Safety and welfare in the workplace

Most organisations, particularly those in the public sector, are aware of the importance of protecting the health and safety at work of their employees. This responsibility, however, extends far beyond their physical health to incorporate their mental health and wellbeing too.

Written into law, it’s a responsibility that employers must not ignore. And neither should they want to. In fact, positive measures for promoting and sustaining good mental health at work are a must-have for any organisation that wants to boost recruitment, retention, productivity and their overall workplace culture – which, presumably, is every organisation in the country. Here, we will explore why employers and managers need to prioritise tackling stress and supporting positive mental health as part of their commitment to protecting health, safety and welfare in the workplace.

What do we mean by ‘mental health’?

The term ‘mental health’ relates to our emotional, psychological and social well-being and affects how we think, feel and act. It also impacts upon our relationships, our work and the decisions we make. Good mental health is therefore incredibly important for everyone; it leads to a feeling of well-being that is essential to our daily life.

National mental health charity Mind stresses that our mental wellbeing is “dynamic.” They explain that it “can change from moment to moment, day to day, month to month or year to year.” That’s why it’s important to invest in our mental health and wellbeing on an ongoing basis.

Mind’s checklist for wellbeing suggests that remaining mentally healthy enables individuals to:

• Feel relatively confident in themselves and have positive self-esteem
• Feel and express a range of emotions
• Build and maintain good relationships with others
• Feel engaged with the world around them
• Live and work productively
• Cope with the stresses of daily life
• Adapt and manage in times of change and uncertainty

Why should employers worry about mental health at work?

The checklist above offers plenty of reasons why supporting the mental health and wellbeing of their workforce should be a key priority for employers. The public sector workforce operates in an environment that can often be stressful, ever-changing and sometimes uncertain; workers need to be able to positively adapt to meet the needs of organisations that are often facing significant challenges. In addition, building and maintaining positive relationships with others is often central to their role. Staff need to be mentally healthy to deal with all of these requirements, remain productive and achieve their targets.

Employers should also be aware of the following:

• The Law - All employers have a duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees. This includes minimising the risk of any stress-related illnesses. This responsibility is written into law under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA) and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

• The Statistics – The HSE Health and Safety at Work Summary Statistics 2023 show that 875,000 workers suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety during 2022-23. This accounts for nearly half of all cases of work-related ill-health that year, with 17.1 million working days lost due to work-related mental health problems. Additionally, Deloitte estimates that poor mental health at work now costs UK employers up to £56 billion each year. Industries with higher-than-average rates of work-related stress, depression or anxiety include human health and social work, public administration and defence and education.

• The Research – Studies such as the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health’s (IOSH) Workplace Wellbeing Survey suggest that organisations that invest in promoting and supporting positive mental health at work are rewarded with happier, healthier, more engaged and more productive employees. Conversely, organisations that don’t engage in activities to address mental health at work may experience higher staff turnover rates, employees that become disconnected from their work and strained relationships between employees and managers. Deloitte’s report ‘Mental health and employers: The case for investment – pandemic and beyond’, published in 2022, found that almost 40% of staff turnover costs can be attributed to mental health problems. They agreed that poor mental health at work leads to serious and widespread issues such as burnout, absenteeism, presenteeism and high workforce turnover, which has recently emerged as a growing concern.

How can employers help support positive mental health for their staff?

There are many simple but significant ways in which managers and leaders can tackle stress at work and support their staff to maintain positive mental health in the workplace. These include:

• Develop Relevant Policies and Procedures – Organisations should have a written company Mental Health at Work Policy in place which addresses the risk of stress and other mental health issues and sets defined goals. The organisation’s strong commitment to supporting positive mental health at work should be clearly set out in a policy statement. They should also incorporate this commitment into their organisational values.

