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This year, Monday 16th January 2023 may be referred to as ‘Blue Monday’. What is the origin story behind the phenomenon, and how will it impact HR professionals’ understanding of workplace wellbeing throughout the year?

It’s a brand-new year, and for many people following a refreshing break to recharge their batteries, this means an exciting, fresh new start. For others, however, this period can be one of the most downbeat in the calendar. Hence the phenomenon ‘Blue Monday’, referring to the third Monday of January which is supposedly the most depressing day of the year.

Blue Monday is often perceived as the day when absences from work are most common. There is no statistical evidence of this – ‘Blue Monday’ as it is now known was first coined by Sky Travel in a 2005 press release that claimed the company had calculated the date using an “equation” – but it is a pertinent reminder of the glum feelings people can be experiencing during this time.

A lot of progress has been made in recent years whereby mental health no longer plays second fiddle to physical health. One in four of us experience mental health issues at some point in our lives, and with the workplace being the biggest cause of stress and anxiety in people’s lives, it’s important for HR departments and business leaders to take action. While encouraging openness about our struggles in the workplace shouldn’t just coincide with events like this, if you feel like there’s room to ramp up the support you’re giving for your employees’ wellbeing, now is a great time to start.

But what can HR professionals and employers do to identify and look to help people who are going through a tough time? We don’t all need to be mental health experts, but there are some simple, yet effective ways to offer support.

Check-in with your team regularly

HR and business leaders need to create a culture of openness and set up ways that enable them to identify signs of ill mental health before they become a more serious issue. If you’re utilising an HR system, you can set up online pulse surveys which collect data on how team members are feeling, meaning you can identify negative feelings early. You will likely have a structure of routine 1:1 meetings with employees to discuss their performance, but consider doing these in a more informal fashion, too.

This will help to encourage them to be more open and honest about their feelings. By spotting any issues earlier on, you can provide support that works towards alleviating them, and avoiding a more intense, anxiety-inducing situation for the employee of a more formal meeting, particularly if their worries have spiralled to a point that is impacting their performance.

Mental health training for team leaders and managers

If you think an employee is struggling, you should notify their line manager as soon as possible so they can point them in the direction of the support they need. If need be, they can consider adjusting workloads, as well as paying closer attention to their situation, so that further help can be offered if it is necessary.

Many organisations are developing their managers and team leaders by encouraging them to complete mental health training courses. This equips them with the specialist skills they need to support individuals at work, and they can be the ones who colleagues are referred to if it’s felt they need support.

If you’re looking to train people in your organisation this way, there is a variety of free resources available. The mental health charity, Mind, provides a number of training options – from online courses to in-house sessions, as well as a variety of on-demand online courses, guides, and webinars.

Employee wellness benefits

Mental health support such as free counselling or therapy sessions can be offered through employee benefits packages. Providing this gives employees the ability to seek support with privacy and could make a massive difference to those unable to access these services elsewhere. Offerings like this should be clearly signposted so that all employees are aware they have support available, whenever they need it.

Businesses could also consider adopting hybrid and flexible working arrangements, as these can also help with alleviating stress by allowing employees to adjust their work/life balance.

HR software can help too…

HR technology, such as Natural HR, is equipped with absence management modules that give HR professionals the tools to identify when employees are potentially struggling with their mental health. This function helps to better understand absence records, identify trends, and reduce employee absenteeism.

It can also help manage absences in the event they do happen. To learn more about this, download our free guide.

Beyond this, HR software also has capabilities for monitoring employee engagement and employee sentiment, all of which can provide early indicators of the mental health and wellbeing of the team.

If you’re looking to provide greater support to employees around the January blues and beyond, it’s important you have all the tools at your disposal for identifying issues as early as possible, as well as streamlining other day-to-day processes in order to focus on what matters most: the people.

If you’d like to read more about combating anxiety in the workplace, access our free webinar.

If you’d like to find out how Natural HR can help you support your employees’ mental health and much more, book a demo for free today.

Expert webinars on workplace wellbeing

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Anxiety and stress in the workplace: How HR can combat modern pressure

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The post Taking Care of Employee Wellbeing to Tackle Blue Monday and Beyond appeared first on Natural HR.

October marked ‘World Mental Health Day’, on 10th October, with an extremely important theme of ‘making mental health and well-being for all a global priority.’ 

The past few years have marked a significant turning point where mental health is no longer considered secondary to physical health. With one in four experiencing mental health problems at some point in their lives, and work being the biggest cause of stress and anxiety in people’s lives, it’s time to act. 

It shouldn’t just be in tandem with a national day that we encourage more openness about how we feel in the workplace, but HR professionals should also reassess the strategy in place to help employees experiencing difficulties. 

Mental health problems can be hard to spot, especially in large organisations with many employees. But it’s now HR’s responsibility to proactively check in with teams, identify staff members who need support and act before more problems arise.  

