Today’s workplaces should be safe spaces. Cultures of empathy and understanding are critical for employee well-being as well as business success. Anyone leading a team should make a commitment to create an environment where people feel comfortable talking about mental health, and the stigmas surrounding mental health begin to break. But this is not easy to do. Here are a few suggestions that may help:
Create the right environment and atmosphere: Develop an open and non-judgemental attitude to encourage honest open sharing, and demonstrate a genuine desire to be of help through your words and actions.
Don’t make assumptions: Mental health struggles can be complex and vary from person to person. Leaders who care about mental health must avoid making assumptions about someone’s experiences or feelings based on appearances or stereotypes, or even their own experiences. Let people share their perspective without judgement.
Ask and listen: Ask thoughtful open-ended questions like “How are you coping with these feelings?” or “What support do you think would be helpful for you?” to elicit meaningful responses, and then listen without offering solutions. People often just want to be heard and validated. Be patient and allow the person to express themselves fully before you move to solutions.
Watch your words: Be cautious about the language you use during these conversations. Focus on language that is supportive and avoid phrases that may trivialise their struggles. Dismissive comments like “It’s not that bad” or “Just get over it” are neither kind nor compassionate, and can undermine the trust that you have built.
Educate yourself: It is important to invest time in education about mental health issues, treatments, and available resources to become an effective people leader. Make sure you stay informed so you can provide accurate and helpful support to your team.
Know your limits: If you are not a mental health professional, then recognise if you need to encourage your colleague to seek professional help from a therapist or counsellor. It is also important to check in with your own mental health because it is hard, if not impossible, to pour from an empty cup. Be mindful about your own struggles and don’t add more to your plate than you can manage.
People don’t want leaders whose influence depends on authority or a title or ego, but respond most positively to those who create the conditions for psychological safety, and act with kindness, compassion and empathy towards others. Think about your workplace. Is there a culture of empathy, trust, and growth? If not, what can you do to change that?
Extracted and edited from “A Leader’s Guide to Mental Health Conversations” at HackingHR. For more information and links to articles, guidelines and webinars, visit https://hackinghrlab.io/
