Employee mental health: How and why HR & L&D can improve it

Employee mental health is now crucial to business success.  

Happy employees are 13% more productive, according to this Oxford study.  

On the flip side, one in four British and German employees are considering leaving their jobs, which can cost their employers up to twice their annual salaries.

The good news is that there are practical steps H&R and L&D professionals can take to improve employee mental health.  

This goes from individual efforts supporting employees with mental health issues to large-scale cultural reform.  

This article will explore these concrete actions alongside expert insight from Gijs Coppens, founder of the mental health support platform OpenUp.

Why organisations are investing in employee mental health

While previous generations ignored mental health issues – in fact, most health issues – in the workplace, there has been a swing towards businesses actively supporting mental health.  

This isn’t out of charity, however, but practicality.  

In an increasingly competitive business environment, workplace wellbeing strategies can offer a key strategic advantage.

Replacing an employee is expensive, both financially and in man-hours.  

Despite the obvious benefits of employee retention, however, more than 1/3 of workers under 45 years old are thinking about leaving their jobs even if they don’t have new ones lined up. Likewise, almost one in five employees last year had absences due to mental health.

This offers a clear opportunity for a competitive advantage.  

Businesses that invest in supporting employee mental health can see lower turnover and absenteeism.  

As our exploration on the ROI of Learning and Development revealed, investing in employee wellbeing isn’t something nice to do for your workers but something to improve results.  

The impact of mental wellbeing initiatives on an organisation

The question of how to improve employee mental health is complex but solving it offers clear rewards.  

Bain and Company found that 65% of employees are more likely to stay with an organisation that prioritises their wellbeing.  

More importantly, supported employees are more likely to be engaged employees, which is another huge advantage over competitors. For instance, Gallup found that higher employee engagement comes with a 21% increase in productivity.  

That’s a great incentive for HR & LD departments to take action to support mental wellbeing at work, both on an individual and a cultural level.

Supporting employees with mental health issues: best practices

Let’s start with the specific things that help employees who are experiencing mental health issues.  

An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), which offers confidential counselling, is a valuable, but underused tool.

Around 88% of UK employers offer an EAP, but only about 5% of employees have used the EAP.  

Clearly, there’s room to encourage employees’ use of this resource. A big obstacle for EAPs and other mental health support is stigma.  

Employees need to know that leadership, from the very top down to their line managers, support mental health initiatives.  

There is great power in leaders who show up as a role model, and it indicates a fundamental characteristic of inclusive leadership.

Leaders need to ensure that employees know that their leaders want them to use every mental health resource available – and that their jobs are secure if they do!  

After this is established, it’s useful to ensure access to coaching, including by offering flexible scheduling where it’s possible.  

That can mean letting people flex time to see a therapist or deal with an ongoing episode.  

How to work at scale to improve employee mental health

Making sure these tools are used can require some large-scale initiatives.  

First and foremost is training managers and HR.  

Some HR professionals have no training in employee wellbeing, and a surprising number of managers have no people management training at all.  

You need to be sure that each person in the chain understands both the larger goals and the steps needed to get there.  

There’s also an important role for L&D. Outside of the proven psychological benefits of learning something new, many learnable skills contribute directly to mental health.  

Resilience is an example of one of these teachable skills and can be a hugely positive factor in wellbeing.

Steps towards building a culture of mental wellbeing at work

Psychological safety is a key factor to mental wellbeing, but that spans a broad range of topics in the workplace.  

And the first step towards achieving this, is normalising conversations around wellbeing and mental health.

Employees need to know that they can discuss these issues openly, and that they won’t endanger their standing by using mental health resources.  

One fear to be quashed is that taking advantage of EAP or flexible policies will lead to not being considered for raises or promotions.  

Though it’s not directly related to employee mental wellbeing, transparency about promotions and firings also goes a long way towards fostering a sense of security in employees.

Employees themselves can become a key ally, or a peer influencer.  

It can be helpful for employees to hear about other employees’ positive experiences. These influencers can help promote a culture of safety as easily as they promote a culture of learning.  

Expert insight: takeaways from OpenUp founder Gijs Coppens

Last year, our GoodHabitz podcast Moving Forward featured an interview with Gijs Coppens, who founded OpenUp, a platform about mental health.  

It’s given him a unique perspective on how approaches to mental health have changed and continues to change.  

He discussed what mental wellbeing means in the modern workplace.

Gijs said:

We all have a scale of mental wellbeing. There are days where we don’t feel that energised and days where we feel empowered. It’s very important that we make it normal to talk about mental wellbeing.

Gijs believes that mental health is an important part of success, both on a personal level and on a business level.  

Luckily, we’re in an era that is paying increasingly more attention to mental health, including at work.  

Gen Z, especially, is prominent in both driving the conversation and conquering the challenges of work-life balance.  

It’s time to act on employee mental health

In a time of so many business challenges, a mental wellbeing programme can offer a competitive edge.  

It is correlated to increased performance, less sick leave, and improved employee retention. Plus, it can be an important support during a difficult time.

HR leaders can help by fostering a culture of wellbeing and making sure employees have the resources they need.  

L&D leaders can ensure that all employees have access to learning programmes that engage while teaching resiliency.  

Curious about what this could look like?  

GoodHabitz has an array of engaging wellbeing programmes, such as our stress management learning content, to help employees learn and grow.

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