Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace Sarah Williams Cardiff Mind

Why is mental health important? It improves the quality of our lives To have healthy relationships To maintain our responsibilities To make good life choices To maintain physical health and well-being To handle the natural ups and downs of life To discover and grow toward our potential To develop positive and sustainable coping mechanisms To stop a mental health illness developing

Statistics 1 in 4 1 in 6 at any one time 1 in 12 adults currently being treated for asthma 53% of Welsh women experience low levels of mental illness The Office for National Statistics found that in 2013, 6,233 suicides were recorded in the UK for people aged 15 and older. Of these, 78% were male and 22% were female In the UK, mental illness is responsible for the largest burden of disease– 28% of the total burden, compared to 16% each for cancer and heart disease

Why is mental health important? Mental health conditions cost UK employers an estimated £26 billion a year: Absenteeism (£8.4 billion) Presenteeism (£15.1 billion) Staff-turnover (£2.4 billion)

Striking the right balance Compensation Claims Political Correctness Friend Empathy Human Professional Sympathy Colleagues The Future Targets Personal Beliefs Team Morale Business Needs Setting a Precedence

Physical Health Mental Health Intrinsic part of health and safety regulations Not many organisations have a stress management policy Work related injury = not the employee’s fault Work related stress = the person ‘can’t cope as well as others’ Medication and physiotherapy will cure the problem Self-help tools are needed Easier for managers to communicate to an individual – matter-of-factly Emotions come into the conversation, especially if there is visible upset People can see the problem People can not see the problem An end to the problem can often be seen (e.g. broken leg) Worries and concerns by the manager will often remain for the remainder of the employment Managers will be able to know limitations of the role in consideration of the illness Managers may be unsure of a person’s limitation

How can you become a Mentally Health organisation? Training and education Awareness Raising Workplace agreements Talking about mental health in team meetings Time to Change talks Fundraising Having a Mental Health First Aider on site Understanding reasonable adjustments

Reasonable Adjustments

Reasonable Adjustments – Mental Health Allowing the person to concentrate on a specific piece of work Same amount of breaks but in shorter, more frequent chunks Flexibility – some mental health conditions can be sporadic and episodic Training for other staff Adjusting the environment of the workplace Mentoring; coaching; peer support Mental well-being work agreement

Available Training Mental Health First Aid Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training Mental Health Awareness Suicide Awareness Self Harm Awareness Basic Listening Skills Stress Awareness Mental Health at Work for Managers

Mental Health First Aid Fear of insulting someone Fear of not understanding Fear of the response Signs and Symptoms Empathy A process to follow which can be documented

How to cope Remembering our own mental health Diet Exercise Communicating Social network Awareness of self Positive coping mechanisms Daily routine – including sleep patterns Understanding your own limitations

Thank you Any questions….