Creating a Culture of
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POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING
t is common for organisations to approach employees’ mental health and wellbeing by providing access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and to have a range of wellbeing initiatives. Yoga classes, fruit bowls in lunch rooms, quiet/chillout zones in workplaces, financial counselling for employees, pedometer challenges… the list goes on. This has been an area that has grown significantly over the last few years with some very innovative strategies and applications. I have heard of some truly interesting programs that I would love to have seen in organisations I have worked for in the past. And yet it is interesting to hear some organisations reporting that they are struggling to get employees engaged in these programs. Some wellbeing teams report that it is always the same few employees who turn up and that they are not able to reach the employees they really wish to engage. Over the last year or so the feedback we have heard includes: • Wellbeing teams reporting more resistance from leaders to release their employees to participate in wellbeing programs; • Some employees disengaging from wellbeing programs complaining that they are just a superficial cover for deeper issues within an organisations culture. It is not to say that these sorts of programs are not useful – in some cases they can provide great motivation and encouragement for people to make changes to their wellbeing, which may ultimately increase their capacity to perform optimally in the workplace. However, when these programs are done in isolation and when they are implemented amidst a culture that is already negative, blaming and dysfunctional, then it may be difficult to gain the employees’ trust to engage with them in the first place. These initiatives might be fabulous extension options for an organisation that already has a culture of positive respectful relationships and both the technical and relational skills to do the job. However, in the current
economic climate of every dollar needing to count, do such broad programs really have the Return On Investment you require?
the first step is to acknowledge that mental health is an important part of general health So how do you build a culture of positive mental health and wellbeing? The first step is to acknowledge that mental health is an important part of general health and as such you will have employees who are affected at times. You need to understand that not all employees with mental health issues will be impacted in their work functioning, but if they are it is important that they feel safe to disclose their issues to you. You can then work together to meet your obligations to them and other employees, providing appropriate support while still managing your organisation’s needs. Leaders tell us that the biggest reason why they do not respond to employees, even when they observe obvious signs that a person is upset or acting out of character, is that they are afraid to say the wrong thing and to appear to be intruding in the employee’s personal life. The first barrier is easy to overcome: we can and should teach our leaders how to have appropriate discussions about mental health issues in the workplace. These are not conversations that we are always comfortable having in general society, so it is no wonder many leaders are reticent. However these are skills that can be taught. The second issue is a bit more complicated. Historically the tendency has been to discuss issues only once these issues are having a significant impact in the workplace, and if we are concerned about the employee (and not their performance) then we don’t raise it unless we have a very close relationship with the person and it therefore seems appropriate to.
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