Mental health at a high level | IMPAC health and safety

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Businesses are increasingly looking for ways to improve the mental health and wellbeing of their employees. But, according to the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum, leaders are often unsure what they should be doing in this space.

The Forum has published a guide for CEOs and organisations, to help them make sense of their role in managing mental health and wellbeing at work. It was developed by Dr Hillary Bennett, a health and safety leadership expert, with input from Forum executives and CEOs.

The guide’s four approaches to mental health and wellbeing. Source: CEO guide.

The guide’s framework breaks down how to manage workplace mental health with four approaches:

Protect

The aim is to identify risks to mental health and wellbeing, then eliminate or minimise at the source where practicable.

Foster

The aim is to develop the mental health and wellbeing of individuals and teams.

Reclaim

The aim is to restore the mental health and wellbeing of individuals and teams.

Support

The aim is to provide access to appropriate workplace and clinical support.

The guide goes on to offer an assessment checklist, where CEOs can rate how well they’re demonstrating mental health practices and discover the areas that they could focus on and improve.

Companies prioritising mental health

More and more stories are emerging about companies prioritising the mental health and wellbeing of their employees.

According to NZ Herald, Xero has launched a new wellbeing leave policy, which allows their staff to take personal leave for their wellbeing and mental health.

A Countdown press release has announced that 100 team members will undertake extensive training by the end of October to help them in understanding and recognising the signs of mental illness, and how to approach and talk to team members who may be impacted.

The company has appointed eight trainers across New Zealand who will run workshops from the New Year, a dedicated confidential 0800 number available 24/7 to support team experiencing mental health, and unlimited, free counselling that is confidential and independent.

How we can help

A key aspect of mental health initiatives coming from the top down is that everyone in an organisation feels comfortable speaking up and coming forward and that employers provide an environment that's free from bullying, harassment, and discrimination.

IMPAC health and safety software has a module to address these types of events. The module provides:

• A confidential reporting mechanism for all staff
• Multiple options for the type of events including bullying, psychological distress, harassment, discrimination, whistle blowing, and more
• Secure pathways and notifications to specialist internal and external contact points

The benefits include:

• The secure reporting shows you care and builds trust with employees
• Increased confidence for employees and management
• Encouraging a culture of accountability and respect
• Better communication with employees

We call it the Sensitive Events Module and if you’re keen to know more, call our team on 0800 427 664 for a no-strings-attached chat to see if it’s right for your business.