What can HR leaders do to make a difference?

1. Mental health support training 

 Invest in your team’s professional development by offering to send staff on mental health training courses. This will better equip them with the specialist skills they need to support individuals at work. 

Mind, the mental health charity, offers a number of training options – from online courses to in-house sessions. Take a look here. 

2. Regular check-ins with employees 

HR teams need to create an open line of communication with employees to ensure they can identify early signs of ill mental health. Online pulse surveys – shared through your HR system – can collect data on team sentiment and help you catch negative feelings early on. You should also strive to have regular face-to-face meetings, but make sure these are informal to encourage employees to feel comfortable speaking to you freely. 

Formal meetings with multiple colleagues and senior management can trigger feelings of anxiety and should be avoided at all costs. 

3. Internal training for line managers 

If you identify a team member who is struggling, it’s important to alert their line manager straight away and ensure they are appropriately trained to support individuals by adjusting workloads and looking out for other signs, which may lead to referring them for further help. 

There are many free resources available to help train team members. You can visit Mind’s Mental Health at Work website for online courses, guides, and webinars to help build a training programme. 

4. Employee benefits 

You can add mental health support to your benefits packages, such as free counselling or therapy sessions. This additional offering could make a massive difference to employees who may not be able to access these services elsewhere. If you can offer this, make sure everyone is aware of this benefit and that it should be utilised whenever it’s needed.

Flexible working arrangements can also help alleviate stress by allowing employees to adjust their work/life balance. 

5. Use HR tech to pick up on patterns

HR solutions, like Natural HR, have absence management modules which can help identify when employees could be struggling with mental health. This technology will help you to better understand absence records and set to resolve and reduce employee absenteeism.

The role of HR is evolving. Mental health should now be a priority for every HR department within an organisation. Listen to our webinar on combating anxiety in the workplace to learn more.

Tracking absenteeism could be the gateway to better understanding employee mental health. If you’re interested in learning more about Natural HR’s absence management feature, book a demo with our team today.

The post HR’s role in managing employee mental health in the workplace appeared first on Natural HR.

The topic has been at the forefront of everything to do with wellbeing recently, with nature being the theme for this year’s mental health awareness week. To better understand how the wilderness can enhance our emotions, we got in touch with the Founder of PsycHR, Helen Pericleous.

Helen kindly sat down with us to discuss three of her top strategies on how nature can be incorporated into your own wellbeing and the workplace in order to improve your own physical and emotional state of mind.

“Strategy tip number one, create a biophilic working environment. Now, that means whether you’re working from the office or from home, try to incorporate natural features like plants, water, wood, or stone. Psychological research tells us that these natural elements can contribute to memory, concentration, focus, mood, and calm. 

“For the second strategy tip, try to get out and be with nature. This could mean going for a long walk or if you’ve got mobility issues; just being out in nature means that you’re inhaling more oxygen into your bloodstream and through your brain. Laboratory research tells us that increased oxygen can relax our muscles and increase brain functioning. Cognitive activities like problem solving, creativity and prioritising can all be significantly improved. 

“That leads me on to strategy step number three, the attention restoration theory, dating back to the 1980s, tells us that exposure to nature can significantly improve mental fatigue.

“If you’ve had a really long day at work or finish a really difficult project, the best way to restore yourself to your natural state is to go out and be with nature. So, if you haven’t got the opportunity to be in a natural setting, don’t worry. Recent studies are telling us that artificial nature can sometimes be as good as being out in the natural environment.

“So, use your senses, like your eyes to observe still images and videos of nature. Use your hearing to listen to all audio recordings of nature, such as rainfall or wildlife, use virtual reality where possible or use imagination like classic mindfulness exercises, like imagining the environment, being out in an open space and reap the benefits of everything you can conjure up in your mind.”

About PsycHR:

PsycHR is a leading mental health training and HR consultancy company, who have built a valuable reputation for their unique approach to promoting mental health in the workplace whilst balancing commercial productivity.

“Our philosophy is to not erroneously invoke capability, disciplinary or performance management procedures when there is an underlying issue which could be resolved. Organisations should instead look to Develop, Motivate, and Retain members of their workforce, and be mindful of their talented and high performing employees who might be experiencing a dip.”

The post Founder of PsycHR, Helen Pericleous on how HR can incorporate nature into your wellbeing and the workplace appeared first on Natural HR.

 In conjunction with our #ChooseHappy campaign, Director of EPIC HR LTD, Gary Cookson, was brave enough to open up about his own mental health experiences, the steps to achieving better wellbeing and the need for HR to speak up about mental health. 

 The people profession especially takes a back seat when it comes to addressing their own wellbeing, ensuring their employees have a healthy frame of mind, but it’s time for this to change.

