Mental Health in the Workplace. An English Perspective. Kathryn Hill

Transcription

1 Global Alliance Against Stigma Mental Health in the Workplace An English Perspective Kathryn Hill 1

2 Mental Health in the Workplace The Time to Change Organisational Engagement programme The Pledge The Health Check The workshops The Network Minds Taking Care of Business Campaign Organisational Engagement aims To drive institutional-level changes in organisational culture relating to mental health stigma and discrimination, internally and externally To secure high profile commitment and maximise publicity opportunities To signpost organisations to develop and improve policy and practice around supporting employees with mental health problems 2

3 The movement so far Organisational pledge Public display of commitment Aspirational Action plan Healthcheck Internal comms Employee blogs Pledge signing Workshops 97 pledges Tangible activity 3

4 Case study : E.ON Head E.ON offices Area of focus for individuals to engage and discuss all issues relating to mental health Graffiti wall with anonymous tips Meditation and stress-busting activities Head Way handbook 2500 employees involved Absence relating to mental health down 25% Organisational healthcheck Light touch audit Support Interviews Disclosure 8 complete 8 in progress Employee survey Policy and practices Practical steps Lived experience Organisational culture Anonymous 4

5 Organisational workshops Running anti-stigma activity Running an internal comms campaign Managing disclosure Five ways to wellbeing Mindfulness Stress management Emotional resilience Peer Learning Network 4 regionally based networks bringing together cross sector organisations 50% Time to Change alumni, 50% new organisations Aimed at line managers and HR professionals Opportunity to share and promote good practice with regard to mental health in the workplace Aim that the networks are self sustaining in the longer term 5

6 Lessons learned There is an incredible appetite for the offers Ensure activity is meaningful and that staff are engaged Senior buy-in within organisations adds impact Feedback to organisations has a times been difficult Good policies and procedures do not always mean good practice Quality of line management is critical Sharing best practice from industry leaders Looking forward Cross government pledge signing on WMHD Involvement of MPs as small employers Partnership with NUS to reach student unions High interest of finance sector Develop dialogue across faith communities Use new technology for activity delivery 6

7 Taking Care of Business Mind s long-term campaign to address attitudes to mental health in the workplace Phase 1 promoting simple steps to help people be more mentally healthy at work Phase 2 creating a safe space for employers and employees to talk about these issues Phase 3 changing behavior by giving people confidence, skills and tools to create mentally healthy workplaces and taking people on a journey to achieve this Taking Care of Business Getting employers on board Focus groups with employers prior to launch helped us to understand people s needs and test our messaging Reviewed messaging after launch to avoid reinforcing negative stereotypes about cost to business. Now linked to positive benefits for all staff e.g. motivation, productivity and employee engagement Key learning Test your tone and messaging with employers Develop positive messaging that applies to all. This helps combat negative stereotypes and mainstreams the issue 7

8 Top-down or bottom-up? It s both! Behaviour change campaign focused on line managers and HR professionals Strategic alliance with key partners to get senior buy-in Key learning Segment your audience Build momentum with complementary activity Getting employers on board Focus groups with employers prior to launch helped us to understand people s needs and test our messaging Reviewed messaging after launch to avoid reinforcing negative stereotypes about cost to business. Now linked to positive benefits for all staff e.g. motivation, productivity and employee engagement Key learning Test your tone and messaging with employers Develop positive messaging that applies to all. This helps combat negative stereotypes and mainstreams the issue 8

9 Taking people on a journey Resources simple, inexpensive, practical tips to build employers confidence. Peer reviewed by line managers and HR Webinars digital platform to increase reach and experts by experience as speakers Ongoing communications drip feed and maintain momentum through regular e-newsletters, web content etc Key learning Ask warm contacts to review your resources Bring the issue to life with experts by experience and case studies Our key lessons to share Understand your target and position yourself as an ally Think carefully about messaging and tone keep it positive Use warm contacts to test out messaging and review any resources you produce Make sure tips and guidance are simple, practical and relevant Put people s experiences at the heart of what you are doing Facilitate people sharing what worked for them with others employers like to hear from other employers what works 9

10 Thank you 10