Mental health in the workplace

Hi, everyone, and welcome to this bitesize Bupa Academy module.

I'm Emma Shatliff, manager of the Bupa Academy.

In today's session, we'll be discussing the role line managers can play

in supporting LGBTQIA+ colleagues in the workplace.

I'm delighted to be joined by Naveen Puri, Associate Clinical director at Bupa.

Welcome Naveen, thanks for joining. Hi Emma, thanks for having me.

So Naveen, research shows that LGBTQIA+ people

are more likely to experience a mental health condition such as

anxiety, depression, and even insomnia than the rest of the public.

So can you explain a bit more as to why that may be?

I wonder whether it might be helpful

to start off by speaking of what the LGBTQIA+ acronym stands for.

I think most people will be familiar with the LGBT

part of it, which stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

And then the additional parts the Q stands for questioning or Queer.

I for Intersex.

That's people that haven't necessarily got male or female differentiated

sexual organs. And the A is for people that are asexual.

And then the reason there's a plus at the end is

because the acronym is ever expanding and ever inclusive.

And there are people that perhaps don't fall into one of the letters

that come before the plus but rather identify as the plus

or other things that may come in the future.

So it's an all inclusive and all encompassing acronym.

And so to your question around the mental health impact on people

who fall into that community, I think it's really important

that we recognise that for those individuals, the lived experience day

to day can be quite different from those are not LGBTQIA+

if you consider simple things like walking down the street or,

you know, taking photos with your partner.

And we often see on the news media, you know, stories of a lesbian couple

being attacked because they were holding hands

or a gay couple being attacked because they were holding hands

and things of that nature.

And I think a heterosexual couple that is a couple that is not LGBTQIA+

would not have to think twice about those sorts of actions.

Things like kissing your partner on the cheek

in a cinema, holding their hands on the bus.

Whereas for people from the community, that is completely fraught.

And that's just one of many examples

where their existence has to constantly be second guessed, second checked

and censored, almost for the purposes of the environment that they were in.

Within the workplace we know that if people can't show

can be their true selves, that can also have a real impact as well.

So we want everyone that comes to work to be able

to contribute their whole entire self rather than just a part of them.

If you consider, for example, everybody supporting one football team

and you supporting another, you're always an outsider

and multiply that by many magnitudes.

And if you're from the LGBTQIA+ community,

you feel that on a much more greater basis.

So Naveen, a study found that LGBTQIA+ employees

are more likely to experience conflict and harassment at work

compared to their heterosexual and cisgender colleagues.

So how would this affect someone's mental health?

What is the impact on the workplace?

And perhaps before you answer that second question.

If you can just maybe explain a bit more about cisgender in that terminology,

because that's something new to me, to be honest.

Yes, of course. Thank you for sharing that Emma.

Why don’t I speak to that part first then.

I think we use a lot of terminology in the diversity

and inclusion space don’t we that can often be new to individuals.

And I think some people,

including myself, can feel very embarrassed

when they don't know what certain terms mean.

So let's explain what cisgendered means.

When you consider somebody who is transgender, their gender identity

or their sense of what sex they are is different to their outward biological sex.

Somebody who is cisgendered and that probably is the majority of us

doesn't have that.

So we are essentially within the body we're supposed to be

and our biological sex matches our gender identity.

So I hope that helps, cisgender is the opposite of transgender.

And therefore,

that's the simplest way of looking at it, I would say.

So to your question around the harassment that LGBTQIA+ individuals face

within the workplace, I think it's really important

that we recognise the impact that has on them,

but more widely the impact it has on your organisations as well.

If you consider

you want the best from your people, you want them to feel safe at work,

you want there to be a psychological safety,

which means that they can be the most productive versions

of their selves, challenge you in the most productive

and helpful ways that they can and also contribute as much as they can as well.

If somebody is holding back a part of themselves, either

because of a personal choice or because of the environment around them.

You're not going to get the best from them.

And I think if you've got a workplace where either intentionally or unintended,

there is a level of discrimination or harassment against people who are

LGBTQIA+, you're not going to benefit from the excellent resource and their,

you know, lived experience

and the other perspectives those individuals could bring.

Let me give an example.

