Greater mental health training for managers could bring “significant benefits”, helping to enhance employee wellbeing and business performance, according to IOSH.
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) recently published a blog post by its Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Ceri Finnegan, in which she identified a lack of manager training as one of the root causes of poor mental health in the workplace.
She argues that better investment in effective workplace mental health training could therefore become part of the solution.
Lack of mental health training linked to ‘dramatic rise in workplace stress’
It’s widely acknowledged that UK workplaces are facing growing concerns from worker stress, burnout and absenteeism. The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) latest annual workplace health and safety statistics confirmed that nearly half of all cases of work-related ill-health in 2023-24 were due to stress, depression and anxiety.
In fact, work-related stress, depression and anxiety resulted in 16.4 million lost working days last year, costing the UK economy billions.
Finnegan notes that this “dramatic rise in workplace stress” has coincided with a reduction in workplace training. The New Economics Foundation report, Employers Spending on Training (March 2024), revealed that employer investment in staff training has dropped by almost a fifth in the last decade.
Highlighting the connection between the two trends, Finnegan writes:
“Without adequate training, managers are ill-equipped to identify and address early warning signs of mental health issues, which perpetuates a cycle of unaddressed issues, absenteeism and declining productivity.”
Mental health training ‘pivotal’ in fostering supportive workplace cultures
Further than that, she warns that a lack of training for managers and staff “undermines” any attempts to build a supportive and inclusive workplace culture or promote health, safety and wellbeing at work.
Finnegan explains:
“As mental health becomes an increasingly urgent workplace issue, managerial training could be pivotal in fostering environments that prioritise open communication and proactive interventions.”
Indeed, IOSH has long advocated for a prevention-first approach to mental health in the workplace, urging organisations to adopt proactive measures to support and promote positive mental health and wellbeing rather than waiting to deal with the fallout of poor worker mental health.
The professional body offers a range of useful resources for businesses and employers, such as Working well – guidance on promoting health and wellbeing at work, the Occupational health management in the workplace guide, Returning to work after common mental disorders and Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace (Mentor) research reports.
Employers and businesses have a legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their staff while at work. This includes identifying and controlling risks to their mental health and welfare and taking steps to support mental health at work.
Line managers play ‘critical role’ in promoting workplace wellbeing
Finnegan notes that organisations will need to take strong actions if ambitious aims published in the government’s Get Britain Working Whitepaper – including getting 80% of working-aged people into work – are to be achieved.
There’s a lot of work to do. Last year, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that less than a third (32%) of companies in the UK provide mental health training for managers. This lack of training is all the more dire considering the CIPD’s finding that line managers have a critical role to play in promoting workplace wellbeing and mitigating mental health issues.
Research carried out by the CIPD in 2023 found that poor managers are bad for workers’ mental health and performance. Conversely, the study concluded that managers who are given proper training and support can successfully create a supportive environment which reduces the prevalence of workplace stress and boosts job satisfaction and morale.
A further study by the University of Nottingham confirmed that mental health training for line managers brings “significant benefits”, helping to “enhance both employee wellbeing and business performance.”
In fact, mental health training for line managers was associated with better staff retention, improved recruitment, enhanced customer services and reduced long-term absences due to mental health issues.
Mental health training helps breakdown barriers
A lack of training for managers can result in a lack of open communication between managers and employees.
Finnegan says that many workers are reluctant to share mental health concerns with their line managers due to “stigma, a fear of being judged, and potential career repercussions.”
Discrimination and stigma are sadly still widespread in many workplaces and workers can also face “a lack of trust or poor manager-employee relationships […] leaving workers feeling unsupported.”
Effective training can help managers to address and breakdown some of these barriers.
Finnegan concludes:
“By undergoing mental health training, managers can develop the skills and confidence to identify early signs of distress, provide appropriate support and encourage open communication.
“Establishing a culture of trust and empathy, supported by clear policies and resources, enables employees to feel valued and secure. This not only improves individual wellbeing but also enhances team morale, retention rates and overall organisational performance. It demonstrates the strategic value of prioritising mental health in leadership practices.”
Quality mental health training and development
Mental health learning and development solutions can play a significant role in helping people to recognise risk factors and proactively support positive mental wellbeing across the UK.
First Response Training (FRT) is a leading national training provider delivering courses in subjects such as health and safety, first aid, fire safety, manual handling, food safety, mental health, health and social care and more.
An accredited Mindful Employer themselves, FRT’s specialist mental health training courses include Understanding Mental Health, Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace, Managing Stress, Anxiety and Phobias Awareness, Self-Harm Awareness and Suicide Awareness.
They can also provide qualified, approved trainers to deliver accredited Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training courses, including the Adult, Youth and Lite versions.
A trainer from FRT says:
“We spend a significant portion of our lives at work and so its essential that we feel happy and supported while we are there, and that promoting positive mental health is part of the workplace culture.
“Mental health training for line managers is a positive way in which we can help to support and promote positive mental health in the workplace as it provides them with essential information, knowledge and skills to offer support to staff and enable them to build their own emotional resilience at work and beyond.
“It also demonstrates that an organisation is serious about mental health and wellbeing and that they are happy to have open conversations about mental health, which is vitally important.”
Resources to support mental health and wellbeing
You can download our free guide to ‘Promoting Mental Health at Work’ and our free guide to ‘Creating a Happy and Inclusive Working Environment.’
A brief summary of our mental health training can now be downloaded as an infographic.
We also have a number of other free infographics available to download which provide simple tips for helping to manage your mental wellbeing. These include:
- Managing Stress at Work
- Manage Your Stress at Work
- Manage Your Stress
- Support Your Mental Health
- Connect With Nature
- Work Well From Home
- Anxiety Factsheet
- Manage Your Anxiety
- Managing Panic Attack
You can also download our free Guide to Mental Health Training from our website.
For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.