“I can tell when I’m feeling stressed or close to anything like any depressed episode. There are headaches, the feeling of blood rushing around my head and heart palpitations. I’d have trouble sleeping or staying asleep in some cases, and I’d wake very early with my brain really active. If two or more of these symptoms are showing simultaneously, I know I’m feeling very stressed, and I tend to do something about it. 

“In times of stress, I like to do something physical to expend some energy, but sometimes it’s about talking or writing, and I find both incredibly useful to manage my emotional state. I’m a big believer in the power of counselling and other similar techniques.

“But I was brought up to believe men shouldn’t show emotion, and this was considered a sign of weakness, which means I struggle to show emotion and keep it all internal. So, talking and writing gives me an outlet to express my inner feelings.

“According to Mind (Mental Health Charity), one in six people report feeling a common mental health problem like anxiety or depression in any given week, and I have similar situations like this quite a lot, at least once or twice a week.

“It happened this morning. I found myself feeling worried and anxious about an unspecified event. When it happens, I am mystified about what it could actually be making me feel these emotions because there’s no specific situation that could cause it.”

“These emotions pass after an hour or so, but the most frustrating thing about it is there is no obvious trigger for it, and I simply shouldn’t be worried about events like this in my life. But I know when I interact with people, I feel like a tightly coiled spring when I’m experiencing these things, which unfortunately means I don’t give my best.

“This feeling makes me want to sit in a quiet room alone until the feeling passes, but the nature of the HR world and all people professionals means that is just rarely possible, and I, and we, have to work through it. 

“So, I have days when I’m 100%, and they’re awesome days. Most days I operate to 85-95%; they’re good days too… but often I have days when mentally, emotionally, I’m a lot less than that. These are not the days to me making key decisions, they’re days that are built for doing things I like and use the coping mechanisms I’ve talked about previously.

“I wonder how many employees in your organisation, how many people, how many HR professionals suffer in silence and they don’t speak out because they think their emotional state will be ridiculed, made light of, disbelieved or dismissed out of hand or they don’t have the right coping mechanisms.

“You can’t see most of these problems as people often put up a front, but when someone is telling you they need support, we need to listen, we need to believe them, we need to support them – just because it’s in their heads, it doesn’t make it any less real in any way. In fact, it makes it much more terrifying and if you’re part of someone’s coping mechanisms, as many HR professionals will be, help them and be there for them.

“We’ve got a real challenge on our hands to encourage people to speak up and a real challenge to get people to listen and take such things seriously. But it’s one that I’m up for, are you?”

About Gary Cookson:

A household name to many throughout the HR landscape, Gary Cookson has over twenty years’ experience within senior leadership roles across a variety of sectors. Gary continues to gain a credible amount of reputation through his award-winning training, tutoring, speaking and blogging. 

Combining his expertise, Gary is now the Director of EPIC HR. EPIC specialises in helping people and places to evolve, improve and compete – providing a range of HR, OD and L&D consultancy and personalised training services.

The post Director of EPIC HR LTD, Gary Cookson on the power of sharing mental health experiences and how HR can step up to the challenge appeared first on Natural HR.

The theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is nature, promoting the positive impact that nature can have on our mental health.

As employers, the way in which we approach employee mental health and wellbeing has been turned on its head. What your employees need from your health and wellbeing initiatives may well have changed too. Access to services may have been restricted and many support networks were brought online.

We’ve collated a list of 10 of the best free resources, tools and services from across the web to share with your people – and give them a try yourself! We’d love to hear how you get on with them, feel free to share your own resources in the comments for our community of readers.

1. Mind, the mental health charity

Most of us have heard of Mind. As the UK’s leading mental health charity, they offer a plethora of resources for those seeking more information, guidance or support with their mental health. From YouTube videos and workplace guides, to fascinating research and advice about where to get help, treatment options and advocacy services.

Mind have also curated a repository of resources and toolkits for employers looking to introduce more robust mental health and wellbeing support for their employees called Mental Health at Work.

Visit: Mind, the mental health charity or Mental Health at Work (for employers)

Pricing: Free to access

2. Living Life to the Full

Living Life to the Full is a free library on online resources and courses that teach a range of life skills that aim to improve wellbeing and resilience throughout life. Whether living with a long-term condition, experiencing anxiety, low mood or stress, or are (or about to be) a new parent; Living Life to the Full has been created by experts in cognitive behavioural therapy.

With around 30 million visitors to their site from across the globe every year; Living Life to the Full is a great resource for your employees that helps them to tackle problems, build confidence and feel happier.

Visit: Living Life to the Full

Pricing: Free for individuals

3. NHS audio guides

The NHS has created a number of free to listen to audio guides on mental wellbeing. Designed to help boost a listener’s mood, these short guides have been created with doctors and cover everything from coping mechanisms for low mood and depression to anxiety control training and confidence building.

