Written by Olivia Lim, HR Consultant at Melbourne HR
Mental health is a dimension of HR that has emerged with importance over recent years, particularly as society egresses out of a pandemic and into a “COVID normal” world. The concept of employee wellbeing has not been long embedded within HR and organisations. It was only recognised in the 20th Century that long work hours had a direct correlation to decreased employee mental health and, in turn, resulted in fatigue and a reduction in productivity.
That brings us to the question, what exactly is mental health? Mental health refers to an individual’s state of mental wellbeing which influences their ability to cope with stress, comprehend new things, and function in day-to-day activities.
Continue reading to explore:
The history of mental health in the workplace
Its importance in a modern-day context
Future considerations
Throughout, we will examine how HR has played an important role in influencing employee wellbeing throughout these different timelines.
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A Time Before HR
There is often a stigma associated with mental health and employees who speak up about their mental health. This is perhaps partly attributed to the way in which conversations around mental health were first brought up by employers in the workplace - our employees aren’t performing, why? One of the reasons was because of a reduced state of mental wellbeing as employees experienced stress, anxiety, and depression at work.
The conversations following did not, unfortunately, progress to how workplaces could accommodate employees struggling with mental health, but how they could eradicate the perceived problem to return employees to a high level of productivity. The ends were considered without the means. It was not until dedicated HR departments were introduced that assisted in bridging the gap between employees and employers.
HR in a Modern Context
The traditional function of HR is to oversee the employee lifecycle within an organisation; that is recruitment, maintenance, and termination. In the discourse of mental health, the influence of HR can be observed in each of these three stages.
Recruitment
Recruitment refers to the process of actively seeking out talent for a specific job. This includes creating a job ad, shortlisting and screening candidates, conducting interviews, performing reference checks, and ultimately offering a candidate a position.
The process of creating a job ad is not only to ascertain the traits an employer is looking for in a potential employee but also to attract a pool of talent from which the organisation can choose from - it is an advertisement, after all. Particularly in the competitive labour market as it presents itself today, it is important, as an employer, to demonstrate advocacy for causes competing organisations may not. In a job ad, this may include the provision of external dedicated mental health resources such as an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), team bonding activities such as informal breakfasts or lunches, and increased transparency throughout all levels of the organisation.
A common mistake made by employers when listing the perks of their organisation is simply reiterating rights employees are already owed. For example, noting ‘Flexible Work Arrangements’ as a perk is ineffective as you are offering an employee their legally entitled right under the National Employment Standards.
Interviews can be nerve wracking. Prior to conducting an interview with a shortlisted candidate, ways HR can ensure a candidate’s mental health is placed at the forefront of the process is by accommodating to any needs they may have. This includes asking the candidate whether they require any assistance attending their place of interview e.g., wheelchair access or conducting the interview remotely. Providing the candidate with an environment in which they feel comfortable in and where they feel they can accurately express themselves is beneficial, not only for the prospective employee, but for the employer as it ensures you are receiving an accurate representation of who is seated in front of you.
Finally, deciding to proceed with a candidate is, perhaps, the most fulfilling and rewarding part of recruitment. However, it is also the responsibility of HR and the employer to ensure the unsuccessful candidates are notified in an appropriate manner. Recruitment etiquette dictates SMEs to verbally informal candidates of their unsuccessful candidates if they have reached the interview stage. In declining the application of a candidate, putting their mental health first means informing them in a timely manner (rule of thumb is no longer than a month), being polite but direct in the tone you are communicating to the candidate with (you do not want to give them mixed messages), and encouraging them to reach out further via email if they would like feedback. This provides the candidate with closure and demonstrates the organisation’s recognition of their efforts in applying for the position.
Maintenance
Maintenance consists of all the formal and informal policies and procedures in place to ensure an employee remains within the organisation. The primary cause of employee resignation is work-related stress which includes long hours, heavy workload, job insecurity, poor working conditions, low levels of recognition, and poor work relationships. HR can assist in mitigating these issues through the following:
Fostering open and transparent communication: encourage managers to speak openly and transparently with their employees (within reason and confidentiality). This is particularly important when an organisation is undergoing or seeking to undergo changes. Employees who are prone to experiencing stress when changes are announced are likely to feel much less obstructive emotions if they feel they can approach their manager and express any concerns. That is why it is important to initially build that rapport with your employees, so they feel a sense of psychological safety in expressing their opinions without the fear of repercussions. A similar positive outcome may present itself if proposed changes are first consulted with those employees who will be affected. Employees who feel their opinions are valued within the workplace are likely to feel less stressed.
