Let's Talk about mental health

In our latest Let's Talk huddle, a members-only benefit which allows for collaborative and confidential discussions amongst peers, we discussed the topic of mental health in the workplace. 

The conversation showed that while the topic of mental health still appears remains primarily under the management of HR teams, internal communicators are becoming increasingly involved in sharing important messaging and resources within their organisations. 

While one member noted that it is not currently in their organisation’s practice to ask employees for feedback regarding their mental health offerings, another shared their approach to feedback with an employee engagement survey, leading to a new health and wellbeing hub, others.

Is it still a battle to have mental health viewed as an important issue at the top of your organisation?

While mental health still seems to be considered by some to be a bit of a taboo subject, participants agreed that there has been a shift in the right direction, and openness to addressing the issue is improving.

From discussions of working groups being established to workplace culture champions helping to deliver messages and gain anecdotal feedback, it was clear from the discussion that members are keen to learn how to keep the momentum going and strike a balance without being tokenistic or overcommunicating.

The suggestion of using employee voice stories (where appropriate) to address the realities of mental health was a highlight of conversation, as well as partnering with reputable subject matter experts to support the complexities of mental health conversations while gaining credibility. This lead us nicely to then briefly review some compassionate communication tips as shared by Hospice UK. Though these recommendations were made specifically on the topic of grief, we agreed that the principles remain the same.

What do our members want to see from the IoIC?

In order to support our members, we intend to continue building our Knowledge Hub bank to include case studies and resources around mental health, further exploring links to flexible and hybrid working, and supporting line manager communication assets.

To explore more of our existing mental health resources, click here.