Visit: NHS Audio Guides

Pricing: Free to access

4. Headspace

Headspace is an online portal and mobile app providing guided meditation and mindfulness techniques for any scenario. Whether you’re trying to get off to sleep, be more present or are simply looking for techniques to relieve day-to-day stress or worrying; Headspace offers a comprehensive library of guided meditations, animations, mindful workouts, handy articles and videos.

Visit: Headspace

Pricing: 7-day free trial, monthly subscriptions start at less than £5

5. Breathe sessions on Apple Watch

For those of your employees with an Apple Watch, remind them to make use of the Breathe app. Encouraging users to set aside a few minutes every day to relax and be mindful of their breathing; the Breathe app comes as standard on the wearable device.

Users can set up daily notifications, define how often they get breathe reminders and adjust the breathing rate to their preferred number of breaths per minute.

Sounds simple right? But mindful breathing has been shown to reduces anxiety, help with burnout, provide certain types of pain relief, and decrease negative thinking.

Visit: Breathe on Apple Watch

Pricing: Free (for existing Apple Watch users)

6. The Mindset Mentor podcast

Rob Dial is an international speaker, coach and content creator. With over 2 million followers on social media, his passion for helping people to motivate themselves led to the creation of this award-winning podcast.

The Mindset Mentor is designed for anyone looking for motivation, direction and focus in life with short 20-minute episodes that include “Your Comfort Zone is Killing Your Dreams”, “How to Ask for Help”, and “Affirmations for Success”.

Visit: Your favourite Podcast platform including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Pocket Casts

Pricing: Free to access

7. Calm 10-Minute Meditations

We all have busy days and often, finding the time to take a few moments for ourselves feels impossible. Calm is a leading app for sleep and guided meditation; however, they have also developed a series of free to access videos of YouTube called ’10-Minute Meditations’ which are exactly what they say on the tin.

This Daily Calm series is an accessible entry point to meditation and the short dedication of time needed demonstrates why they have amassed almost half a million views since April 2020.

Visit: Daily Calm

Price: Free

8. Orlaith O’Sullivan on InsightTimer

One of our past HR Expert webinar guests, Dr Orlaith O’Sullivan joined us recently for a practical, hands-on session to help attendees to master the practice of living mindfully.

Orlaith is an internationally renowned mindfulness teacher, delivering mindfulness courses, retreats and events that help people thrive. She has provided a number of guided mindfulness sessions on InsightTimer to encourage deep relaxation, post-work reset, self-care and much more.

Visit: Dr Orlaith O’Sullivan on InsightTimer

Price: Free to access

9. National Trust Guided Walks

In the spirit of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, take every opportunity to promote the positive impact that nature can have on our mental health.

The National Trust offers a wide selection of guided walks (to make sure you don’t get lost!) that often start from some of the country’s most historic buildings. Users can simply pop in their location, set the difficulty level and walk length and off you go! These guided walks offer a turn-by-turn journey, often stopping at stunning points of interest or historic spots along the way.

What better way to encourage your team to connect with nature than with some fabulous walks on their doorstep?

Visit: National Trust Guided Walks

Price: Free to access

10. Down Dog

Offering yoga, HIIT workouts, guided meditation, barre and prenatal yoga sessions, Down Dog is a fantastic app that allows you to tailor online fitness classes to suit you. Fully customisable by duration, fitness level, instructor and even the music used; these interactive sessions can be personalised to fit everyone!

To get your workout on this Mental Health Awareness Week, why not take your gear, your smartphone and get outside for a session with Down Dog. Whether you choose to be at one with nature during a guided yoga session or cool off outside during a high intensity workout; there is something for everyone!

Visit: Down Dog

Price: Free trial, monthly subscriptions start at £5.99

Disclaimer: If you, or one of your employees, are experiencing mental health issues, please speak to a doctor of qualified individual to seek help and support. These applications and tools should be used to supplement professional services such as counselling and therapy, not replace them.

Natural HR is in no way affiliated with any of the companies mentioned in this article.

The post 10 of the best free mental health resources to share with your employees appeared first on Natural HR.

One in four people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England. The extra challenges and novel situations that the coronavirus pandemic has created have, for some, caused significant deterioration in mental health.

A study by the mental health charity, Mind, found that more than half of adults (60%) and over two thirds of young people (68%) have said their mental health got worse during lockdown.

Mental illness costs businesses in the UK approximately £35 billion each year. This equates to:

– £10.6 billion lost to sickness absence

– £21.2 billion in reduced productivity

– £3.1 billion in substituting employees who vacate their roles due to mental illness.

As we continue to learn to recognise and care for our own mental health, the rise of mental health first aid training has become a key conversation point for HR and wider business leaders.

Similar to the trained first aiders many workplaces have, mental health first aiders are trained to spot the signs of any mental health issues, have an in-depth understanding of mental health and wellbeing and have the knowledge and skills to offer support to colleagues that may be struggling.

