Taking steps to create a supportive culture is key for employees to feel more confident to talk about their mental health. Sending a clear signal to staff that their mental health matters and being open about it will lead to support, and improved wellness.
This Mental Health Awareness Week, we asked #TeamEames: What more can businesses do to support employees' mental health?
Encouraging an environment where mental health can be talked about openly and is prioritised, as well as allowing flexibility for working from home. - Viveca Riley, UK
Organise runs or team sports on certain Friday afternoons. It could be a good way to exercise and bond with the team! - Lucas Tan, Singapore
Offering flexibility in working schedules and adopting a hybrid working model to allow employees to have a good work-life balance. Also, join an employee assistant programme so employee’s have a place to turn in time of need. - Jodi Macbeth
On-site meditation and mindfulness classes and ensuring there is access to mental health professionals and perhaps allow family access too. - JojoYeung, Hong Kong
Raise awareness through talks as well as training and equipping managers to identify and have basic skills to support team members. - Vincent Yao, Singapore
I think incorporating monitoring your mental health into personal development plans or one to one sessions, gives the individual an opportunity to express any struggles they do have with their mental health to their managers as well as reflect on things like time management, focus and satisfaction. - Amelia Mercer, UK
Possibly something around creating a safe space for employees to transparently discuss the challenges they face, or the support they need, that fosters better well being for them. - Amelia Chan, Singapore
One of the greatest things that an organisation can do is to offer its employees a direct line of confidential communication with a 3rd party. I feel that many people just aren’t comfortable talking about their challenges with their employer. - Daniel Warwick, Singapore
Signpost more access to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and talking therapies. Give an allowance to use for gym memberships, CBT, massages etc. Also, normalise talking about it, if someone has a broken arm or a long term health issue, there is a lot of proactive support given, as mental health is not visible, it is still stigmatised and sometimes, people need a day to rest and recharge and it should be seen as having the flu for example and not questioned. - Andrew Mackay, UK
I think promoting exercise through incentives and company events is always good (Eames does a lot of this!). Also, making sure employees have access to as much information on the subject as possible. Employers should also monitor and ensure employees take their full annual leave entitlement as there are still a lot of people that won’t. - William Bragg, UK
Businesses should strive to create a supportive environment, creating a culture of open conversations and checking in from an individual level through to management level aiming to create a safe space to collaborate on either individual level solutions or actions that the business could take on a wider level e.g. awareness weeks, mindfulness sessions, access to a mental health officer, group yoga etc. - Heather Yardley, UK
Encouraging positive mental health, for example arranging mental health awareness training, and workshops or appointing mental health 'champions' who staff can talk to rather than just your manager. - Jess Evans, UK
I think it’s important to realise that there is no one size fits all approach to mental health. Managers should be mental health first aid trained so that they can truly support their teams. I think having a culture that supports mental wellness with various initiatives from feel good eating/activities and resources that can help deal with mental health challenges is important. I’m a big advocate of “walking meetings” if people are working from home; getting out in the fresh air and moving makes such a difference. - Abigail Moss, UK