I think if you know, for example, that on a soap opera

the night before, if there was a gay kiss

and then somebody came into the office and was mocking or joking about that.

Think of the impact that would have on

somebody in your office who might be LGBTQIA+ to hear that.

If everybody laughs at that joke for that individual,

there's a hostile environment.

What they live every day is a joke to everyone around them,

and therefore they're going to have to hold themselves back.

And if you multiply that over many experiences,

let's assume somebody comes in after a weekend and talks about what

them and their partner had done.

But you know, the male part, the male member of staff

may see his girlfriend,

the female members of staff may take their husbands or boyfriends.

Somebody who is from the LGBTQIA+ community may not feel empowered to say,

actually, my partner's of the same sex or correct assumptions about their partner's

sex or gender or gender orientation,

it can be really difficult to then be a part of a group and take part

in those kinds of coffee room conversations that help build up,

you know, groups of friends, networks and things of that nature.

And so that then means that people can't be themselves in other ways, too,

when it comes to a roundtable discussion

where you're problem solving a big issue at work,

somebody might have a really useful insight,

but because they've always been used to holding themselves back

and just not revealing their full self to you,

they may not share their bright idea or the next big thing

that might really help take your company forward.

So I think it's really important that we recognise the impact of,

you know,

intentional and unintentional harassment against against individuals

and the things that we might want to do to address that as well.

Definitely.

And I think, you know,

it's really sad to hear some of the statistics that you've shared

and that, you know, face

the reality that that is what some people go through whilst they're at work.

So, you know, that would automatically take a toll on mental health.

So why is it important for organisations to support employee mental health

in the workplace that are from the LGBTQIA+ community?

I mean, that's a great question, and I broaden out to say that

actually the responsibility lies in employees to employers, rather

to look after every employee's mental health.

But we're speaking specifically about one particular community in this instance.

And the reason it's important is to allow them to be

their true selves, to be as productive as they can possibly be

and to be a part of the team as you would like them to be as well.

We know that within the LGBTQIA+ community,

for example, mental health conditions

can be much more common than they are within the mainstream population.

Things like depression, anxiety, even thoughts around self-harm

and suicidal ideation are much higher within that community.

And I should say, you know, the LGBTQIA+ community isn't just a monolith.

You know, transgender

individuals within that, for example, will have much higher rates of suicidality

or suicidal thoughts than perhaps gay or lesbian individuals do,

despite everyone's being much higher than the general population.

So it's important

that we recognise that, you know, because of their day to day struggles

and the lived experience that can be somewhat fraught for them in many ways.

I'm sure the day to day experience is also very positive

as well in many ways and we shouldn't negate that.

But we're focusing on the negatives

as a means to address those negatives.

It's important that we recognise that there are differences

and whatever we can do to help mitigate for that is really important.

And I think obviously organisations have a huge responsibility to meet their,

you know, their,

their place of employment, a safe, open culture

where people can bring their true selves to work.

But more specifically for line managers, what support

can they give someone from the LGBTQIA+

community if they are struggling with their mental health at work?

Yeah, great question.

I think a line manager is in a unique position to really be the standard bearer

and really set the tone and an influence around the people that work with them.

And if you identify or consider that somebody may be within the LGBTQIA+

community, the first thing to recognise is that it's

supposed to be none of your business.

But if that information is shared with you,

then to be very respectful of that and to honour the fact

that you are privy to that information, because it can be a real

it can be a real sort of step to disclose that information.

We've heard of the concept of coming out and individuals from that community

have to almost come out again when they come to a workplace

because they're around

people who don't know them, such as their friends and family do.

So as a line manager, then consider what you can do as a standard bearer

and as somebody who can really set

the tone and influence within your team or within your sphere of influence.

You might, for example, come across an article on LinkedIn

or the national press

that you share on social media, which is visible to all of your team

an article which champions, let's say, a pride march or a gay

marriage or a lesbian couple who have opened a new business locally.

Anything of that nature.

And it's a really lovely way to send a signal to everyone around you

that you are accepting and an ally to that particular community.

You may also consider when there are negative things

in the press what your reaction to that is as well.

