Mental health

Creating a mentally healthy workplace is a shared responsibility. All staff have a role to play. As the driver of workplace culture, you must actively participate in creating a mentally healthy workplace and set the tone for your team. Without a supportive culture, your efforts are likely to fall short of making a real impact. 

A workplace mental health strategy will provide your team with a shared vision of, and commitment to, positive mental health where everyone feels comfortable to speak openly without fear of stigma or discrimination. This creates a culture of respect and inclusivity.

5 stages of building a workplace mental health strategy for your team²

1. Building the foundation - You play a key role in changing workplace culture and reducing stigma. You set the standards and tone for your team. Leaders who champion the values of mentally healthy workplaces are likely to act in ways that support positive mental health. This includes understanding mental health terms.
2. Identifying opportunities - Decide how you will benchmark success and then gather feedback from your team. For example, what are you doing well and what are your opportunities? Using data is critical: it measures your baseline, identifies your team’s unique risks and opportunities, and is key to building your strategy and ensuring you are focusing your efforts in the right place. 
3. Set priorities and objectives - Set priorities and objectives that are targeted and measurable, around the opportunities you identified. Your mental health strategy should align with your workplace’s mission, vision and values and should focus on total well-being (such as mental health, physical health and financial health).
4. Take action - Data and insights will tell you what your strategy needs to address. Some examples could include mandatory team training and implementing policies and practices for supporting employee and client mental health.
5. Re-evaluate - A focus on mental health is an ongoing effort, not a one-time occurrence. Having an ongoing review process is critical as your teams’ needs - and effective strategies - may change over time.