• Maintain Suitable Risk Assessments – You will conduct many different workplace risk assessments in order to keep your workers safe - from fire risk assessments to manual handling risk assessments to general health and safety risk assessments – and mental health / stress risk assessments should not be the exception. Part of the legal responsibilities we mentioned earlier include assessing the risks of stress in your workplace and implementing suitable control measures to address, reduce and eliminate these as far as possible. You should ensure this assessment is reviewed and updated regularly, and that you engage and consult with employees when it comes to putting remedial measures in place.

• Provide Mental Health Training - As well as improving awareness and understanding of mental health and common mental health disorders - including stress - providing good quality mental health training for staff can also help managers to create a culture where people feel supported and understood, and able to share their own mental health concerns with their manager or colleagues. It also equips workers to better identify stress at work and provide early help and support for colleagues when they need it most.

• Share useful information – Share useful information and insights about mental health and stress at work with your teams. This can include providing employees with top tips to help them improve and safeguard their own mental health. It should also include sharing helpful resources and signposting staff to further information, training and support, including organisations they can go to when they need help and advice.

• Treat your workforce well – Organisations can implement dozens of wellbeing initiatives - from weekly chat forums to mindfulness sessions and free fruit and veg in the office – but if they don’t have core policies that support health, safety and wellbeing and a good work-life balance for their staff, they aren’t truly building a mentally healthy workplace. Organisations need to address the underlying causes of stress and other mental health issues among their workers. Chief among them? Financial wellbeing. Ensure you’re supporting workers with a fair, transparent salary package and paying above the Real Living Wage. You should also ensure you have a flexible working policy, wherever possible, to help support workers with caring responsibilities and those from all backgrounds and of all abilities to engage in rewarding work. Monitor workloads, role profiles, staff development and aspirations and ensure workers have a clear route to raise any grievances or seek further support.

• Create a culture of openness – It is paramount that all workers feel able to discuss any concerns they may have related to stress or other mental health issues at work. To facilitate this, ensure that stress and mental health issues are regularly discussed in an honest, inclusive, non-judgmental way. Talk to employees about their stress levels and overall wellbeing. This could be in the form of a confidential staff survey as well as during one-to-one reviews. Stress and mental health should also be addressed more openly though, in company presentations at staff conferences or in departmental or whole company meetings.

• Offered dedicated help and support – Provide trained Mental Health First Aiders, Workplace Mental Health Champions or named Mental Health Representatives for your staff. If possible, you could also consider offering staff access to a confidential mental health advice and support line and/or a trained counsellor.

• Continue to seek advice and information yourself – Employers should ensure they remain well educated on mental health at work and that they would be able to identify anyone who may be struggling and require help. Managers and leaders need to make sure they are regularly seeking information and advice and that they also speak up and ask for support when they are struggling.

• Go the extra mile – Organisations could obtain a mental health quality standard, such as the Mindful Employer scheme, to demonstrate their commitment to supporting positive mental health in the workplace. Managers could also establish regular mental health discussion forums or ‘chat’ groups to encourage open discussion and breakdown taboos and implement a range of ‘nice-to-have’ schemes, such as guided meditations in the office, once they’ve got the above steps right.

How can employers support their own mental health at work?

Managers in public sector organisations often inhabit a varied, high-pressured role in a challenging sector with high staff turnover. It is essential that they dedicate time and energy to supporting their own mental health and wellbeing. This will enable them to better support their staff, the people who use their services and their family and friends.

• Five Ways to Wellbeing – Researched by the New Economics Foundation and promoted by many mental health charities, this offers a checklist of simple, everyday measures you can take to boost your wellbeing and build resilience.