So, for example, one thing I think of quite clearly is

an article that occurred recently within the press

where a lesbian couple were attacked by a group of young men who took exception

to them kissing on the bus and the picture of their bloody faces

was very, very was very traumatic to look at, quite frankly.

And I recall one of our managers in the business shared an article around

that and just said how disappointed they were that this had occurred

and how sad he was that this couple had experienced this.

And it was just a lovely way for that manager

to demonstrate to everybody around him.

He was one of my managers, in fact.

So it really resonated with me that, you know,

this was a message for all of us that he supported these individuals

and also abhorred the actions that occurred against them.

And other things might be to speak to your employees if they do share

of their experiences with you, maybe exercise an element of curiosity.

There's no harm in

asking questions, as you would of somebody who isn't from that community.

So, for example,

if you were wearing a particularly interesting outfit

or had gone on a holiday somewhere interesting, I might ask you about that.

And there's no reason why you can't ask about things around

someone's

sexual orientation or gender identity if you feel that there was a safety

to do that as well.

Brilliant, thanks.

I think that's really helpful because I think sometimes

you have the worry that you'll say the wrong thing

or you make an assumption that's not not correct or something.

So and those suggestions are really, really useful.

And what are some of the things that maybe organisations

and land managers can do to create more inclusive workplaces?

We've spoken about a couple of suggestions there

where an individual manager could perhaps be seen to be visibly an ally

by sharing positive news stories or commenting on negative ones.

I think as an organisation consider how you might want to buy into diversity

and inclusion by recognising major events for specific communities.

I mentioned Pride Marches idea.

If there's a local Pride march or a local pride activity going on.

Recognise that and perhaps have posters up in your workplace or in some way

commemorate that in your workplace, maybe the catering team might consider.

I know Rainbow cupcakes on a Pride day or things of that nature,

and that's a very obvious and simple example.

There are many ways that workplaces can share their buy in to a movement

and to something which might help people from within that community feel included

and welcome as well.

And I'd also say, you know, while

the people who work around you, particularly from those minority

communities and in this case, the LGBTQIA+ community aren't

an expert resource, they shouldn't be relied

upon to be the spokesperson for their entire community.

Equally, they may have ideas about what they would like to see at work.

So if they're the kind of person who you feel

would be welcome to you asking them about that,

then feel free to ask them, you know,

what would you like to see here at Bupa or here at whichever company you work at.

And sometimes they'll have suggestions you haven't even considered.

And tapping into that resource and that sort of inner intelligence can be

a really good way to then go forth and do whatever it might be, might be useful.

Thanks Naveen for joining us today.

That was really, really interesting.

Thanks, Emma.

Hi everyone, and welcome to this Bitesize Academy module.

My name's Emma Shatliff, manager of the Bupa Academy.

In today's session, we'll look at some of the ways employees can reduce risk of suicide amongst employees.

Will also discuss how to provide support for any colleagues who've been affected by suicide.

For today's session, I'm delighted to be joined by Dr.

Naomi Humber, head of Mental Wellbeing at BUPA.

Thanks for joining me today, Naomi.

Thanks. It's nice to be here.

So suicide can be a very sensitive and emotive subject to talk about

and there is often stigma and misconceptions surrounding it.

So why is it important for employers to foster a supportive

mental health environment that recognises suicide?

So in the UK, suicide is a major public health

problem and a leading cause of death in people aged between 20 and 34 years of age

and the highest rates of suicide are actually males aged between 50 and 54 years.

This means that more people than you might think have been affected by death, by suicide,

and it could be an employee, a family member, a friend of theirs,

or it could be a client that you're working with on a day to day basis.

We also know that suicidal thoughts are more common than you probably think.

And one in five of us believe to have had suicidal thoughts at one point or another.

And what this means in the workplace is that there's probably someone

who you work with right now who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts.

And whilst the research says that the majority, of course, don't

go on to act upon those thoughts and end our life,

they may be struggling on a day to day basis and suffering in silence.

So what that means for companies is that we really need to break down the stigma around mental health

and speak more openly about it within our workplace

and also think about it from an employee perspective and what we can do

to support our team members and our people who we work with on a day to day basis.

What we would say is we're not expecting you to counsel people through these sorts of things.

