One important subject is talking about mental health concerns at work. Although increasingly many companies and managers understand that the question needs to be addressed in organizations, everyone does not seem to speak with the same voice.
The current scenario is not very encouraging. Among those interviewed for the study, 38.69% said they never discuss mental health issues with their leaders. Only 3.27% always talk to their managers about the topic.
Furthermore, an alarming percentage was revealed when respondents were asked whether they feel their leaders have the tools to support employees’ mental health. For 63.10% of respondents, leaders do not.
These numbers are real warning signs. It shows how much the topic is still surrounded by outdated stigmas and can be a sensitive issue for several reasons in many companies. Therefore, many employees tend to be afraid of raising issues with their leaders and do not know how to do it.
So if you want to discuss this issue with your leader and you do not know what to say, we have some suggestions for you, and they will be useful during this process. Check them out below.
How to talk about mental health with leadership? 5 tips
1 – Assess whether taking the issue to the workplace is ideal
As we have already mentioned, although mental health is an extremely important topic and is increasingly common in companies, not all companies and managers treat the subject with the same seriousness.
Therefore, it is worth evaluating your company’s policies, the care taken with organizational well-being and the ways in which your leaders have already positioned themselves on the subject and acted with other employees.
This will help you see more clearly whether it is worth taking the matter to the company. Sometimes, the best thing to do is to seek psychological help outside of work.
2 – Choose the ideal time to have this conversation and schedule a meeting
If this is not your case and your leadership conveys trust and empathy, start the process by choosing the right moment to start this conversation.
To do this, consider quieter days and windows, without much work pressure, and schedule a specific, private meeting to address the issue. The ideal is not to just walk up to your manager’s desk and start talking about mental health.
3 – Be clear when communicating what is happening or your concerns
Being a manager is not an easy task. Good leaders are empathetic and care about their teams beyond their professional level. After all, they know that it is impossible to completely separate personal and professional lives.
Therefore, be careful when communicating your issues so as not to create unnecessary anguish, worries and misunderstandings with your leader. Be clear about how to address your mental health, think about the best way to communicate your feelings and current issues and do so responsibly.
4 – Come to the conversation with options for possible solutions and help
Seeking out your leadership to talk about mental health is a very valid and important move. After all, we spend a good part of our days working, and it can affect or be affected by our mental health. However, your leader is not responsible for your psychological issues.
So, it’s great to be able to count on them, but be careful not to “dump” situations and issues on someone else. A great way to avoid this scenario is to think of solutions in advance to discuss in the conversation.
For example, explaining that you are already undergoing psychotherapy, that you have started to implement changes in your routine and that you are committed to solving the problem is a good way to start. As is proposing changes and adaptations in your daily professional routine to align with leadership.
5 – Don’t let the topic of mental health disappear completely
Finally, don’t let the conversation start and end with this. From time to time, bring up the issue again to update your manager, who is interested in your well-being and improvement, and also make adjustments to the agreements made in the point above.
This way, little by little you will have everything you need to get back to being well and return to your initial work routine.