Mental ill health is one of the most common causes of workplace sickness absence, costing employers dearly in terms of reduced productivity, poor service and recruitment costs. This course looks at the impact of poor mental health at work and explains why ensuring staff mental well-being should be a top priority for organisations across all sectors.

Mental health problems among staff pose a growing risk to employers. Yet the stigma attached to mental health still persists in many of today’s workplaces and a lot of employers are unaware of the extent of the problem and how to tackle it – meaning that employees are not getting the help and support that they need and organisations are suffering as a result.

Combining original drama, legal analysis, insights from business psychologists and mental health professionals and stories from people with lived experience, this video course looks at common mental health problems such as stress, anxiety and depression and their impact in the workplace and provides an introduction to what employers can do to support the mental well-being of their staff.

Section 1 - What is stress?

Stress is a major problem for employers and employees alike, costing businesses and organisations billions of pounds every year and blighting the lives of millions of people in the workplace and beyond. It's one of the most common causes of sickness absence in the UK and can have a drastic effect on our productivity, confidence and mental well-being – and if left unaddressed, it can lead to serious mental and physical health problems.

This section will give a better understanding of:

• why we get stressed and how it affects us
• how to recognise that we may be becoming stressed
• the risks posed by mental ill health and the costs to employers
• the importance of good mental health practice in the workplace
• the need to tackle the stigma around mental health
• the nature of stress and how to spot the warning signs that someone may be suffering

Section 2 - Understanding and managing your own stress in the workplace

Being able to handle pressure and manage our stress levels are key skills in today’s fast-paced, high-pressure working environments. This section looks at some of the common triggers for stress and provides some simple yet effective tools for safeguarding our mental health.

This section will give a better understanding of:

• reducing stress by ‘working smart’ and taking a strategic approach to our work
• effective ways of managing our reactions to stressful situations
• the benefits of having an open dialogue around stress and mental health in general
• how the six ways to well-being can support our long-term mental health

Section 3 - Supporting the mental health of your people

Knowing how to support the good mental health of your staff is key to having a productive and happy workforce that delivers for your organisation. This section sets out good practice for employers in managing employees’ mental well-being.

This section will give a better understanding of:

• why a change in workplace culture is often needed to improve management of staff mental health
• employers’ legal obligations to safeguard the mental well-being of their employees
• ways of gaining insight into mental well-being in your workplace
• practical measures you can take to support good mental health at work
• the role of managers, peers, coaches and mentors
• how to support people with mental health problems in the working environment
• how to make reasonable adjustments
• managing absence and return to work