Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, employers are under a statutory duty to safeguard the health, safety and wellbeing of their staff. Often overlooked, this duty extends to their mental health and safety. Simple and practical steps can have a substantial impact on employees’ mental wellbeing. Supporting your employees is not only a statutory duty and the right thing to do, but it can also have substantial business benefits, including improved health, morale, productivity and profitability. Taking small, preventative steps can improve staff wellbeing.

What Steps Can I Take?

(1) Create a supportive and open culture. Employers and line managers can set an example by raising and discussing mental health issues with staff, with the aim of ‘normalising’ the topic. This, in turn, can encourage staff to ‘open up’ and discuss their own concerns. Employers can run mental health campaigns, display posters and have informal conversations (not just formal, work-related discussions). This will encourage staff to raise issues freely and openly.

(2) Train managers. Having daily contact with employees, managers are often the best people to detect early signs of problems. They can have regular informal conversations and signpost employees towards help. A supportive manager can work wonders.

(3) Promote a work-life balance. Discourage out-of-hours emails, promote regular breaks, and consider or promote homeworking or hybrid working policies, subject to the operational needs of the business.

(4) Provide and promote access to counselling services.

(5) Draft a clear and simple policy or procedure to communicate expectations and seek staff feedback, ensuring employees know who to speak to, how to do it and that confidentiality is maintained.

(6) Organise team-building activities to build trust and confidence between staff and management. The greater the trust, the more likely employees are to raise concerns.

Your employees are your biggest and most valuable asset. Looking after their physical and mental wellbeing will positively impact the business and lead to business improvements. Small, simple and practical steps can have big results. Contact the Quest Health and Safety Helpline on 01455 852 028 for advice and information.