The Mental Health Network annual conference and exhibition 2017 took place on Thursday 16 March. In May, the Mental Health Foundation is going to look at mental health from a new angle. Rather than ask why so many people are living with mental health problems, they will seek to uncover why too few people are thriving with good mental health. With people struggling to cope with the demands of life, they will explore:
- how many of us are surviving or thriving, and the difference between the two
- why some communities are under strain and what government can do
- steps we can take to look after our mental health, building resilience to cope with the demands of life.
It should be clear that mental health is becoming a much more high profile issue, and within the working environment, it is developing resilience that employers are increasingly beginning to start to focus on.
Resilience can be defined as the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, because it is rare for individuals never to be confronted with adversity or challenging circumstances during the course of their lifetime. People who are resilient tend to be able to harness their inner strengths and resources to rebound quickly and more fully from setbacks It can help you to boost your own levels of confidence and well-being.
Some people may be more biologically predisposed toward being resilient. The good news is that resilience is not a trait that people either have or do not have – it involves thoughts, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours that can be learned.
There a number of very simple strategies that individuals can take to prevent stress and mental illness, albeit some of them are harder to do than intend:
- Good nutrition and exercise.
- Sufficient sleep and relaxation.
- Prayer and/or meditation.
- A good social support network.
- Assertiveness and conflict resolution skills.
- Taking holidays and avoiding excessive prolonged working hours.
Most of these strategies can be accomplished without any input from the employer, and can be termed lifestyle, or behaviour choices.
It matters to employers because according to Robertson & Cooper, renowned business psychologists, in their Good Day at Work website, employees higher on psychological well-being:
- Show greater flexibility and originality.
- Respond better to unfavourable feedback.
- Make more positive judgements about others.
- Show higher levels of “Engagement” and productivity.
- Are likely to live longer … be sick less often … and have happier work and home life.
It is also important to remember that workplace factors have a big influence, particularly the degree that the employees has control over the demands made on them and suitable support from colleagues, boss and the employer.
Self development and training alone is not enough to change a culture. Training in resilience should not be seen as a sticking plaster, covering up organisational weaknesses. Poor job design needs to be addressed. Targets and deadlines need to be realistic. Senior people must not condone a bullying culture which disregards organisational dignity at work policies. Resilience should be seen as part of your organisational wellbeing approach, which ought to include most of these strategies:
- Develop your employees’ creative problem solving skills.
- Provide training in handling difficult situations and dealing with conflict.
- A pleasant physical working environment (e.g. good lighting, seating, etc.).
- Promote healthy behaviour in the workplace e.g. healthy eating and exercise.
- Provide training for employees and managers to recognise, and take early action, to ameliorate conditions that can produce stress.
- Support employees with mental health problems (and other health issues).
The guidance provided in this article is just that – guidance. Before taking any action make sure that you know what you are doing, or call us for specific advice.
