If you are doing anything around World Mental Health Day next week and are looking for somebody to comment on the effects of work on mental health and how bosses can help employees then my client Cream HR are available to comment. If we can help please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can find other pieces and images here
Staff Mental Health - Make it Your Business
Everybody has mental health. Sometimes it's good and sometimes it's a struggle. Mental health can be impacted by a number of things and with World Mental Health Day taking place on 10thOctober one Staffordshire baseed HR company is speaking out about how work can impact mental health and what employers can do to help and support their teams not only when they are struggling but also in helping them to maintain good mental health.
Cream HR, who specialise in offering a range of HR consulting and support services, advises that there are a number of things employers can do to support their team's mental health.
Firstly, they recognise that good people management is one of the first steps in aiding people's mental health. Having great management skills where people are at the heart of what you do can help manage and prevent stress build up which is often linked to other mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.
Katy Foster, Senior HR Consultant at Cream HR says: "At Cream HR we appreciate that a company's biggest asset is its people and that is something we always encourage our clients to be mindful of. Mental health is a huge part of looking after your team. As well as good people management we believe that managers should be trained in spotting the early signs of stress and poor mental health as early intervention can help prevent issues from escalating. It is important to get the balance right in spotting the signs but not giving out advice unqualified."
"I'd also say that managers should take time to review workloads and ensure that timescales are realistic and offering flexible working where possible can be hugely helpful to those suffering from stress, anxiety or depression."
Other things that the team at Cream HR recommend are making sure that teams have the confidence and knowledge to signpost people to places that can help, whether that be to a charity, support organisation or their GP.
Katy continues " One of the things that could have the biggest impact is the promotion of work-life balance. This is something we believe should be running all through the company - the people at the top should be demonstrating work-life balance in the way they work so not sending emails or calling your team out of work hours, sharing their own struggles and promoting taking steps to support their mental health. It is advisable to discourage a culture of people continually working late or coming into work when they are not well. Look at the culture of your company and ensure that people feel able to speak in confidence about how they are coping with work and life in general."
To find out more about Cream HR visitwww.creamhr.com
ENDS