Defined by St John Ambulance, a mental health first aider “supports employees in the workplace who are experiencing mental ill-health or distress. This support can vary from having a non-judgmental conversation with a colleague, through to guiding them towards the right support.”

While there is no legislation that requires employers to have a mental health first aider, they are urged to treat mental health in the same way employers treat physical health. Whether you have mental health first aiders or not, employers should take steps to consider employees’ mental health to provide a safe working environment.

Helen Pericleous is the Director of PsycHR, an HR consultancy & training provider that specialises in mental health, delivering workshops to employees, managers, senior managers and HR professionals. She shared a key consideration when developing your mental health strategy and deciding whether you need a mental health first aider: “Would your employees really go to Sue on Reception or Tim the 4th floor IT team leader to talk about their mental health if they are the dedicated mental health first aiders? It’s quite unlikely. Instead, they would be more likely to speak to their manager, a colleague or work friend, or expect them to spot the signs.”

Whether among peers, family or colleagues; broaching the topic of mental health and starting a conversation about how we’re feeling is challenging – more so at work. We can feel anxious, worried and concerned what people will think if we share our own mental health challenges. Will they think we’re not ‘up’ to the job? Will they think we’re not working hard enough?

Making the decision to train employees to be mental health first aiders is crucial step in supporting your employees’ health and wellbeing. And yet, they should not exist in isolation as a token gesture to supporting mental health in your workplace.

Mental health first aiders should be part of the foundation of your mental health and wellbeing initiatives. But they should be coupled with wider business awareness training, guidance, support networks and services; mental health should be a companywide discussion and something that all of your employees should be aware of.

Managers and team leaders should ideally be trained in mental health awareness, how to spot burnout and the signs of any mental health issues and how to provide support to someone experiencing mental ill health.

Helen shares this sentiment: “To truly make a difference or change to mental health in your workplace, it needs to be approached from the ground-up, not just surface-level training.”

While we all acknowledge the importance of good mental health, the business case for any mental health intervention is still caught up in statistics and the return on investment.

A 2020 study by Deloitte found that the ROI for mental health initiatives is a remarkable 5:1. For every £1 spent on mental health initiatives, employers stand to gain a £5 return in terms of reduced absence, presenteeism and less staff turnover.

Helen delves into the detail: “We have carried out talks extensively on mental health and the ROI, and there is plenty of research which shows the cost of mental health on presenteeism, leaveism, absenteeism and turnover. And so, to really affect those numbers and improve your bottom line, you should invest in more practical manager training, awareness for all, and cultural change on mental health for the workplace.”

The post What is a mental health first aider and do you need one? appeared first on Natural HR.

Despite 15 million employees still working from home, it is safe to say for many; it hasn’t gotten any easier. These prolonged periods of isolation, social distancing and lockdown have devastated industries and livelihoods – and our mental health is suffering because of it.

The usual methods we enlist to protect our mental health such as exercise, taking yoga classes, seeing friends and family are unavailable or closed during these periods of lockdown. As a result, research by leading mental health charity, Mind found that 60% of adults said their mental health has deteriorated during lockdown.

Quite often, workplaces are structured environments with a defined routine where many of us thrive and enjoy the social aspect of going to work. To have this significant part of our lives pulled from under our feet has had a detrimental impact on many – especially for those that live alone, without any kind of support bubble or network.

That’s why we reached out to the mental health community and asked experts, practitioners and champions to share their top tips for protecting employee mental health while we’re at home.

Our own research found that 65% of HR leaders are prioritising health and wellbeing in 2021. Throughout a challenging year, HR professionals have taken it upon themselves to prioritise employee health and wellbeing in the wake of the coronavirus.

At a time when the methods or advisory services recommended to employees to support their health and wellbeing in the past may not be available or accessible right now, savvy HR leaders have stepped up to provide wraparound support for their employee throughout lockdown.

The benefits of comprehensive mental health support for employees are vast – and go far beyond personal and societal benefits, as Helen Pericleous, Director of HR Consultancy and mental health specialists, PsycHR shares: “Research tells us that investment in mental health initiatives such as training, returns on average £5 for every £1 spent, and in some cases as high as 10.8:1 ROI. So, when it comes to convincing senior management to invest in mental health initiatives, remember there is a commercial benefit in improving mental health in the workplace.”

And yet, for many, the provision of mental health services is largely reactive. Only once an employee has experienced the impact of poor mental health do many employers introduce any form of a mental health initiative. When coupled with the disassociation that sometimes comes with working from home, it can be easy to forget that every employee has mental health that needs looking after.

A sentiment shared by Harry Bliss, CEO of workplace health and online mental health training provider, Champion Health: “From behind a screen, it can be a challenge for us to remember that everyone has mental health. This is why combining reactive with proactive wellbeing strategies is so crucial. By doing this, you’ll support 100% of your workforce and reduce the number of colleagues that reach crisis point. Providing online health assessments to your entire organisation is one proactive strategy that’s proven really effective because it’s data-driven. By analysing the results of the assessment, you’ll pinpoint the areas of workplace wellbeing that you need to focus on right now. Good data means no more guesswork and is a fantastic resource when navigating tough board-level discussions.”