Encouraging flexible work arrangements beyond legislation: if employees are permitted to request flexible work arrangements, then why should an organisation encourage them to do so? Although not novel, the concept of requesting a flexible work arrangement continues to possess negative connotations behind it. It is similar to the dilemma faced by organisations with, generally, employees belonging to the older generation, accruing excessive amounts of leave. There is the perception of a decrease in productivity if you take a break or if you require flexible work arrangements. That has been proven inaccurate time and time again. Read more about the benefits of flexible work arrangements here. Therefore, an employer that encourages employees to take breaks and request flexible work arrangements that suit them and provides them with the environment they can work best in, is extremely encouraged. HR can assist employees and employers in identifying the flexible work arrangement that suits both, be it flexi-time, work from home, etc.
Providing reward and recognition: acknowledge employees who do a good job. There is no doubt each employee functions differently. Some employees thrive on the stability of their job and the organisation; they tend to stay away from risk. Others perform well in groups whilst some prefer to work autonomously and independently. There are employees who strive to be the best in their profession and others who are content continuing to do what they do on a daily basis. We could go on and on about the different types of employees your organisation has, but from an HR perspective, one thing we have identified that they all have in common is the positive reception to reward and recognition. Whilst extrinsic rewards are great - pay rise, company car, designated office - intrinsic rewards seek to increase employee wellbeing for a more sustained amount of time. A simple verbal praise or written email thanking an employee can go a long way in the preservation of an individual’s mental health. HR can assist by providing organisations with the resources to implement and maintain appropriate reward and recognition programs.
Offering external and unbiased guidance: implementing the recommendations above undoubtedly reaps rewards for the employee and employer alike. As the relationship grows stronger, it can become difficult to remain unbiased and independent to a situation. As such, the provision of an external agency such as outsourced HR or an EAP can provide employees with an unbiased and professional guidance if they are struggling with mental health. This can assist in reducing any tensions that may arise in close relationships between an employee and employer and provides an objective view of certain situations.
termination
Termination refers to an employee’s employment with an employer coming to an end. Termination can be initiated via resignation or dismissal. Either avenue requires support from an employer, particularly as there may be lasting impacts on an individual’s mental health. As aforementioned, one of the main reasons for an employee’s resignation in SMEs is unhappiness within the workplace. Ensuring the employee is provided with a seamless transition out of the organisation would be the best possible outcome following a resignation for that reason. HR can assist this process by ensuring an exit interview is conducted with the employee.
This provides the exiting employee with a chance to provide feedback on what the organisation does well and areas that could be improved on. From a mental health perspective, this is an opportunity for the exiting employee to have their opinions heard and to be able to voice any concerns they may have - almost like a weight taken off their shoulders. Reiterating, the presence of HR can remove the personable nature behind it and encourage the employee to open up further about any struggles they encountered whilst with the organisation.
The latter form of termination can be as equally taxing on an employee, particularly through the lens of a redundancy. During a redundancy, you are informing the employee that their job no longer needs to be done. This can be extremely difficult on individuals belonging to older generations who have remained with an organisation for the majority of their time in the labour force. As such, they may not possess the skills required to obtain employment elsewhere. This would be extremely mentally detrimental to an individual.
HR can assist by ensuring the correct avenues are followed in the occasion of a redundancy and that the exiting employee is provided with as much guidance and support once they depart. This may be in the form of coaching the individual in their interview skills or assisting the individual in finding employment elsewhere based on their current skill set. These initiatives seek to put the exiting employee in a position to succeed despite involuntarily leaving an organisation.
We have discussed how HR can assist employees with mental health in a modern-day context, how does that look in the future?
Future Considerations
What does the future of mental health look like in the workplace and how can HR actively involve ourselves in this conversation? Mental health will undoubtedly become more integrated in workplaces in the future. The future can either be tomorrow or 50 years from now. In fact, ten days of paid domestic violence leave is already knocking on our front doors. Access to this leave will save lives as it costs around $18,000 to leave a violent relationship.
A few years down the track predicts the stigma of mental health to dissipate significantly as governments, workplaces, and communities alike acknowledge its prevalence and normalise mental health within each environment.
A greater focus on work-life balance has been a focus and will continue to be as organisations transition to remote work or a 4-day work week to enhance the mental wellbeing of employees.
HR are responsible for spearheading these initiatives and being proactive in their efforts of promoting mental health awareness. Personally, I am all for it and excited for current and future conversations about mental health within the workplace.
Watch our latest Q&A with the team at Melbourne HR regarding mental health in the workplace.
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Olivia Lim is a HR Consultant at Melbourne HR.
Edited by Toby Pronstroller, Digital Marketing Coordinator at Melbourne HR.