and designate mental health advocates trained to listen and guide colleagues toward support resources. If you believe an employee is at risk, gently encourage them to get further help.

Author Bio

Thom Dennis is a Change Management Consultant and the CEO of Serenity in Leadership. Thom is also a facilitator, speaker, consultant, change agent and educator.

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