Is Time To Change at your workplace?

Is Time To Change at your workplace?

You will notice common threads in my blogs: counselling in the workplace, workplace stress and promoting mental health to employers- it’s of huge interest to me. In a former life I was a line manager- I saw people suffer in silence and engaged with these people when I saw this happening. Outcomes varied; some were happy to just to be heard, others wanted coping strategies and some did not want to know about the help I could offer, because it meant changing ingrained habits and hard work. Resistance to change ultimately meant their lives at work continued to be filled with frustration and their motivations to succeed dwindled. It made for poor staff relations and difficult working environments.

If you are not ready to change then being offered solutions and alternatives can feel overwhelming, unwanted and pointless, even when the ‘helper’ means well and can see your struggle.

Times are changing, and the Government published a Green Paper in 2017 entitled ‘Thriving At Work,’ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thriving-at-work-a-review-of-mental-health-and-employers

It makes the recommendation that employers are going to be held accountable for their employee’s mental health in the coming years. Why is this important? It outlines the following aims for employers:

• Produce, implement and communicate a mental health at work plan;
• Develop mental health awareness among employees;
• Encourage open conversations about mental health and the support available when employees are struggling;
• Provide employees with good working conditions and ensure they have a healthy work/life balance and opportunities for development;
• Promote effective people management through line managers and supervisors;
• Routinely monitor employee mental health and wellbeing

(Stevenson & Farmer, 2017)

Is there evidence of this happening in your workplace already and how is your company implementing this?

If not, has reading this made you concerned or frustrated that your employers are not doing enough to support you and the rest of their staff?

Time to Change is a charity spearheading the mental health revolution in the workplace, as well as in communities. Their mission is to reduce the stigma around mental health concerns. They offer support to employers and employees alike and are currently urging companies to sign up and commit to changes that promote positive mental health in the workplace. If you feel your company could benefit from joining the revolution then please click below and take the step to pass the information on to your line manager, MD or HR department: https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/get-involved/get-your-workplace-involved/