Today marks World Mental Health Day and this years theme set by the World Federation for Mental Health is ‘Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority’.
In the construction industry alone, stress, depression and anxiety are the second biggest cause of work-related ill health, so let today be a gentle reminder to encourage honest conversations in the workplace and create that safe space for your employees to start talking. You never know just how beneficial a 5 – 10 minute conversation could be for someone, so make sure you’re recognising the signs and creating an approachable environment for all.
Not only will it hugely benefit your employees own health and wellbeing, but taking the necessary action to help prevent work-related stress will mean your business will see less sickness absences and a boost in morale which in turn, will help to improve staff productivity.
As an employer, whilst it is your legal duty to protect your employees from stress in the workplace, it is not your responsibility to diagnose or treat the stress – this would need to be referred to an appropriate GP, occupational health team etc.
If you’re still unsure on how best to start that initial conversation with a member of staff, the HSE have some fantastic resources including Talking Toolkits which offer various conversation templates that can be downloaded in PDF format.
Never underestimate the power of a simple conversation.