Last week I completed day 1 of a 2-day Mental Health at Work First Aid course. With rates of suicide among men in Northern Ireland, particularly young men being the highest in the UK, as well as the anticipated post-pandemic rise in PTSD, employers need to be vigilant to the signs and symptoms of common mental health issues like never before. Creating a culture of trust and openness to talk is one of the first steps in that journey.

To put matters into perspective, it would be very rare indeed for someone to have never suffered a physical illness throughout their lifetime. In the same token, we need to accept that many of us will be mentally unwell to varying degrees at one or various points in life. Of course, this could range from mild to moderate forms of mental health issues right through to more severe forms of mental illness; some easily managed, others not so.

Statistics show that 57% of UK employees have experienced mental health issues at work yet less than half do not open up about it. Regular communication between line managers and their staff is key to making questions like, “how are you?” much more common-place and authentic.

Here are some of the tips I have picked up so far on my course for facilitating more meaningful conversations at work:

Setting time aside

Regular communication should allow for plenty of time and you may even consider meeting in a less formal neutral location where feasible. The worst thing that can happen is if you have to cut your meeting short to jump into another meeting or rush off to collect the kids from school. It may sound obvious but for someone who has been given the space to talk and then be told that time has ran out is far from ideal. Also switch your mobile and landline to DND to ensure you can devote your full attention to that person.

Body language

7% of communication is verbal; the rest is through body language so be mindful of how you sit and the facial expressions you use. Your body language should be open and non-confrontational.

Useful questions

A good starting point is asking the person how they are / how things are going. If you have had a sense that the person may be struggling, you may wish to say that they haven’t seemed themselves of late and ask if everything is ok. If they have suffered a bereavement, you may consider asking how they are coping after the loss of their loved one. Remember the difference between asking, “how are you?” as a greeting and, “how are you?” as a question. There is a big difference. Avoid closed questions which can only be answered by a yes or no. If the person opens up about mental health issues you can ask them how long they have been feeling like this and if they have spoken to anyone or had any support.

It is very important to remember that we are not professionals so should never try to diagnose someone or given them medical advice but rather signpost them to their GP and suggest they ask for one who specialises in mental health. You should also offer them details of your Employee Assistance Programme if one is in place or Occupational Health services. There are many great counselling services and local mental health charities that you should also highlight to the employee.

Finally, you should ask the employee what the organisation can do to help. This may include amended duties, home-working or reduced hours. Reassure the employee that the conversation will remain confidential. The only time when you are not required to keep matters confidential is when you believe there to be a risk to life in which case you should call the emergency services.

Active listening

Do you consider yourself to be a good listener? Do you allow someone the time and space to talk freely, without interruption and show empathy and compassion? Very often when we listen we bring the conversation round to us by describing a similar event that we know of. But this is not active listening. This is why we have two ears and one mouth! It can be useful to ask further questions to gain a deeper understanding or paraphrase back to the employee to ensure we understand what they are saying.

Follow-up

At the end of the meeting it is important to arrange a follow-up and review matters on a regular basis. If you have agreed workplace adjustments these should also be reviews and amended as necessary.

There are many reasons why we need to look out for our colleagues. Aside from our moral obligations, we also have a duty of care towards our people. A happy, healthy workforce will be more productive and lead to less absence and presenteeism. It also sends a clear message to current and prospective employees that they matter and are valued.

Useful reading:

Roman Kemp Our Silent Emergency https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p098hsv6/roman-kemp-our-silent-emergency

Five Ways to Wellbeing
https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/mental-health-at-work/taking-care-of-yourself/five-ways-to-wellbeing/