'Hope'​ Springs Eternal - driving better mental health in the workplace

'Hope' Springs Eternal - driving better mental health in the workplace

With Mental Health Awareness Week upon us, we can expect a slew of responsive commentary and timely reminders that we are aware of a major emerging issue both in the work place, and more generally in the world today. 

We will hear words like ‘stigma’ and there will be talk of responsibility, none of this is a bad thing. For me, any conversation on this topic helps create more awareness, more openness and more of an understanding towards something that is very difficult to comprehend if you haven’t in some way experienced it yourself. 

However, business owners, leaders and managers need to have more a full-time awareness of its impact both personally on individuals and collectively across the business. I have been delighted to see reports released in the trades discussing how 2018 is the year mental health will become a boardroom priority so this is something we need to invest time and money in and we need to take more of a responsibility to care for people as human beings and stop viewing them under the lens of just ‘employees’ or 'headcount'. 

And here’s just some of the frightening statistics released into the market around the costs financially and emotionally of poor mental health on working Britain:

  • A Government review from October 2017 suggests that poor mental health costs employers between £33bn and £42bn a year.
  • 28% of businesses are saying that mental health is now a bigger issue than physical illness
  • 52% of employers surveyed by Bupa say they do not know how best to support employees with mental health issues. 42% also admit that awareness and understanding of mental health is ‘quite low’ across their organisation

With more pressure than ever before on business performance, high levels of anxiety around macro and micro fears are leading to worsening physical and mental health with figures from MQ, the UK’s first major mental health charity focused on scientific research, revealing that over 15 million people (1 in 4) are affected by a mental health condition every year. The social and economic cost of mental health in England alone is estimated at £105 billion per year and mental health accounts for 70 million sick days per year.

In the world of marketing, this undoubtedly needs to become a boardroom issue, so if this is the year, what can be done at the very top?  

This week we were inspired by a talk from author, mental health campaigner and speaker, Hope Virgo, who came to our HQ in London to kick off our National Mental Health Awareness Week Programme. Hope reinforced my beliefs that leaders should observe, listen, allow open and honest communication, support without judgement and repeat.

Hope Virgo’s story, as told in her book, Stand Tall Little Girl accounts her struggle with an eating disorder and she discusses feeling too scared to tell her family and feeling judgement and fear in the workplace. Observation, empathy and listening are fundamental management skills that make good leaders great. There also needs to be a forum for open communication which creates a safe and trusted working environment. Some of the more distressing symptoms of mental health issues are helplessness, loneliness and loss. This is not an illness that generates widespread support mainly due to a lack of understanding and the fact that most choose to deal with these issues alone. As Hope mentioned a few times, this is in part a desire not to 'burden' anyone else but it's mainly because those who experience mental health issues can't necessarily navigate or understand the road ahead.

That next phase of support without judgement is vital because reports from business consultants have talked for years about people masking their real selves and having a work persona exacerbated by social media. I would argue this is most dangerous when dealing with a mental health condition because it becomes more difficult to see the signs. Loss is key because you are robbed of confidence and your true self and this most certainly effects one’s ability to deliver productive work, which then affects your daily lifestyle in a detrimental and often unnecessary way. Fundamentally, if you work in a closed environment or one that fosters increased levels of anxiety, this is far more likely to add to the problem. Therefore, an open and honest culture is key, at all levels.

Ongoing observation, understanding and support are not always easy in a working environment, especially agencies where deadlines and clients come first. But we must act like the change we want to see. Clearly there are policies and procedures that can be put in place. Above all else, businesses can train people to manage situations in a more supportive way. We can look to bring in external support where necessary and we can learn to respect our boundaries a lot better, which is increasingly an issue as we become more connected by technology.

But ultimately, it is about creating a safe environment for people to talk about issues and doing that within a framework that promotes better mental and physical health. The responsibility for dealing with these issues shouldn’t sit with the person least able to see the road ahead, it should sit with all of us. We are the support network, we have the ability to enforce positive change and we have the power to make someone's life that little bit better.

Mary Stretch

Advocate for refugees & anti-racism; recruiter

6y

All good Adam. I recommend Way to Blue invests in sending staff on a Mental Health First Aid course. It’s like St John’s Ambulance training but for mental illness. It deals with all our ignorance & fears. It’san amazing 2 day course, designed for people in business to equip them to come alongside & support the crises & issues of mental illness in the work place : depression, addiction, alcoholism, OCD, anxiety etc. It’s so helpful. One in 4 of us will experience mental illness but our professional knowledge about WHAT it can be, how the person feels, what best to say, how to support, how to point to help is virtually zero. We know how to do CPR through watching TV but who’s seen an actual person have a heart attack. But depression is as common as chips & most people have no clue how to really assist that person back to health & work. Instead at work it’s hidden - until things get even worse. I did the course, £300, paid for myself, got the certificate from MHFA England this summer & it’s the best thing I’ve done this year. I’m equipped. There should be an MHFA certificated person in every department of a compassionate & effective business. Perfect Christmas present Help people to live their best lives AND do their best work.

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Louisa Backway

Celebrity Manager at Alzheimer's Society

6y

Proud to have worked alongside Hope at Alzheimer’s Society. The world of agencies can learn a lot from her.

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