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Promoting mental health at work does not have to be difficult

Published by
December 18, 2019

Who is responsible for the mental health of employees? And what do you do as an employer or colleague when an employee is unwell and it affects their work? Workplaces need to know how to deal with mental health problems, as they affect both the individual and the whole working environment. Fortunately, it doesn't have to be as difficult as many people think, says Professor Tony LaMontagne, who has been working on the subject for 12 years.

One of your colleagues hasn't really been herself lately and you're worried that she's having a hard time. What do you say to her? Do you even dare to say anything?

- Most well-meaning people want to say the right thing and be supportive in that situation, but sometimes they say nothing for fear of saying the wrong thing. This is where increased knowledge about mental health can be a big help, says Tony LaMontagne.

He is a professor of work-related health and wellbeing at the Center for Population Health Research at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. He has been researching mental health in the workplace for the past 12 years, during which time the focus on the topic has grown steadily. 'This is good, because mental health problems are widespread in the working population and workplaces need to know how to deal with them,' says Tony LaMontagne.

- In any given year, about one in five employed people will experience mental health problems. Most of these are fairly mild, such as a short period of anxiety, stress or depressive symptoms, and a small percentage will be severely affected by illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression.

Not a sign of weakness

In some cases, stressors at work can cause mental health problems to develop or worsen, and other times the problems are not job-related, says Tony LaMontagne.

- Whatever the cause, however, they will manifest themselves on the job, which can of course affect the individual's ability to work and productivity, as well as impacting colleagues. Therefore, it is important that workplaces are able to understand and address mental health problems," he says. An important step towards this is to have sufficient knowledge about mental health in the workplace. In English, researchers call this 'mental health literacy'.

- This means raising awareness that mental health problems are common and can usually be treated and managed. "Mental illnesses tend to be more stigmatized than physical illnesses and seen as a sign of personal weakness, but they are not, and this is important knowledge," says Tony LaMontagne, adding that having adequate knowledge about mental health also includes the ability to seek or offer help when you or a colleague is struggling:

- If you are experiencing mental health problems yourself, it is important to know who you can go to for support or help. This could be temporary support, such as talking to a trusted colleague, or it could be going to your doctor and getting a referral for counseling or treatment.

Do not diagnose

- If you are concerned about a colleague who seems depressed and not quite like themselves, it is important to know how to express your concern and support them. For example, it's not advisable to try to diagnose the person if you're not a psychologist or psychiatrist, but it's okay to say something like: 'You don't seem quite yourself, are you okay? Most people will appreciate that kind of support, says the professor. Mental health awareness is relevant for everyone in the workplace, but as a manager, some aspects need to be explored in more depth, explains Tony LaMontagne.

- Workplaces have a legal responsibility to provide employees with a safe and healthy working environment, and different legislation can come into play when employees are affected by mental health problems. As an employer, you need to be aware of this responsibility. At the same time, it is the manager's job to make sure that the work gets done, and the individual's situation. At the same time, it is also important that managers know how to direct the employee to professional help if needed. These are some of the skills we teach managers through the courses we offer at Beyondblue.

Knowledge is not enough

Tony LaMontagne has been Professor of Work-related Health and Wellbeing at the Centre for Population Health Research at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, since 2014. Since 2016, he has also been the Director of the Center. - He holds a doctorate in occupational and environmental health from the Harvard School of Public Health and has been involved in workplace mental health since 2006 when he joined the McCaughey VicHealth Center for Community Wellbeing at the University of Melbourne's School of Population and Global Health as Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the McCaughey VicHealth Center for Community Wellbeing.

Beyondblue is an Australian national organization that works to raise awareness of mental health issues and offers support and resources to deal with them. Tony LaMontagne works with the organization on the mental health in the workplace program, which has inspired Danish researchers, among others, in their work in this area.

- Beyondblue's initiatives have helped to change the societal norm in a positive direction in terms of being able to talk about mental health and to increase people's knowledge that mental health problems are very common and not a personal defect. So they have made a difference," he says. Research shows that dissemination of knowledge is important in equipping workplaces to deal with mental health problems, but that knowledge alone is not enough.

- We have good evidence that giving people information about mental health increases their knowledge, awareness and attitudes towards it. When it comes to changing behavior, the evidence is not quite as strong. We can see that it is difficult to influence the stigma of mental health problems, and this makes sense if you look at other types of stigma, such as racial discrimination. Changing racist attitudes is no small task, and similarly, changing norms in a workplace where tolerance for mental health problems is low can take sustained effort," LaMontagne adds:

- The culture and norms of a workplace can influence employee behavior, and this is an argument for targeting mental health knowledge to employers and managers so that the messages come from the top down and are tailored to empower employees and change their attitudes and behaviors as needed. In his work helping companies to prevent and manage mental health problems, Tony LaMontagne has been at the forefront of formulating what he calls an integrated approach. It is based on the latest knowledge and experience in the field and has inspired the work of researchers on mental health at work in a number of countries, including Denmark.

Three key areas

- 'The integrated approach is our attempt to boil down a complex topic into simple and accessible information on what it takes to promote mental health in the workplace,' explains Tony LaMontagne. The approach consists of three key areas:

- Number one is to protect employees as much as possible from work-related risk factors. Psychosocial stressors in particular have been shown to be detrimental to mental health. These include, for example, the combination of high demands and low control over one's own work, long working hours, lack of social support, job insecurity and bullying," says the professor.

- Number two is to promote positive factors at work. There has been little focus on this area and, unlike numbers one and three, there is no legal obligation for the workplace to take action. However, this area has great potential and research has shown that promoting positive factors has a lasting positive effect on employee wellbeing, while also providing a buffer against stressors. Examples of actions include strengthening good relationships in the workplace and empowering individuals to do more of the work they are passionate about," explains Tony LaMontagne.

- Number three is dealing with mental health problems when they appear at work. Here, as mentioned above, employers need to have sufficient knowledge to be able to recognize possible signs of problems, express their observations appropriately and offer support to the employee.

Many are already doing it

In Tony LaMontagne's experience, the integrated approach makes mental health work easier for employers. They often realize that getting better at tackling mental health issues in the workplace doesn't have to be as difficult as they thought, he says.

- Many workplaces are already doing much of what we recommend. Conscientious managers may not have been trained in mental health in the workplace, but they can be good at creating a work environment where employees have the resources, skills and support they need to do their jobs in a way that is satisfying for themselves and for management. That's a big step," says Tony LaMontagne, adding:

- Investing in improving people management skills as an employer and manager is likely to have a positive impact on both the business and the mental health of the workplace. The integrated approach emphasizes the ability of managers to work with people. For example: How can you best support them while having other obligations as their boss? How do you give constructive and motivating feedback instead of harsh criticism? How do you best deal with conflicts between employees? And how do you create a culture where people are engaged in their work, but at the same time feel free to talk to you about how they are feeling?

Tony LaMontagne stresses that there is no 'one size fits all' approach to mental health in the workplace. - Companies have different starting points, and some may need to start with a simple program that can be expanded over time. In the workplace, you can think of it as planting a small tree with three branches that gradually get more and more nourishment until it becomes an appropriate and more comprehensive program that makes you a mentally healthy workplace.

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