Guide for managers to support mental health at work

CIPD and Mind have today launched a free downloadable guide for managers to support mental health at work:

This revised mental health guide for managers was jointly developed by mental health charity Mind and the CIPD to improve support for those experiencing stress and mental health issues at work. It also sets out the practical steps that employers can take to create a mentally healthy workplace and help prevent poor psychological well-being in the first place.

This guidance, People managers’ guide to mental health, contains information, practical advice and templates to help managers facilitate conversations about stress and poor mental health. The aim is to put in place support so employees can stay well and in work – meaning they perform at their best for the business while the employer retains talent and expertise.

We first produced the guide in 2011 but have reviewed and updated it for 2018 in line with developments in both employment and how organisations manage mental health at work. During our research with employers to inform this work in 2011, there was a clear demand for specific guidance on disclosure to be embedded within general guidance on mental health in the workplace. As such, the guide addresses the whole lifecycle of employment, from recruitment, through keeping people well and managing a disability or ill health at work, to supporting people to return to work after a period of absence. It contains information, practical advice and templates to help managers facilitate conversations about stress and mental health issues and put in place support so employees can stay well and in work – meaning they perform at their best for the business while the employer retains talent and expertise.

Who is the guide for?

We know employers come in all shapes and sizes, with different working practices and environments. This guide is designed to support anyone involved in managing people, from line managers in large organisations to owner-managers of small firms. We also hope it will be a useful professional resource for HR and occupational health teams. Please note that we are not providing legal advice, but practical guidance – employers may also need to obtain their own legal advice on the approach to take in any particular case. While the contexts will differ, we hope the principles, checklists and practical templates for facilitating conversations about mental health will be useful across the board and easily adaptable for different workplace environments and relationships. The guide can be used both as a handy outline for individual managers to consult in their day-to-day roles and incorporated into HR policies and practices to be integrated across teams and organisations.

Download:

People managers’ guide to mental health

Guide for managers to support mental health at work