What are the signs that someone is struggling with their mental health?
The signs that someone is struggling with their mental health can be incredibly varied. You might notice an increase in worry, anxiety or stress, or withdrawal from activities, spaces or tasks that were previously enjoyed. There might also be delays with work, a shift in their focus or even overworking and increased productivity.
Employers and colleagues should also be on the lookout for mood swings, or changes in behaviour. Look out for how staff are acting in between interactions with colleagues, clients or customers; just because a person seems positive, happy or extroverted, it does not mean that they aren’t struggling. Mental health concerns can develop in anyone, at any time.
How can employers and colleagues support mental health in the workplace?
Employers and managers can do their part in setting the culture within the organisation, and normalising conversations about mental health. A pro-active approach could include discussing mental health support in meetings and emails, and ensuring that all employees know who to contact if they are struggling, or they think a colleague could be struggling.
Whilst it helps to have some mental health awareness, you don’t need to be a counsellor or a therapist to be able to talk to someone about their mental health. Acas provides detailed information on how to manage conversations about an employee’s mental health, including the importance of confidentiality, and the referral pathways that are available.
Employers should also consider the mental health first aid training from St. John’s Ambulance. They offer a range of courses to qualify staff members in mental health advocacy, awareness and first aid, and include training on how to recognise the signs of poor mental health, how to initiate conversations on mental health and safeguarding techniques. They also provide a Mental Health Action Plan for organisations and businesses to use when needed.
Is a person who has mental health concerns considered disabled?
In some cases, a person’s mental health can be considered a disability, and employers are expected to make reasonable adjustments. Under the Equality Act, a disability is something that has a substantial adverse effect on a person’s life, and affects their ability to do their normal day-to-day activities. It also lasts, or is expected to last at least 12 months. However, this doesn’t mean that the individual has to be experiencing symptoms all the time.
A person’s mental health concerns are specific to that individual, and as such what constitutes reasonable adjustments will vary. These might include flexible working hours, ensuring that they have time to attend counselling or therapy, creating space for regular check-ins and reviewing their workload.
Where possible, you should include the individual in your discussions of what might help them in the workplace. Consider asking about the challenges that they are having at work, and use this information when putting reasonable adjustments in place.
