FEATURE
HOW TO DESTIGMATISE DISCUSSING MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE
Fifty-eight percent of employees don’ t feel comfortable discussing their mental health at work, which leads to the question, what does‘ destigmatising mental health’ actually look like and how can businesses cultivate openness and authenticity? Zoe Sinclair, a workplace wellbeing expert and the Founder of mental wellbeing consultancy and conference, This Can Happen, discusses how leaders can empower positive mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.
Arecent study by The Harris Poll has highlighted that 58 % of employees don’ t feel comfortable speaking about their mental health at work. This increases to 67 % for staff who aren’ t satisfied with working for their current employer who are searching for a new job. In fact, the same study has shown that 81 % of respondents think that employers have an obligation to prioritise staff mental health, but despite this, 77 % of people say that the topic isn’ t spoken about enough. So, how can employers open conversations with their staff in relation to mental wellbeing at work – and truly destigmatise the conversation so that employees can get the support that they need?
The truth is, it all starts with leadership. When leaders are open and honest in terms of mental health conversations at work, the impact on wider workplace wellbeing conversations can be huge. Leaders have an opportunity and a responsibility to begin these conversations in the workplace, either by sharing their lived experience in this space if applicable and appropriate, or by speaking about work / life balance and stress levels to enter this conversation. The latter can provide the perfect route into sparking conversations around preventative measures to tackle burnout. Consider how a member of the senior leadership team starting the conversation here, whether in person at a staff meeting or virtually via a company blog or Slack channel, could really help to encourage others to do the same.
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