We're not expecting you to be a mental health expert or clinician.

But what we do expect is that you are able to have that conversation with someone in a sensitive manner

and you are able to hear what they've got to say if they are going to disclose

something about suicidal thoughts, and then signpost them accordingly.

Thanks, Naomi.

I think some of them statistics that you shared there are a bit scary actually,

and demonstrates the importance of why the stigma needs to be expelled.

So around nine in every ten

people whose take their own life have a mental health problem at the time of their death.

What are some of the risk factors that line managers should be aware of?

There's no straightforward answer to this.

There are a number of reasons for suicide, and they're multifaceted and very complex.

And sometimes we'll never know why someone's chosen to take their own life.

Ultimately, suicide isn't linked to any particular group

in society, and it can't be predicted a lot of the time.

But it what it can be prevented.

And so what we need to understand is what the risk factors for suicide.

What are the early warning signs and what can we do to intervene

and help someone who is struggling with some form of suicidal behaviour?

In terms of the research and the evidence base around suicidality and suicide

as an outcome, particularly in the general population,

we know that there are certain risk factors for suicide.

So according to research in the evidence base, someone will be at higher risk of suicide if they are male.

So males are three times more likely than females to die by suicide.

And that statistic has remained constant over time.

They have a history of suicidal behaviour and self-harm.

They are part of the LGBTQIA+ community.

They are going through a significant life events such as a bereavement,

a job loss, a family or marital breakdown or something similar.

Struggling to cope with alcohol and substance misuse, are living with a long term health condition,

for example, chronic pain or a terminal illness, and people in certain occupations

are more likely to die by suicide, and that might be due to having access to means,

or it might be the nature of the working conditions or the working environment.

There are also factors that make suicide less likely, and these are known as protective factors,

and these protect us against the eventual outcome of suicide.

And these can be things such as having a supportive family network and friends.

It can also be having access to professional mental health services and engaging with those services as well,

and also having things such as a job

that you really enjoy and getting on with the people who you work with.

Thanks, Naomi.

I think that's quite an extensive list

that you've shared there, and I think some of those things maybe managers currently aren't aware of.

So I think that would be really helpful.

To touch on the point you made around men –

men are three times more likely to take their own lives than women.

So how can organisations and line managers encourage men to get mental health support when they need it?

Many men can avoid talking about their emotions and feelings,

but that doesn't mean to say they don't struggle with their mental health.

It's really important that that we understand that about men,

that they may have stigma around sharing, about how they're doing, how they're feeling.

They may feel it's a sign of weakness, of vulnerability.

They may feel that they are inadequate if they start to talk about these things and feel that

it says something about them, such as their almost a failure to have to engage with mental health services.

But we must encourage them to speak up and speak openly about how they're doing

and also reach out for support should they need it.

It's really useful to think about how we communicate

about mental health with men that could be in literature

on our intranet in terms of really

connecting with them and making sure that things resonate with them.

So it could be the terms, for example, strength, courage,

empowerment and problem solving, things like that

can really connect with a man and they can think, yes, this is the right thing to do.

Also, it can be about role models within the business, male

role models, senior figures who've been through mental health difficulties

and they've actually come through the other side of that and can actually speak openly about that.

That can really help a male to think, I can do this myself.

You know, I can really reach out.

Encouraging them to speak to various people, whoever they feel comfortable with.

It could be a mental health first-aider, yourself as a line manager,

it could be the health care professional that they've got,

for example, a GP or a specialist service that your company has,

such as an employee assistance program or the occupational health team.

Or it could be the HR team for example.

There's lots of different organisations out there too, for men such as the Samaritans

or Mind as a charity, there's lots of use of resources there.

And finally, just speaking to men about validating what it's like to be

a man in society, thinking about, you know, be kind to yourself.

It's okay to not be okay.

Take the pressure off yourself at times, put yourself first and prioritise your own needs.

Think sadly some of those male stereotypical

thoughts still exist, but hopefully in time they will get broken down.

I think the point that you made around language is really key because these subtle changes in

how you communicate to men is brilliant because hopefully it will open them up

to sharing more frequently, but it doesn't alienate women at the same time.

So subtle changes can make a big difference.

