MENTAL HEALTH, STRESS & WELLBEING
https://www.ioshmagazine.com/article/stress-cases-hit-17-year-high EMPHASIS ON H PUTTING THE Maria Bourke, Managing Director at Let ’s Get Healthy, shares the
importance of H&S teams to educate employers in offering robust support and reducing mental health problems at work.
From a health and safety (H&S) perspective, safety critical business functions tend to be the key focus of any health and wellbeing programmes. However, directors are starting to educate their teams on how to put the health back into health and safety.
Stress, depression and anxiety became the most common work-related illness for the first time in 2018 rising by 18% since 2016-17. Before that musculoskeletal disorders regularly topped the list.
The number of working days lost to stress, depression and anxiety increased by 23% last year, equating to an average of 25.8 days per case. Therefore, the case for businesses to make improvements is clear.
We all react differently to situations, and stress is one way the body reacts to pressure. Stress can manifest itself through distraction, lack of concentration and changes in behaviour. It’s no surprise that the industries which face the most stress are fast-paced sectors that demand peak performance at all times.
However, there are a number of progressive employers who are starting to take the lead investing in building resilience programmes and educating managers on how to approach and support employees when they see a change in behaviour at work.
HOW CAN YOU HELP YOUR TEAM IMPROVE THEIR SAFETY AND MENTAL HEALTH?
Work with high risk teams first In planning sessions, H&S teams should quickly identify which groups are most at risk from high levels of stress at work – drivers, remote workers, lone workers and those on night shifts are often at the top of the list.
It’s important to include employees from all job roles and ask them how they feel you can support them and each other.
Use existing H&S communication channels H&S teams are generally well respected in their business and are already integrated with key teams such as internal communications and HR. Use these relationships to ensure current training and practices are communicated across all business units. E-learning via gamification and virtual reality is also becoming a popular way of learning.
Upskill H&S teams and other stakeholders H&S teams can be trained to identify and run sessions with the business on how to spot signs and symptoms
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of mental health problems and how to have great conversations with employees. Typically, they are used to having complex conversations with line managers and often have a great relationship with employees.
Toolkits with support information should be made available to the H&S team and line managers so they can impart knowledge easily.
Resiliance is key Prevention is better than cure so deliver a course on improving personal resilience at the same time as helping those employees who may be struggling with mental health problems.
Helping employees learn how to become more resilient to stress is the most welcomed training Let’s Get Healthy offers. Employees and managers respond and learn quickly as it is easy to make small, practical changes in lifestyle and mindset without taking time out of busy schedules.
The H&S teams we have worked with implement the ‘get stronger each and every day’ mantra, because with safety, even the most resilient person needs to practice rituals to stay resilient.
Some of the most effective health and wellbeing programmes we deliver sit within H&S teams. Safety is on everybody’s agenda and when employees see the link between a safer environment and their own mental performance the return on investment is huge. We welcome any support the H&S community can bring to improve the mental health of its employees.
www.letsgethealthy.co.uk www.tomorrowshs.com
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