Over 1 in 5 U.S. adults lives with a mental illness.1 While many people with mental illnesses function well and live meaningful lives, symptoms still affect their well-being. Untreated mental health issues, in particular, can impact occupational functioning in many ways.
With that in mind, it is both ignorant and potentially irresponsible for managers to negate the importance of mental health in the workplace. When employees can adequately take care of themselves, they tend to be more satisfied and productive at work. The opposite is also true. Poor employee mental health is associated with higher rates of burnout, poor performance, premature termination, and weakened company morale.
Mental health training comes in many forms, and each company needs to assess its own strengths, weaknesses, and needs when implementing certain protocols. But as a leader, this type of training should be at the forefront of how you operate your daily business.
What Defines Mental Health Training for Managers
Mental health training is a broad term that takes on several different definitions. At its core, this training focuses on supporting the emotional well-being of the workplace. It’s both macro and micro-focused, and it should focus on the specific responsibilities and needs of your company’s employees. Here are some of the common core components to consider:
Competent Mental Health Literacy
The first step is truly understanding how different mental health issues affect others and influence the workplace. At a minimum, employers should be aware of the main mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
They should also be aware of mental health issues that don’t necessarily correlate with a diagnosis but can affect the workplace. These may include: low self-esteem, grief and bereavement, interpersonal stressors, burnout, existential dread, and poor social skills.
Managers should be aware of some of the main warning signs of each of these presenting concerns. While each individual is different, employers should be mindful that the following may suggest a more serious mental health concern:
Depression: Depression is characterized by symptoms of fatigue, persistent sadness, limited motivation, and difficulty concentrating. In the workplace, employees with depression may present as somewhat disengaged or inattentive. They may have more absences and use more sick days.
Anxiety disorders: Anxiety disorders are an umbrella term for numerous anxiety conditions, including panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and social anxiety disorder. Current research shows that anxiety is the top presenting issue in the American workforce.2 At work, anxiety symptoms may show up in two opposing extremes. Some employees may become overly detailed and perfectionistic. Others may struggle with procrastination or trouble focusing and meeting deadlines. ?
Substance use disorders: A staggering 17% of the U.S. population meets the criteria for a substance use disorder, with alcohol use disorder being the most prevalent.3 Substance use disorders don’t always have an apparent look, and many employees conceal their habit to maintain their working status. However, symptoms may emerge through unexplained absences, erratic or confusing behavior, frequent lateness, and inconsistent performance.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): PTSD is a mental illness that emerges in response to trauma. An employee with PTSD may present as more irritable or susceptible to mood swings. They may be more hypervigilant or guarded around others. In some cases, they might struggle with various interpersonal dynamics at work.
Everyday Mental Health Struggles
In addition to clinical diagnoses, managers should be aware of other significant mental health challenges that can affect employees’ functioning and morale. These include:
Low self-esteem: Low self-esteem may result in chronic self-doubt, reluctance to take on responsibility, or difficulty asserting oneself. Employees with low self-esteem may downplay
Grief and bereavement: After a loss, employees may experience sadness and a sense of disorientation. They may be more prone to distractibility. Unfortunately, many companies do not offer adequate leave for bereavement. If you have any control over these policies, consider the merits of extended bereavement leaves or flexible scheduling options for grieving employees.
Burnout: Burnout can happen in any industry and at any stage within a professional career. It often emerges in response to prolonged stress, and it refers to a state of emotional exhaustion. If unresolved, burnout can affect workplace performance and result in an employee quitting abruptly.
Interpersonal stressors: Conflicts with coworkers or management can lead to emotional strain, withdrawal, or irritability. Furthermore, if an employee is struggling with personal interpersonal issues, such as marital concerns, their stress may bleed into the workplace.
Existential dread or lack of meaning: Existential problems can cause employees to feel disengaged or purposeless in their work. They may question the purpose of certain tasks or avoid various responsibilities if they can’t connect to a felt sense of meaning.
Other concerning mental health symptoms: While the following symptoms alone do not necessarily warrant a mental health diagnosis, they can certainly affect an individual’s well-being and impact the workplace as a whole. Managers should remain attentive to these signs in fostering a supportive work environment. These include:
- Overworking or difficulties disconnecting
- Withdrawal from team-based activities or colleagues
- Persistent indecisiveness
- Cynicism or chronic negative self-talk about oneself or others
- Poor hygiene
- Avoidance of certain responsibilities
- Frequent complaints of somatic symptoms
- Visible apathy or disinterest in work
- Extreme sensitivity/defensiveness around receiving feedback
- Rumination or signs of obsessive thinking
Strong Communication Skills
In all cases, managers observing different mental health symptoms should strive to understand and approach employees with empathy. The goal is to cultivate a safe space for dialogue rather than jumping to automatic conclusions.
