What can my organisation do to improve employees’ mental health and wellbeing?
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Find out how things are at the moment.
Not all of these suggestions will be right for every organisation. Run a mental health audit to find out more. You can’t make effective changes until you know where the problems lie.
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Create a statement of intent or sign an organisational pledge
(for example, this one from Time To Change).
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Make sure senior leaders are on board.
Ideally senior leaders and managers should be role models for good practice. You may need to make a business case. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that a named senior manager has responsibility for making employee mental health and wellbeing a core priority.
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Consider a staff wellbeing strategy to ensure supporting staff wellbeing remains a priority.
A working group could develop your strategy.
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Set up a mental health and wellbeing working group.
Include a cross-section of staff and representatives with lived experience of mental health problems. Your working group may be responsible for developing strategy, reviewing policies, procedures, and staff information and setting up new initiatives. They may also act as workplace wellbeing champions.
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Consider a staff wellbeing strategy to ensure supporting staff wellbeing remains a priority.
A working group could develop your strategy.
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Create clear mental health policies and procedures.
Ensure that mental health is considered in other relevant policies, for example sickness absence and health and safety. You can read more about your legal obligations here. Get more guidance and information from the Health and Safety Executive and on ACAS’ website.
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Include information on policies in induction for new staff.
Make sure that staff know where to find them and what they include.
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Offer training in mental health to all staff.
There are a number of options out there and many can tailor training to your needs. You may want to consider:
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Ensure all line managers have appropriate training and the time to manage their team effectively.
See our information on what line managers can do to improve mental health and wellbeing within their team.
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Run lunch and learn sessions about mental health and wellbeing.
Have a look at our information about how to plan a session and what to include.
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Create an accessible source of mental health and wellbeing information, tailored to your organisation.
You could include links to policies, procedures, initiatives, training updates, personal stories, news and useful signposts.
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Invite speakers to talk about their mental health.
Try and choose an occasion when all staff will be present, for example at a whole staff meeting or away day. If anyone from senior management is prepared to talk about their experiences, this can make a huge difference. It helps normalise the conversation and reduce stigma throughout the organisation.
Think about the five ways to wellbeing
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Be active.
Consider offering yoga, pilates or other exercise sessions at times that are convenient for staff. Have a look at our blogs on exercise for low mood and getting started. You may need to check with staff what would suit them. Be inventive – some places reward cycling to work and meetings with a few minutes’ leave per journey. Shower and washing facilities on site can also help.
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Take notice.
Consider offering mindfulness sessions. Have a look at our blogs on mindfulness to manage stress and mindfulness at work. We also have more information on relaxation in the office. How could you include mindful thinking in daily working practices? Some managers choose to start or close meetings with a mindfulness or relaxation session.
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Connect.
Regular social events can help staff build stronger relationships and enrich their daily lives.
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Give.
Evidence shows that seeing yourself and your happiness as linked to the wider community can help you create rewarding connections with the world around you. How could you encourage staff to do some volunteering? Some organisations give ‘volunteering days’ on top of regular leave. Others encourage volunteering as part of a wider charity partnership.
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Keep learning.
Learning new things increases your confidence. It’s fun and rewarding. How could you help staff set new learning challenges for themselves?
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Think about how you can make sure that wellbeing initiatives do not fall by the wayside during busy times.
These are when people need them most.
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Flexible working hours can help staff look after themselves and establish a work–life balance that works for them.
For example, they may choose to start and finish later a few times a week to accommodate exercise. Research has found that flexible schedules increases employee productivity and lowers absenteeism.
Long working hours are associated with symptoms of depression. It’s important to ensure staff take lunch breaks, work sensible hours and avoid working at weekends.
Some organisations have an ‘eight until eight’ email policy – no emails should be sent outside this window.
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Peer support, mentoring or buddy schemes may help employees feel more comfortable speaking openly.
This can be especially helpful if they’re not confident about speaking to their manager.
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Introduce wellness action plans (WAPs) for all staff.
Have a look at our information on WAPs and how to use them.
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Tell people what you’re doing and develop feedback mechanisms.
Staff should know that senior management are genuinely committed to supporting their mental health and wellbeing. This can help them feel confident to open up and ask for help if they need it. Make sure you communicate regularly and establish regular opportunities for them to offer feedback and suggestions.
Some organisations have an anonymous suggestion box as well as regular surveys.
Highly Commended in Wellbeing in the 2019 BMA Patient Information Awards
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Sources
- Healthy workplaces: improving employee mental and physical health and wellbeing. NICE Quality standard [QS147], published March 2017
- Mental wellbeing at work. NICEPublic health guideline [PH22], published November 2009
- Management Standards for Tackling Work Related Stress. Health and Safety Executive. www.hse.gov.uk [accessed May 2017]
- Five ways to wellbeing: the evidence. New Economics Foundation, 2008
- Beauregard TA, Henry LC. Making the link between work-life balance practices and organizational performance. Human resource management review 2009; 19: 9–22
- Harvey SB, Modini M, Joyce S, et al. Can work make you mentally ill? A systematic meta-review of work-related risk factors for common mental health problems. Occup Environ Med 2017;74:301–310
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Author information
Produced by Clare Foster, freelance health editor, and Nick Ridgman, Head of Health Content, Bupa UK, September 2017
Next review due September 2020Bupa UK expert reviewers:
- Naomi Humber, Psychology Services Manager, EAP
- Stuart Haydock, Resilience Lead, Health Clinics
- Sarah Deedat, Head of Behaviour Change
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