And I think also is the opportunity for, you know,

times in the year to get men engage, like Movember, for example.

Certain national campaigns are great ways of doing that.

So awareness is vital when it comes to recognising

the early warning signs when it comes to suicide.

How can organisations and line managers reduce the risk of suicide in the workplace?

So suicide isn't inevitable and the majority of people

who have suicidal thoughts thankfully don't go on to end their life.

As an employer, it's really important to remember that you're not solely responsible

for someone's care and safety at all times and you're not a mental health expert.

But there are certain things that we would expect in regards to suicide prevention because it is everyone's concern.

Whether you’re a line manager or an employer, it really is something that you need to bear in mind and really consider.

So it can be useful to really create

an open culture around mental health and wellbeing so that people speak openly and honestly about how they're doing,

then they know how to access support should they need to do so.

Thinking about the strategies and the frameworks you have in place around these sorts of subjects.

So it could be a mental health framework embedded within that, a suicide prevention strategy.

It can be about having policies and procedures that are associated with workplace

risk factors such as bullying, harassment,

stress, how to deal with mental health challenges.

When we were in the work setting.

Implementing these strategies is really important because it allows people to be able

to navigate those sorts of situations and conversations effectively.

Thinking about having training and education for everyone within the business

so people know how to respond to these sorts of things, how they can have confidence

in having conversations about mental health and suicide with people potentially who they are

professionally accountable for, and they have a duty of care towards.

Thinking about, also, the way you communicate with each other.

So it's about strengthening relationships within the work setting so that people

then are picking up on signs and symptoms that people are struggling.

Their welfare may be suffering in some way.

So really recognising that having strong supportive working

relationships is very much essential in this situation,

considering raising awareness around suicide and leaning in to that point,

just remembering that talking about suicide doesn't make it any more likely.

In fact, it's quite the opposite.

The more you talk about it, the the less risky it will be within your organisation.

So that's really important to bear in mind.

Thank you.

And when suicide does happen, it can have a huge and long lasting emotional impact

on those who'd been close to the person which may well include their colleagues.

So how can organisations and line managers ensure the wellbeing

of those who have been affected are supported?

This is likely to include a range of measures

depending on the circumstances surrounding that suicide and that situation.

It could be things such as compassionate leave, getting bereavement counselling for someone.

It may be peer support or other support services that you employ and and get involved should the need arise.

It could also include practical support, such as reducing someone's

workload or changing their work schedule to accommodate them.

It's necessary to ensure that communications

are conducted in a really sensitive and compassionate way.

The way you communicate a death by suicide can really impact on others around you.

So it's ensuring that you are remaining in a calm manner when you communicate things such as that.

And also the choice of words that you use can impact

on how people react and cope with that sort of news.

The organisations and resources that are out there at the moment include Public Health

England and Business in the Community, who’ve got a range of toolkits around these sorts of things.

They are really, really helpful.

They've got free information and guidance as to how to navigate these things.

We also have the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

who have developed guidance for professionals

on responding to workplace suicide risk.

And also we've got the Samaritans who've developed a really useful

guide on media reporting how we report suicides safely.

And it may be that you want to consider having a compassionate

leave policy and specifically sections around

how you navigate bereavement by suicide.

It's recommended that organisations have a postvention plan in place should the need arise

and someone's been affected by suicide, either within the workplace itself or outside of the workplace.

Thanks, Naomi.

And I'm guessing, you know, if somebody is affected by suicide, initially,

they they may appear to be fine and that impact may be felt later on down the line.

So I assume it's only right that managers

recognise that and are there to provide the support when it arrives and not to expect it to happen

in the immediate after effects, if you like.

Yeah, you've got to really plan for those sorts of things and not just go in reactive.

I guess you've got to have a plan in place and know how you will respond.

Every circumstance is different, but it's really important that you lean

to the resources that are out there to guide you through those sorts of situations.

Thank you. Thanks very much for joining me today. Thanks.

56% of people feel that if they weren't properly supported

after coming back to work following a bereavement,

they might actually consider leaving their jobs.

So it's really important to consider what we might want that support to look like.

And the first and most important thing that you can do is ask the employee

what they would find most helpful for them.

