Train Employees to Support Each Other About Mental Health

June 25, 2019

Train Employees to Support Each Other About Mental Health

Mental health issues affect a huge number of people — one in four adults. But when a colleague or direct report confides in you about an issue, it’s hard to know the right way to respond. There are a few things companies can do to help. One is to train employees in how to support their colleagues. Trainings can teach people to recognize the signs of anxiety, depression, and other common mental health issues. They can also provide a safe space for role playing so that employees can practice what to say in different scenarios. A second way companies can help is to create and share a list of trusted, publicly available resources for information and 24/7 advice. People often worry about the stigma that accompanies mental health issues, so tools that can be used anonymously are valuable. By taking these steps, company leaders can offer another essential kind of support: signaling that mental health issues, and the employees who struggle with them, matter.

Adapted from “What Companies Can Do to Help Employees Address Mental Health Issues,” by Barbara Harvey