During these periods of lockdown, working from home and reduction in social contact; it is easy for every day to feel like ‘Groundhog Day’ with little variation in how we spend our time – professionally and personally. For those of us that are working from home, the mundanity of being at home round the clock can still be challenging to adapt to.

A recent survey by the Office for National Statistics found that just under two-thirds of 16- to 69-year-olds surveyed were most affected by boredom, stress and anxiety, and the inability to make plans.

Author, Emotional Empowerment Coach and business mentor, Hayley Wheeler cites the importance of taking time out to reconnect with ourselves and practicing self-knowledge in order to boost our mental health and wellbeing: “Spending time getting to know you, your dreams, goals, likes and dislikes, helps you make better choices about what you can do to reconnect with yourself, dig deep and enjoy the process. Reignite your passion, do things that make you happy, things that make you laugh, be around people who empower you and be in places that make you feel good.”

Recent research by Talent LMS found that just 36% of remote workers have a dedicated home office. Many choosing to work from the living room, bedroom or dining room to get their work done. Where the lines between our professional and personal lives have become blurred, many may be finding it difficult to switch from work mode to relaxed mode.

Federica Cinosi is a psychologist and health coach at the EidynWell School of Health & Wellbeing, she shares the importance of, where possible, defining boundaries between where we work and where we relax: “Working from home during lockdown means that you work, relax, practice your hobbies, (virtually) socialise, and even exercise in the same space. We do not all have the luxury of having a room fully dedicated to being a home office; however, it’s important that you establish one defined area to be your office and that you do not do anything else but working in this particular space. Avoid working on your bed, sofa or kitchen table. Each space, even if small, should be fully dedicated to its purpose. This means that when you are not working, you’ll not be thinking about work and enjoy the downtime you deserve.”

Similarly, carving out time to communicate and talk to friends and family is critical to our mental health and wellbeing. Kirsten Samuel, CEO and founder of employee wellbeing company, Kamwell explains: “Being at home for long periods of time during lockdowns has meant that time to catch up with friends or family has been in short supply. But talking, sharing and offloading is key to maintaining mental wellbeing. So, take opportunities to talk about how you’re feeling and try to be honest about any challenges you’re facing – a problem shared is almost always a problem halved. And don’t be afraid to share with people outside your ‘inner circle’. You are not alone.”

In the same vein, life & career change coach, Claire Brown stresses the importance of taking breaks. It can feel like while working from home we need to be visibly online all of the time but stepping away from our screens can really reinvigorate our minds and set us up for productivity. “Irrespective of your workload, give yourself permission to take regular breaks away from the screen and intentionally block these times out in your diary if needed. Put in place healthy boundaries (including use of tech) and be intentionally selective on accessing social media & the news.

The post Protecting employee mental health at home: 6 tips from the experts appeared first on Natural HR.

Although the world has unashamedly drawn the curtain on 2020, there is no denying the year was full of mental health worries, isolation and loneliness. To combat this, HR leaders will need to integrate new ways of promoting and supporting good mental health in the workplace while eliminating the challenges caused over the past year.

But with the mental health landscape changing enormously in recent times, where does HR begin? In our sought-after HR Expert series, Founder of PsycHR, Helen Pericleous provided key insight into building an employee wellbeing strategy that will help tackle the heart of mental ill health in the workplace.

The landscape of mental health at work

Based on an independent review on the effects of mental health in the workplace, the Government, with Stevenson and Farmer’s help, outlined the impact to employers, the labour market, and cost to the UK economy.

The average cost of mental health to the UK economy is £86.5 billion (range between £74-99 billion), with the cost to the UK Government averaging to £25.5 billion (range between £24-27 billion). The contributing factors involve the cost of benefits, the shortfall in income tax, the national insurance being paid to the HMRC and the services being provided by the NHS.

On the flip side, the cost to employers is averaging to £37.5 billion per year (range between £33-42 billion), and that was calculated by totalling the cost of sickness absence, presenteeism (a person who is engaged at work, but not to their full capabilities due to mental health issues) and staff turnover based on mental health.

The report also highlighted a significant concern: 300,000 people who suffer from long-term mental health problems lose their job each year. In contrast, Deloitte found that employer costs have increased by £6 billion per year (rising by 16%), costing an organisation £3,300 per employee.

However, the research delved further into the estimated cost of mental health for a number of industries, providing a low and high estimate per employee. These figures are fascinating in themselves, and provide a solid foundation to analysing a baseline for ROI on mental health initiatives.

