Whether you’re a seasoned leader or a budding apprentice, regardless of your background, age, or neurotype, mental health knows no bounds.
Anyone, at any point, can face challenges with mental well-being. It does not discriminate.
Work can sometimes be a trigger, but often it can also serve as a steadying anchor.
One undeniable fact:
Globally, mental health challenges are escalating, so they are bound to manifest at work.
Today’s leaders need to recognise the subtle signs when someone on their team is struggling. They also need the knowledge & empathy to take the right actions.
Our Mental Health Specialist and Axiom Associate, Sharon Pegg, generously shares these insights for leaders, managers, and anyone in a supervisory role.
Signs to look out for
Its important to look out for subtle changes in behaviour, for example:
- A deterioration in performance
- Heightened emotional responses or quick temperedness
- A shift in attitude towards work or generally complaining more
- Struggling to grasp new skills or with tasks previously handled with ease
What are the next steps
If you have recognised that someone in your team is struggling, you could:
- Ask how they are and hang around for the answer
- If they shrug it off or say ‘I’m fine’, ask again: ‘How are you really?’
- Listen and encourage them. Be there when they are ready to share
Promote a positive Mental Health Culture
Promoting a positive Mental health culture in your organisation is essential for work productivity and reduces absences. You can do this by:
- Stopping using ‘how are you?’ merely as a greeting – it devalues the question, so others rarely give an answer.
- Sharing your personal experiences – this normalises talking about Mental health amongst your team.
- Taking a Mental Health First Aid Course and promoting training – it signals that you see value in this learning and those who do it.
- Understanding and knowing the resources available to you and others – there is so much supports available, but its important to know what your organisation offers, most have more that their people realise.
- Knowing when to and how to escalate matters – the moment you get the sense the scenario needs professional support, escalate matters. This is too important to not get it right.
At Axiom, we have a wide range of employee wellbeing and mental health training workshops that give you the tools to help your colleagues thrive. Reach out today!
