A Guide to Organising Workplace Mental Health Workshops
Introduction
According to the World Health Organisation, there are currently 450 million people in the world experiencing mental health difficulties or disorders. There is no doubt that this is directly impacting workplaces the world over. As highlighted in an audit carried out by Spectrum.Life’s clinical team, many employees are reaching out for support during working hours. Adding to this the fact that high levels of distress are known to impact concentration, drive and productivity, it’s estimated that organisations are losing 1000s of productive hours a month as a result of poor mental wellbeing among employees. While easily accessible treatment and support are the best ways to reduce this figure of 450 million and to lessen the impact on workplaces, stigma reduction is often highlighted as important in encouraging people to reach out for help when needed. One such way workplaces can reduce stigma is organising workshops that increase the knowledge and understanding of mental health that is needed to reduce stigma in an organisation.
What you’ll learn from this guide:
- A closer look at mental health workshops
- Why companies organise mental health workshops
- Questions to ask yourself before you start planning
- The logistics behind your workshop
- What comes next?
A closer look at mental health workshops
Educating employees about mental health helps to create a work environment in which the topic is understood, therefore reducing stigma. At Spectrum.Life, we offer four workshops, tailored specifically for different groups of employees: General employees, managers and team leaders, HR Personnel, and the senior leadership team. This ensures that each group gets all the information relevant to their position within the company.
The employee workshop
- Recognising the signs & symptoms of common mental health issues
- How to start a conversation about mental health
- How to support someone in distress
- This is for: The general employee population of an organisation
The manager workshop
- Employee workshop material +
- Understanding the links between mental wellbeing
productivity - Promoting open dialogue around mental health
- The role of managers in team mental wellbeing
- Supporting employees experiencing stress
- This is for: Team leaders and managers
The HR workshop
- Recognising HR & Legal requirements around mental
health - Designing and driving mental health strategies
- Creating an open culture around mental health
- Creating an action plan for struggling employees
- Effectively managing cases of serious mental health difficulties
- This is for: HR team members at all levels
The senior leadership workshop
- The role & influence of leaders in creating a mentally health company
- Mental health and its impact on the business
- Engaging management staff in your mental health strategy
- Effectively communicating mental health as a company priority
- Creating a positive mental health culture
- This is for: Directors, board members and executives
Learn more about mental health workshops here
Why companies are investing in mental health workshops
It is estimated that the financial cost of absences related to mental illness and mental health difficulties on businesses falls between €/£6.5-7.5 billion. This is one reason why there is a sense of urgency in commerce for companies to offer more support and education on the topic of mental health. There are, however, a multitude of reasons why companies are investing in mental health workshops. These reasons might include:
Workplace mental health stigma in numbers
Questions to ask yourself before organising the workshop
Not only will the answers to these questions help your service provider deliver the most relevant workshop, it will also help you to choose the best format and provider for your organisation’s needs.
Is there a mental health strategy or policy in place?
Any existing strategies and policies should influence the type of workshop you choose and will help the person delivering the training to understand key areas to touch on.
Have there been any incidents relating to mental health difficulties in the workplace?
If your reason for organising a workshop comes is in response to an incident or common theme in the workplace, it’s important to consider this when choosing your workshop, and when talking to potential providers.
What kind of support can you offer employees?
Is this workshop the singular mental health element of your workplace wellbeing strategy or should the person delivering the training refer to certain points of support during the workshop?
What are your reasons for organising the workshop?
The reasons for organising the workshop may have an influence on the kind of content you require and the employee groups who will be invited or required to attend.
What are you looking for in a service provider?
This also answers the question “what kind of workshop do you want?” Some things to consider might be the bodies they are accredited by, the level of qualification, the topics they can cover and their workshop style.
Logistical elements to consider
- Think about who should attend. If it’s a managers’ workshop, are managers at all levels expected to attend? Does a senior leadership workshop extend to all board members or is it restricted to c-suite team members?
- Think about whether the workshop should be compulsory. If the workshop is part of your mental health policy, it should perhaps be obligatory that all managers attend.
- If you are booking a mental health workshop for specific groups of employees, for example your HR team, be sure to check their diaries to ensure that all those who need to be present are available.
- What kind of space have you got? Have you got a room big enough to comfortably seat all attendees and the person delivering the training? Have you got a projector or television? Do you need to look at external venues?
What comes next?
What you do after a mental health workshop is as important as organising and hosting one in the first place. There are three important things to consider when following up on an event such as a workplace mental health workshop:
- Feedback
If investing in mental health education and support is part of your overall workplace wellbeing strategy, it’s important to get feedback from employees to inform future events and training for employees. Find out from workshop attendees what they thought of the workshop; did they find it enlightening? Surprising? Maybe they are eager to learn even more about how they can help to improve the culture around mental health in the workplace. Any feedback will enable you continually improve your strategy.
- Communication
Communicating the feedback from workshops such as this, company-wide, regardless of who was in attendance, is important in showing all employees that you are committed not only to workplace mental health, but to listening to feedback. This is also a great first step in encouraging employees to start the conversation about mental health with one another
- Reinforcement
Reinforcement of the things learned within the workshop through ongoing and strategic internal communications is an important way to ensure that the information received in the workshop is not forgotten. It’s also important to reinforce any mentions of support readily available to employees, reminding them that there is no shame in reaching out for help.
Ask us about mental health workshops
Spectrum.Life is renowned for its delivery of clinical-standard, easy to understand and engaging mental health workshops, designed for all employee groups. Learn more about workshops available to your organisation, and other onsite mental health events that may interest and benefit employees.