• Finance, insurance and real estate = £3,245 – £3,535
• Information and communication = £2,175 – £2,573
• Professional services = £2,108 – £2,398
• Transport, distribution and storage = £2,436 – £1,879
• Other private services = £1,426 – £1,601
• Retail and wholesale = £1,045 – £1,601
• Hotels, catering and insurance = £702 – £769

How to build an employee wellbeing strategy

1. Data

The purpose of data in a mental health strategy is to identify, measure and improve. This will allow you to quantify mental health by using your absence reports, sickness reports, the standard measure of presenteeism, use company-wide surveys and utilise the feedback you receive from them.

Importantly, it would be best if you always looked to take a measurement of your company before you plan, so you have a better understanding of how to organise your interventions around your company’s data.

In this instance, if a manager needed more practical skills training, a department was identified to have a high level of absences, or if exit interviews suggest there’s a cultural stigma, you’ll have the required data to make a direct impact on these cases.

2. Plan

Part two is all about precise planning, establishing the foundations of what you want to achieve from your strategy. During this stage, think about the timescales and the type of interventions you might want to include. Consider the budget, gain cost approval and most importantly, outline if you want to keep your plan centralised with the board of directors, or send out internal communications.

Don’t forget to include a pledge, a message from management and provide updates to employees, so they are kept informed about any changes and are fully aware of what is expected from the strategy.

3. Implement

In this step, you’ll be putting your outlined plans in place, implementing crucial interventions that could potentially cover mental health awareness training for the company, practical skills for managers, reviewing your policies and procedures to ensure they are fair and do not discriminate in any form.

For example, look out for extended leave policies. If there’s a clause in there which says you’re only eligible to take extended leave if you have a low number of absence days in the last 12 months, this could amount to a claim because of indirect discrimination.

Why? Because those with mental health struggles are more likely to have had a higher level of absence, and so the policy disadvantages a particular group based on that particular characteristic. Other initiatives can be encouraging openness and de-stigmatisation, selecting ambassadors across different regions or organising a well-being day for the company.

4. Analyse 

This is where you collect data based on the implementations. For instance, how many people attend training? How many managers received practical skills? Importantly, you can run your wellbeing survey again to identify if there’re more perceived support and run absence reports to see if there has been any reduction.

Analysing a strategy is a key way to measure the effectiveness of interventions and provides the underlining statistics which will later help to showcase the ROI of your mental health activities.

5. Report 

Now, the final stage of building a mental health report is to pull all of your information together to report back to your board of directors, stakeholders or employees in an annual or wellbeing report.

In broadcasting your report, you’ll want to include certain elements which will contribute to the success of the outreach and understanding of the information conducted.

• Why was this mental health journey embarked on?
• What are the plans you aim to achieve based on the report?
• What initiatives have been implemented?
• The statistics around engagement with the initiatives.
• Outline key successes i.e. sickness absence has reduced by 30%.
• Commit to continuing to support mental health in the workplace.
• Share future ideas and plans beyond the report.

Measuring the ROI of your mental health initiatives

So, we’ve established the costs which make up the ROI for mental health initiatives, but how exactly do we calculate the ROI? The most common formula used is either benefits – costs / costs = ROI or ROI = benefits / costs.

To put this into practice, you would take and measure the total of cost of poor mental health to you as the employer pre-intervention, then take the total cost of your intervention. Then remeasure the total cost of poor mental health after the intervention using the same variables, and the difference is shown by your improvement.

If you put this improvement above the intervention’s costs, divide the difference by the original total cost and multiply it by 100, this will give you your percentage improvement, which you can now divide by 100 to get your ROI.

In this report by Deloitte, they outlined which type of mental health intervention was producing the highest average ROI.

Awareness training = 5.3:1

Training = 6.3:1

Screening/diagnostics = 6.3:1

Therapy/treatment = 2.6:1

According to the systematic review of the 25 interventions, the most successful had the following four criteria: company-wide awareness, practical skills for managers, cultural change and personalised programs with recommendations. These core activities can all be implemented in your own mental health strategy to achieve the highest ROI and significantly enhance employee wellness.

The post Why mental health must be on your HR agenda in 2021 appeared first on Natural HR.

And yet, the driven, perfectionist nature of our legal professionals often means that reaching out for help or support when experiencing the signs of stress or burnout is overlooked amid fears of appearing ‘weak’. As they strive to remain in control of high-pressure situations; legal professionals are among the most prone to stress and often, burnout.

In a 2018 study of 200 law firms, almost 80% cited stress as the primary cause of substance abuse and mental health problems in their firms. As levels of stress and burnout reach epidemic levels, reducing the risk of associates becoming burned out must be a top priority for HR leaders in the legal industry.

What is employee burnout?

Recognising the difference between stress and burnout is key. Stress that is temporary or associated with a specific event or period in our lives is fairly standard, and something we all experience from time to time.