And it's really important as well because grief and bereavement changes over time.

Those needs will change as well.

So it's important

to check in with an employee not only before they come back to work,

but also after they come back to work to make sure that those needs

are still being met.

In some instances, it may also be relevant to let other employees

know what would be most helpful for that individual.

So it's really important to let the rest of your staff know

that it's really significant for that employee to still be included

in workplace conversations, but also in social occasions as well.

And even if they say that they don't want to come along ,for future events,

still invite them anyway so that they feel included.

So when you first make contact with a bereaved employee,

one thing that can be really helpful

is letting them know in advance that you're going to be calling and, if

possible, giving them a selection of times that you can give them a call

just so that they can mentally

and emotionally prepare for what could be a really tough conversation.

It's also important to make sure that this conversation happens in a safe space

and for yourself, a private environment where you don't have any time constraints

so that the individual doesn't feel rushed.

It's also important when you first speak to them,

to acknowledge what's actually happened and be able to say, I'm

so sorry about what happened to your mum, or I'm so sorry that your baby died.

And it's also absolutely fine to use the person's name.

And if you don't know that name, it's okay to ask as well.

Be aware of your own experiences of loss.

We're all human, and it's absolutely fine to show that humanity,

but we just want to make sure

that we don't take away from that individual's own experiences.

So when checking in with a bereaved employee,

it can be really helpful to actually ask them how often

they want you to check in with them and how you check in with them as well.

It can be really good to make sure that they're aware of what

they're entitled to, both in terms of bereavement leave

and in terms of what support is available to them as well,

perhaps through an employee assistance program.

It's important to ask them what they actually want to know about work

and what's going on at work, and also being able to check in with them

that the support that you are offering is still meeting their needs.

At the end of all of this, it can also be really helpful

to ask them whether they would like to send you

anything that you've spoken about in writing.

When someone is grieving, it's really hard to take in a lot of information,

so having it in writing to refer back to can be really helpful.

The best way to answer this

question is to turn to what bereaved families have told us are helpful.

So the first one is to avoid platitudes.

Try not to say things like at least the person

had a good life, or you can always try for another child.

It's also important to resist saying, “I know how you feel.”

Everyone's experience of grief is completely different, and instead

you can try to seek to understand that individual's unique experience.

Don't be afraid to show your humanity and feel comfortable to say, “I'm so sorry.

That sounds incredibly sad.

What a difficult time for you.” Acknowledge the person's

loss and feel free to say the name of the person who died.

And if you don't know their name, it's absolutely okay to ask and also give

the person opportunities to talk about what's happened, if they want to.

For some employees, they might find it really hard to come to you

and actually acknowledge when they're struggling.

So something that might be helpful is agreeing on some non-verbal ways

that they can let you know they might be struggling.

It could be something as simple as sending you a particular emoji, or a particular

word in a message to let you know that they might need a bit of time out.

A really

good place to start is by checking in with your employee

that they've spoken to their GP, and that their GP has given them

some information on bereavement support that's available to them.

Another really good thing that you can do is make sure that the employee is aware

of what they're entitled to in terms of bereavement leave,

but also what support is available to them through work,

whether that's through an employee assistance program

or anything else the work can do to support them.

Another thing that can be really helpful is having a look

at what support organisations you can signpost them to,

and giving them a written list that they can then take away with them.

Organisations such as Child Bereavement UK or others

that provide specific support for their bereavement.

We also have that at AtaLoss website, where people can go

online and find bereavement support more local to them.

Hi everyone, and welcome to this Bitesize Academy module.

My name is Emma Shatliff, manager of the Bupa Academy.

In this session will be discussing the role line managers can play to support work related stress.

And for that conversation, I'm delighted to be joined by Dr.

Naomi Humber, head of Mental Wellbeing at Bupa.

Thanks for joining me today, Naomi.

Thanks. It's nice to be here.

Research shows that work related stress continues

to be one of the main causes of short and long term absence in the UK.

So please, could you start by explaining some of the causes of work related stress?

So a certain amount of stress can be really positive for us.

It can allow us to perform at our best, it can increase our motivation,

it can increase our focus on tasks, and it can generally help us to cope with work demands.