1. Connect – Make time to connect with people, both face-to-face and virtually, on a personal and professional basis. Nurture your relationships with family, friends, neighbour staff and colleagues, other professionals, peer networks and your local community.
2. Be Active – Regular exercise is fantastic for our mental and physical health, but you should also try to find frequent opportunities to be active in your daily life. This could include holding ‘walking meetings’, supervisions or one-to-ones or trying to build activity into your commute or lunch breaks. Seek outdoor spaces and involve others, where possible.
3. Take Notice – This is about taking time to notice and appreciate the small, beautiful or positive details in the world around you, but it can also be about self-reflection. Try to make time for some reflective practice and acknowledge and celebrate your achievements and hard work.
4. Keep Learning – Try to adopt a positive mindset when it comes to learning from situations or implementing new initiatives. You can also reach out for support in new ways to support your learning.
5. Give –A large part of this is recognising everything – big or small – that you already do for others. You can always add to this with small, conscious acts of kindness each day or even by taking time to volunteer or join a community group. Ultimately, remember that even seemingly tiny gestures, such as thanking staff for the good work they do, can make a huge difference.

We can also extend the following advice to managers and all employees at any level looking to boost their mental health and wellbeing and manage their own stress at work:

• Create a positive workspace – Whether you’re working-from-home or based in the office, create an appropriate workstation with a quality chair that supports you to maintain good posture as you work, a suitable desk for your computer, and other appropriate equipment, including foot rests, wrist supports, screen risers and ergonomic keyboards, if required. Ensure your workspace is always well-lit, warm and a comfortable temperature.

• Set clear boundaries – Try to start and finish work at regular, set times each day and make sure you take regular, short breaks from your desk throughout the day and enjoy a proper lunchbreak, getting outside if you possibly can. We all need to work late sometimes, but try to turn your work email off outside of working hours when possible. Ensuring you get real breaks from work will make you more productive overall. It’s also important to be politely assertive in your communications so that others do not place unreasonable demands on you.

• Define goals - Write down your to-do list and set achievable goals for items you want to complete each day. Have a couple of quick-wins that you can get in the bag at the start of your day to get you in a positive, productive mindset. Give yourself little rewards you can look forward to when you finish the day's work as well, such as a relaxing bath, a long walk, watching your favourite TV show or a nice meal.

• Connect with people - Instead of always just hitting 'send' on that e-mail, try to regularly pick up the phone and talk with your colleagues or go round to their workstations to speak with them face-to-face instead. Your mood will benefit from real interactions and building positive rapport with clients and colleagues. Video meetings can also be important for staying connected if you’re working remotely.

• Protect your physical health and wellbeing – Your physical and mental health are often closely interlinked. Protecting your physical health will help support a positive mindset, build resilience and boost your emotional and mental wellbeing. Try to regularly move your body in a way that you enjoy – whether that’s running, dancing or playing football – eat a healthy, balanced diet, drink plenty of water, avoid smoking, limit alcohol and get enough sleep each night.

• Prioritise self-care – Make time for those things which bring you joy and make you feel happy, healthy and positive outside of work. Connect with friends and family, make time for your interests and hobbies and treat yourself to relaxing activities such as a long walk or a nice, hot bubble bath.

• Be kind to yourself - Try to recognise your achievements and reward yourself for a job well done, forgive yourself for mistakes and work to try and resolve any conflicts with friends, family or colleagues. Engage in some self-reflective practice and acknowledge what’s working well for you and what you want to work towards. You can also try taking a break and/or getting a change of scenery.

• Ask for help when you need it – It may feel like a difficult thing to do, but if you’re struggling with stress or other mental health concerns, reach out for help and support sooner rather than later. You can speak to your line manager, HR contact, Mental Health Champion or trade union representative for expert support, advice and guidance. You should also go to see your GP and consider accessing peer support, online resources or help from dedicated mental health organisations.

Further Guidance

• HSE – Mental health conditions, work and the workplace 
• HSE - Advice for managers on mental ill health conditions http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/mental-health-line-managers.htm
• IOSH – Workplace Wellbeing: the role of line managers in promoting positive mental health
• Mind – 5 Ways to Wellbeing 
• ACAS – Mental Health in the Workplace

How we can help

First Response Training can provide face-to-face, classroom-based training, webinar sessions, e-learning courses and distance learning manuals on the subject of Mental Health. We offer general Mental Health Awareness training, Mental Health First Aid England courses, training in specific mental health disorders and mindfulness sessions.