Burnout, however, is a response to prolonged, excessive stress that leaves an individual mentally and physically drained. Left unresolved, burnout can be a gateway to severe mental health conditions such as depression.

In a research paper published in Anxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal, burnout had been defined as “a work-related syndrome characterised by chronic exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy.”

Clearly, the impact of burnout serves to be detrimental to every business where it is occurring, regardless of industry or market being served. Disengaged associates that are emotionally detached from your business won’t be interested in solving problems, supporting clients or making progress. Rather, disengaged employees can often be lacking in motivation and purpose, performing poorly or being openly frustrated and aggressive with colleagues.

What causes employee burnout at law firms?

There can be any number of reasons why employees experience burnout. In the same research paper (Anxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal) by Bakker and de Vries (2020), the causes of burnout include “workload, role stress, stressful events and work pressure.” All of which are common, and somewhat unavoidable, for associates in law firms.

Hefty workloads, high-intensity cases and unpredictable working hours can quickly pile on the stress, causing employees to become burned out – particularly for those in criminal or corporate law. While advisory law firms are often more predictable and steadier; the competitive nature of being in the legal industry can, in itself, case more junior members of your firm to experience burnout.

What are the signs and symptoms of employee burnout?

As HR leaders and managers, it is crucial that we are able to recognise the signs when an employee is becoming burned out. Left unresolved, burnout can lead to more severe mental health conditions such as clinical depression and anxiety.

The Mayo Clinic cites a number of typical employee burnout symptoms that may be recognisable in the workplace. These include (but are not limited to):

• Employees becoming cynical or overly critical or aggressive at work
• Employees struggling to ‘get going’ at work
• Employees are irritable or impatient with co-workers or clients
• A dip in productivity or employees finding it difficult to concentrate

However, it is important to bear in mind that the signs of a burned-out employee are not always visible. Such symptoms might include using drugs or alcohol to feel better, feeling disillusioned about their job, a change in their sleeping habits and a lack of feeling satisfied in their achievements.

How can HR leaders working at legal practices prevent employee burnout?

Create and promote mental health and wellbeing policies

Ensuring you have a comprehensive and accessible mental health and wellbeing procedure is key. Helping your employees to develop a better understanding of their own mental health, and how to support their peers’ mental health can go a long way in protecting your workforce from burnout.

Knowing how to recognise any changes in our own mental health is often the first stage in seeking guidance or support. An Employee Assistance Programme often provides resources, guidance and access to a counsellor or therapist. In a time when access to normal mental health services may be restricted or completely unavailable, a telephone call with a counsellor can be critical.

Ensure frequent check-ins

In a period of lockdowns, virtual meetings and social distancing; checking in with your employees regularly be the difference between an employee feeling connected to your law firm and feeling isolated. For those associates that live alone, these check-ins can be a source of social engagement with a colleague or line manager in a busy working week.

These check-ins can be particularly important for your more junior colleagues that are new to the legal profession. Despite the industry’s best efforts, there is still a stigma in junior lawyers around speaking out about their mental health. Instead, they simply accept that law is an ‘anxiety-inducing’ profession. This, in itself, can lead to intense levels of stress and ultimately, burn out. It is important that all of your employees feel able to speak out or access resources to support their mental health without any kind of repercussion or change in how they are perceived.

Promote good mental health practices

Provide your employees with the freedom and ability to practice activities that contribute to good mental health. Think about subsidised gym memberships, access to online yoga, meditation or tai chi classes, as well as providing resources on safeguarding their mental health.

Train mental health first aiders

Mental health first aiders in your business provide first-line support for any employees that are experiencing mental health issues at, or as a result of, work. These individuals are fully trained to provide first aid until an employee can receive the appropriate professional treatment.

These may be your existing emergency first aiders or simply compassionate members of your workforce that are able to recognise the early signs of any mental health issue, including burnout. It is key that your trained mental health first aiders can demonstrate empathy, respect and privacy, and can provide the bridge to professional help or advice.

Remember that your mental health first aiders and your managers are also susceptible to burnout. Supporting struggling colleagues while working their normal job roles can place your first aiders at risk of becoming overwhelmed by their own, and their colleagues, problems. Research by Gallup found that 32% of managers feel burned out at work very often or always, compared with 27% of individual contributors.

Source regular employee feedback

Often the most effective way to gauge the risk of burnout is to anonymously survey your employees to gain their feedback. Taking the pulse of employee mental health and understanding the suitability of your mental health services can help you to develop a culture which clearly prioritises the wellbeing of its employees and encourages wellbeing to become the norm in your organisation – rather than a nice-to-have.

Natural HR software is perfect for law firms – engage, manage and pay your people, and create comprehensive review processes at every level. Find out how Natural HR can alleviate stressful HR tasks, help you to upskill your workforce and attract and retain talent.

The post What is employee burnout and how can you prevent it in your law firm? appeared first on Natural HR.