Mental illness is impacting 20% of the Australian workforce. How well do you support the members of your team to get well and return to work?
It’s a sobering truth that 1 in 5 adults experience mental health problems in any given year. Nearly half of the Australian adult population will experience a mental health difficulty at some point in their lives. According to Beyond Blue, on average, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 8 men will experience depression in their lifetime; and 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men will suffer anxiety.
If you are a leader of people, probability suggests at some point in your career you will manage someone battling mental illness. Diminished work performance, morale and engagement, high rates of absenteeism and lost productivity are common indications someone is struggling to cope.
Take steps to nurture the mental health of your team and to address mental illness challenges that arise. Recognise also the critical role you play in supporting people to transition back to work when recovering from mental illness.
7 essential steps you and every leader in your business need to take include these:
-
Be educated
Take the time to educate yourself and other leaders in your business about mental illness and the role you need to play. Ensure leaders understand their legal and moral obligation to provide work conditions that nurture mental health and protect people from physical and psychological harm.
-
Create a healthy workplace culture
The most powerful influence any leader has on the mental health of their team is through the culture they create. Strive to build a respectful and compassionate culture in which people are able to thrive.
When surrounded by colleagues who care, people are entirely more likely to acknowledge when they are struggling. Supported by an employer who acts with compassion, people are also more likely to ask for the help they need.
Lead by example in demonstrating respect for those members of your team who are struggling with mental illness. Set the expectation that every leader across your organisation act with compassion and do what can reasonably be expected to provide support.
-
Plan well
Return to work planning should be seen as an integral part of recovery from a mental illness such as depression or an anxiety disorder. Appointing a coordinator to facilitate the employee’s return to work is an essential step. In a small business, this is likely to be the owner or the team member’s direct supervisor.
-
Communicate!
Stay in touch with your team member while they are away from work and discuss returning to work as soon as possible. All too often people on extended sick leave become disconnected from the organisation making getting back to work feel even harder. Let people know they will be supported and discuss the ways in which this might happen.
-
Take a collaborative approach
Involve your team member in determining the best way forward. Make suggestions and seek their input. Ask questions about what’s going to work best for them. Discuss and agree exactly who else, if anyone, needs to know about their mental health challenges, and what information they need to be provided with. Agree for example who will be kept informed about adjustments or special arrangements made to accommodate the individual’s recovery.
-
Provide flexible solutions
Ensure your approach is fair and consistent, while tailoring plans to the individual. Be willing to make adjustments or accommodate flexible work practices. The steps you take to adjust how someone is expected to work can make a dramatic difference to their ability to hold down their job while continuing on the path to recovery.
-
Manage stress
Work with people returning to work to understand sources of stress in their role and how these might be mitigated. Reflect on potential sources of work-related stress such as interpersonal relationships, demanding workload and competing priorities. Understand also the challenges people face in balancing the demands of their work and home lives.
Consider the extent to which the individual is able to meet the demands of their role. Do work schedules or hours impact on their mental health and ability to recover? Make reasonable adjustments to working practices or job task to accommodate their capabilities and needs.
