MENTAL HEALTH Essential Support
Amy Hallam, Director and Head of Employment at leading South Yorkshire and Derbyshire law firm BRM, shares her legal expertise around how care home managers can positively manage their employee’s mental health.
Those in the care industry work long and oſten unsociable hours caring for and putting others ahead of themselves. This means care workers are likely to suffer from emotional and physical burnout and compassion fatigue.
Employers should therefore recognise this
and work to encourage positive mental health in the workplace as well as offer support.
It is a good idea to have policies in place that promote work- life balance. It is also important to check that staff are not working over their contracted hours and that people are having rest breaks.
not taking holidays or are perhaps asking to use holidays for sickness absence.
Make sure that staff have quiet places where they can take uninterrupted breaks. Rest and breaks are essential to productivity.
Regular communication is vital. Care home managers should ask the following: Do managers carry out welfare check-ins? For those who work night shiſts – are managers available in person for a catch up? Does the company openly support mental health? Does the company have accessible mental health first aiders? Do employees know how to look out for each other? Are PDRs, appraisals, and staff social events in place?”
“A one-size-fits-all approach does not work for mental health.”
Financial pressures outside work can oſten mean someone wants to work as much as possible, so offering financial security, financial signposting and other benefits can help employees save money.
Ask questions about why people are regularly working overtime. For example – is staff sickness high and is cover needed? Do you have enough staff? Are there problems that need to be fixed? Is the particular staff member struggling at home?
Regularly review who is and isn’t taking annual leave. It’s good to ask questions and do welfare reviews where people are
It's imperative that managers are trained on how to speak to staff about mental health. Care home managers need to be comfortable and confident to speak about mental health with their teams and spot where a member of staff may be suffering. They should also be aware of local mental health charities and organisations to signpost people to.
Make sure to listen to employees and treat everyone as an individual. Many employers make the mistake that they treat the condition rather than listening to the employee and how the condition is affecting them.
Not everyone with anxiety has the same medication or treatment and the way they are affected at work can be very different. Don’t assume that someone who is suffering from stress can never be put in a stressful situation. You should ask them how they need to be supported and what works for them.
“Check that staff are not working over their contracted hours.”
It may not always be possible to do what the employee wants however understanding how you can help is going to be essential in reaching a conclusion that works for everyone. However, a one- size-fits-all approach does not work for mental health and what works for one employee will not work for another.
Mental health is widely discussed and should not be taboo. Many organisations such as Mind, Samaritans, Andy’s Man Club and others are helping break down the barriers. Employers can do this too by supporting their employees and ensuring that the workplace is open to mental health discussions and support.
For Employment Law support and advice contact Amy on
amy.hallam@brmlaw.co.uk or call 0114 3496 989.
www.brmlaw.co.uk - 24 -
www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
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