Are we taking empowering steps to make our workplace more open and compassionate?
Today is International Women’s Day when we celebrate the achievements of women, shine a light on issues that affect them and call for gender parity.
The campaign theme for International Women’s Day 2021 is ‘Choose To Challenge’. Challenging ourselves as employees and managers will lead to positive change and we have outlined some steps to make work a better place.
Women are three times more likely than men to experience common mental health problems and young women are more likely to experience anxiety-related conditions than any other group. [Ref 1]
In a recent survey, 54% of women said they couldn’t discuss mental health at work without fear of stigma or discrimination, even though 73% felt they should talk about it.
Top tips for employees:
Time to talk
Take time to talk. In a Zoom chat or at the end of a Teams meeting. The more we talk about mental health and wellbeing the more it’s normalised and the easier it is for people to get help when they need it.
Change your thinking
People find it easier to talk about a physical illness that affects work. But that shouldn’t be the case. Fear of discussion can prevent people from looking for the help they need to get well.
Have a plan
Managers like solutions to problems and it’s the same way with mental health issues. Find a good time to chat with your boss. Explain what you are going through and how you plan to make it have the minimum level of disruption to the job. Then ask them for their thoughts and suggestions. Shared challenges will empower you.
Try a new route
Don’t be afraid of trying a different route. If you don’t feel you can discuss mental health issues with your boss try an empathetic colleague or the HR department. You can always call us here at CPW.
Top tips for employers:
Know your numbers
Mental health problems at work cost the UK economy £34.9bn last year. That’s £1,300 for every employee in the UK economy. So, it pays to invest in proactive mental health initiatives, resilience, and support mechanisms.
Open your toolkit
Don’t get caught out when an employee comes to you in crisis. Take a look at your toolkit to see what support and help is available. Be proactive and set the right culture of acceptance and alacrity, so everyone knows what’s available and is up to date with your policies. Talk to us about mental health training for managers.
Lead by example
1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England. That may be you. But the chances are, even if it isn’t, you may be able to reference something from your recent past, or from a family member, or a close friend who’s gone through something. It’s important to share our stories and chip away at stigma. By doing this we make our employees feel more comfortable about sharing their struggles. When people share, they become empowered and can get help.