Strengthening mental health competence is the first step. But it’s equally important to have the right skills to discuss mental health concerns constructively and respectfully.
Effective mental health training must provide action-based communication tools, including:
Active listening: Active listening encourages full presence during conversations. This means giving an employee your undivided attention, observing their body language, and striving to withhold interruptions or judgments as much as possible. Try to focus on truly understanding your employee’s needs when they talk. Reflect back on what they say (“It sounds like you’ve been under a lot of pressure this week”) to convey understanding and empathy. This shows employees that you care about their problems and are open to listening.
Empathetic inquiry: Empathic inquiry entails asking curious, open-ended questions to invite back-and-forth dialogue. For example, after reflecting that your employee feels stressed, you might ask, “I know we had a lot to get done this week. What about it felt particularly challenging for you?” That said, empathy transcends words alone. Your nonverbal cues speak much louder than what you say. Try to maintain a soft and warm tone if possible. Open your stance, hold good eye contact, and convey a physical sense of curiosity. This makes you more approachable- if employees sense you are feeling frustrated or impatient, they will react to that regardless of what you say.
Non-judgmental responses: Mental health problems already feel inherently stigmatizing. This is why mitigating judgment is so critical. You want to validate your employee’s experience and acknowledge their emotions without denying or dismissing them. In this case, a non-judgmental response might be, “That does sound challenging. I really appreciate you being honest in sharing this with me.”
Honoring privacy and confidentiality: Employees should feel safe sharing their concerns with you. It may be important for you to explicitly remind employees that you maintain their privacy at all times (unless it is a clear emergency).
Thorough Understanding of Legal and Ethical Responsibilities
Managers also need to understand their legal and ethical obligations when it comes to mental health needs. Every sector has different responsibilities and may report to various licensing boards at various times. That said, training in this area should cover:
What counts as a mental health disability under the law: Managers must clearly understand which mental health conditions are protected by state and federal laws. In most cases, HR is responsible for this knowledge, but it’s still a good practice to stay informed.
How to offer reasonable support: This entails learning how to implement useful changes at work, like adjusting deadlines, allowing flexible hours, or providing a quiet place for some employees to work. It’s also a great idea to stay open and collaborative with your team- what kinds of accommodations are they seeking? Are you able to meet those needs? If not, what compromises can be made?
When to get help from HR or other supports: This means knowing when a situation is serious enough to involve your HR team or health services. For example, if an employee discloses a serious mental health concern, HR may be able to assess legal responsibilities or accommodations. Or, if there are clear signs that an employee’s symptoms are affecting their safety or performance, HR can typically guide the next steps.
How to keep clear, respectful records: Record-keeping is important when it comes to interacting about mental health, and managers should know how to document various interactions accurately and respectfully. Good documentation is objective and non-judgmental. It should clearly capture the conversation and outline the agreed-upon next steps.
Wellbeing Leadership
Effective mental health training also fosters an environment where managers use proactive leadership strategies to reduce stress, strengthen team cohesion, and build a sense of unity. When this happens at the forefront, employees may be more likely to stay engaged and connected to their work. They will often also feel safer approaching you should concerns arise.
Modeling healthy behaviors: Employees constantly take cues from their leaders to learn what is acceptable (and not acceptable) in the workplace. Therefore, if you want employees to take care of themselves and show up well for work, this starts with you. This is comprehensive, and it can take the form of setting boundaries around work hours and taking breaks regularly. In meetings, it may mean disclosing how you cope with stress or manage difficult interactions. The idea is to normalize emotional reactions and convey how you strive to implement self-care at the same time.
Creating a supportive team culture: It’s a good idea to prioritize staying connected to the team at large. This may mean embracing regular check-ins (both individually and as a group), praising efforts, celebrating milestones and small wins, and being collaborative with team members when making decisions. When employees feel supported at work, they feel more seen and appreciated.
Being mindful of common workplace stressors: Effective mental health training should focus on helping leaders identify and reduce stress in the workplace. Not all stress is avoidable, of course, but managers should be aware of the risks of excessive workloads, limited resources, or a lack of sufficient training. At the bare minimum, employees need to have clear job expectations and the right tools to do their work effectively.
Final Thoughts
Mental health training benefits both employers and employees. It should not be conducted as a one-and-done seminar or just handed out in a generic brochure. Managers need to intricately understand how and why mental health problems exist in their workplace. They also need to be willing to collaborate with their employees to ensure their conditions feel appropriate and respectful to their needs.
When you invest in strengthening your leadership, you invest in the entire company. Leaders set the tone for organizational success, and training them well sets them up to best support their employees at all stages of their careers.
