Report calls for line managers to be trained to spot signs of mental ill health

Businesses need to do more to support line managers in promoting mental wellbeing in the workplace, according to a new report.

The report, ‘Leading on mental wellbeing: transforming the role of line managers’, calls on all businesses to sign up to Mind’s Time to Change organisational pledge and to introduce Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training for managers. MHFA training focuses on helping managers to spot the early warning signs of mental ill health and direct people to appropriate sources of support.

The report shows a clear correlation between employee wellbeing and business performance, with improved engagement being estimated to be worth as much as £25 billion to the UK economy. It says line managers are among those most severely affected by increasing workplace pressures, with the average manager working an extra 46 days each year and over half of managers concerned about the impact of long hours on their mental health.

Louise Aston, Business in the Community’s Wellbeing Director, said: “We want to shift perceptions about the crucial role of line managers in improving employee mental wellbeing and business productivity. We’re encouraging employers to enable line managers to improve their own and others’ employee wellbeing for the benefit of their peers, their organisation and society. Offering Mental Health First Aid training is one way of enabling managers to spot early warning signs and signpost people to appropriate support. Our aim is to make talking about mental health business as usual.”

A report out earlier this week from the Office for National Statistics shows people aged 40-59 have the lowest life satisfaction out of other age groups, with men more likely to feel unhappy. Mind said there were many possible reasons for this, but cited workplace pressure, financial stress and lack of work life balance among them.

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