the employer’s duty of care mental health & how it impacts on your business – a growing...
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The Employer’s Duty of Care
Mental Health & How It Impacts on Your Business – A Growing Issue - 24.06.15
Mr Mark Braithwaite
Managing Director
Gipping Occupational Health & Wellbeing
gippingoccupational healthand wellbeing
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Mental Health in the Workplace; The Employer’s Duty of Care
The employer’s Duty of Care
Take all reasonably practicable steps to protect workers’ Health, Safety and Wellbeing
Employees need to do their bit too
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Some relevant legislation
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
The Equality Act 2010 duty to make reasonable adjustments
Increase the emphasis on Health
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You don’t need legislation to tell you….
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When people are in good health, they enjoy what they do, have financial stability, feel supported, valued and recognised
They are more motivated, engaged, productive
And more able to deal with the challenges they face at work and outside of work
Culture and communication
Create a culture of trust and understanding where people feel able to talk about mental health, enabling prevention and early intervention in the same way as they will tell you about physical ill health
• No stigma
• No negative consequences
• Good relationships with colleagues and management
• Respect and confidentiality
• Make it easy for people to succeed in their job
• External facilitation where appropriate e.g. HR OH EAP
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Workplace factorsDemands• workload, work patterns and the work environmentControl• how much say the person has in the way they do their workSupport• encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the
organisation, line management and colleaguesRelationships• this includes promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing
with unacceptable behavior such as bullying and harassmentRole• whether people understand their role within the organisation and
whether the organisation ensures that they do not have conflicting roles
Change• how organisational change (large or small) is managed and
communicated in the organisation
Training
Awareness training for all
Mental Health First Aid
Teamwork and mentoring
Interpersonal skills:- listening and empathy
Teach people how to take care of themselves
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Building line management capabilities and a preventative strategy• Improve understanding of Mental Health & related issues
such as stress
• Develop communication skills to reduce risk of misunderstanding & conflict
• Enabling managers to match workload to available capacity
• Enable line managers to initiate sensitive conversations
• Knowing how to handle difficult situations
• Knowing when & how to refer to specialist support such as Occupational Health
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When people are off sick
Keep in touch with them
People with physical illness might develop psychological ill health too
Agree a realistic return to work plan with workplace adjustments where necessary
Draw on multi-disciplinary support e.g. Occupational Health and Counselling
Useful references
www.acas.org.uk/publicationsPromoting positive mental health at work
MindHow to be mentally healthy at work
http://issuu.com/suffolk-mental-health/docs/managers_desk_guide/1
Manager’s desk guide for workplace mental wellbeing
www.mindfulemployer.net
Mhfaengland.orgMental Health First Aid
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• It provides stability & financial support
• It can provide a positive distraction from problems
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Mental Health & How It Impacts on Your Business – A Growing Issue - 24.06.15
Thank youAny questions
occupational healthand wellbeing