A recent survey by The Workforce Institute Mental Health at Work: Managers and Money | UKG involving 3400 people highlights the critical influence of our jobs, leadership, and most of all, our managers in our mental health in and out of work.
In the research, managers were shown to impact employees’ mental health (69%) more than doctors (51%) or therapists (41%) and more than 80% of employees stated they would rather have good mental health than a high paying job.
This might seem surprising at first, but when you consider how much time we spend at work and how important our jobs are in our lives, it might begin to make sense.
But while a supportive, empathetic manager can offer the foundations of a great place to work, where staff can thrive, a manager who is indifferent, or worse, toxic, can create a very different situation where stress is exacerbated, leading to anxiety, depression and burnout.
A client of mine summed it up “I kept ignoring it [depression and anxiety] and pushing though until I couldn’t ignore it anymore… My doctor signed me off work and I kept it secret because I felt guilty and didn’t want people to think I wasn’t up to the job”. Let me be clear, this is a very capable leader who returned to work with the help of his very supportive manager, and continues to play a pivotal role in the success of the organisation today.
But it could have been a very different story
Poor mental wellbeing costs employers in the UK an estimated £42 billion to £45 billion annually through presenteeism, sickness absence and staff turnover, Mental health at work: statistics | Mental Health Foundation and research from Deloitte found that 61% of UK employees that had left their job or planned to leave said this was because of poor mental health.
So what was it that his manager actually did that made a difference?
Fundamentally, she got to know her team as humans first.
To create mentally healthy workplaces it’s vital to build supportive relationships between managers and team members.
In my work in Relational and Restorative Practice I spend the majority of my time supporting a culture of healthy relationships where staff can be themselves and perform at their best, and I see every day, the difference it makes when leaders model opening up about their own vulnerabilities
“We talk a lot about mental health in terms of a medical diagnosis or burnout. While those are serious issues, the day-to-day stressors we live with — especially those caused by work — are what we should talk more about as leaders,” said Pat Wadors, chief people officer at UKG.
“Life isn’t all milk and honey, and when leaders open up about their own struggles, they acknowledge employees are not alone, and that it’s OK not to be OK. Authentic, vulnerable leadership is the key to creating belonging at work, and, in turn, the key to solving the mental health crisis in the workplace.
Recent by Mind Taking care of your staff’s mental health | Mind – Mind Showed 30% of staff said they wouldn’t feel able to talk openly with their line manager if feeling stressed and that 56% of employers said they’d like to do more to improve staff wellbeing but don’t feel they have the right guidance.
So what can organisations do about this in practical terms?
Well for a start, it’s a myth that you need to be a mental health professional to make a huge difference to your team’s metal health at work.
Managers who are able to support the mental health of their teams will encourage employees to thrive, increasing talent retention.
MHFA England®’s Mental Health Skills for Managers course was developed by workplace mental health experts, and the training promotes a healthy performance culture, giving your managers the skills and confidence to have mental health conversations.
This four-hour course can be delivered online or face-to-face and your managers will learn how to:
✅ Spot the signs of poor mental health in their team
✅ Signpost to appropriate tools and resources
✅ Become a self-care role model
By supporting the mental health of your people, you will encourage them to thrive, increasing talent retention, and reducing the impact of presenteeism and long-term sickness absence.
Get in touch now to book a course for your managers.