Unsurprisingly, none of these are having the desired outcomes and employees still feel under pressure, feel their managers are unable to support them in the right way and, most importantly, feel that the lack of work-life balance negatively affects their mental health.
Last year alone, 12.7% of all sick leave days taken were in relation to poor mental health. Although employees are unlikely to be honest about that for fear of being stigmatised and therefore often declare back pain instead.
Such issues have little to do with policies and training and a lot to do with the overall workplace culture, specifically in relation to work-life balance. Most workplaces are unfortunately still affected by a long hours culture where performance is often measured on the basis of presence and time spent working rather than outcomes.
If the organisational culture doesn't foster an open dialogue on work-life balance and requires managers to have this dialogue as part of their day to day performance management, no amount of free yoga will change things.
Wellbeing policies are amongst the least implemented in workplaces as they are generally vague statements of good intentions but don't have enough teeth to shape behaviours and attitudes.
If you have one such policy, ask your HR team when was the last time the policy has been used. And while you're at it, also ask them if your organisation has ever offered free yoga or mental health training: if so, who attended those sessions? You will find that the majority of beneficiaries tend to be from HR teams themselves and have very little uptake from or impact on the wider business. This is in no way a criticism towards HR functions and more a reflection of the disconnect we often witness between the theory (i.e. all the great policies and initiatives) and the practice, where we see such policies and activities having very limited impact and failing to reach those in the business that would need it the most.
So if you do one thing for mental health awareness week, think about what would help you feel better supported, mentally healthier, and ultimately happier in the workplace, and when you have the answer share that with your manager. Their awareness of your needs is the foundation to build a better working relation.
And if you are a leader, ask your fellow members of your leadership team what is valued in your organisation and how you define good performance: are you, perhaps unintendedly, promoting a long hours culture where someone's performance is measured by the time they spend in the office rather than the actual quality of their work? Are you empowering your direct reports to have conversations with their reports about work-life balance in the context of performance reviews and appraisals? Are you role modeling a culture of openness and dialogue around mental health and wellbeing?
These are the questions that in our opinion should be answered before you consider doing anything else metal health related.
And if you do intend to organise anything for mental health awareness week, don't assume what your employees or colleagues might want. Ask them, and do it with an open, non leading questions. You might be surprised by the answers you'll get back!