However, work related stress is more

about typically associations with negative impacts of our working environment

or our approach to it, which has impacted on our physical and mental health.

So we are finding we are stressed by our working life in some way and it's impactful towards us.

A member of your team may feel stressed if they feel the demands that are placed upon them feel overwhelming,

they feel excessive, their targets

and the deadlines that you've set them feel unrealistic to them.

It may be that they are struggling because they don't feel supported within the working environment.

It might be by yourself as a line manager.

It might be difficult relationships potentially with their team-mates

it could be that they are not feeling in control of their working day

and they don't have enough autonomy or say in what's going on day to day.

It could be that they don't feel as engaged in change processes as much as they want to be.

So the why?

Why are we doing this and what does that mean for me?

Change happens a lot in organisations and if we're not engaged in that process,

we can start to feel unnecessarily the impact of stress

and unease about what's happening.

They may not fully understand their roles and their function,

so there's a lack of clarity around that and that uncertainty creates a stress for them.

People are stressed in the workplace in different ways for different reasons, so all of those things

might not apply to someone, it’s good that we check in with people and understand what is difficult for them.

What we find is people can respond and react to stress because of their age,

their ability, their competence, their experience.

There can be a range of different reasons why people respond

differently to stress and stresses within the workplace, and it's really important

that we understand that everyone manifests differently in regards to stress, too.

So it's important that we check in as much as we can with people.

Thank you.

So in a nutshell, there's quite a lot of causes of work related stress that managers need to be aware of.

So we know signs of work related stress can vary

depending on someone's personality and how a person responds to pressure.

So what signs should managers look out for in their teams?

So I think it's really important to get to know your team very well and you'll know then

how they usually turn up to work and then what might shift for them, what might change in terms of their presentation.

It may be their behaviour, their performance in work, their relationships with colleagues,

the way they're communicating with people, what typically some common things we will see

is changes in appearance, so people become dishevelled or neglectful of themselves and the way they

they turn up to work, it might be they are underperforming in some way.

So you've set them some tasks and they're not getting them to you on time.

It might be not meeting deadlines/targets.

It might be that there work is considered underpar.

It may be that they are struggling with their confidence, their motivation, their commitment to things.

It could be emotionally being very reactive to things.

It might be very anxious about something very irritable

or quite the opposite and quiet and reserved, less than usual.

So there's a range of different things that people might present like when they are struggling with stress.

I think if you think of a line manager, potentially

you've got a number of team members who are all very different individuals.

Is it okay for a line manager to have an upfront conversation

with somebody when they maybe join the team in the first instance to say, you know,

if you were struggling or you were feeling stressed, what might that look look like for you?

And if I notice some of those symptoms arise

in, am I okay to have that conversation with you?

Because sometimes I'm guessing the individual might not recognise it in themselves.

Is that okay? Yeah, I definitely believe that.

I think it's important to get to know your employee and get to know them

when they're feeling well and things are okay for them.

That's almost the baseline of the person.

And then when you start to notice a change in them, you can,

you can bring it to their attention and just sensitively broach the subject.

I think that we don't want to wait until someone is feeling stressed and telling you they’re stressed.

We want to pick up on that a lot sooner, so let's not wait for it.

Let's try and pick up on the early signs and, you know, help them as much as possible because it's likely that

they're being impacted from a physical and mental health perspective,

but also from a productivity perspective too.

That’s great, thank you.

Around 18 million working days are thought to be lost each year because of work related stress,

anxiety or depression.

What are some of the other ways work related stress can impact on the workplace?

As we've discussed, stress can place immense demands on an employee

so it can affect their physical and mental health.

It can affect their behaviour, their performance, their relationships with their colleagues.

And high levels of stress within an organisation

has great detrimental effect to an entire business.

It can be about presenteeism, so people are reducing in their productivity.

It can be about absenteeism, a high staff turnover and reduced staff engagement.

So that can all impact the bottom line in some way.

It's important that organisations realise

how serious it can be when work related stress goes across an entire business

and it can happen very quickly and it has a bit of a ripple effect.

So we have an employee who is struggling with work related stress

and then impacts on the team members around them and then it becomes a team issue,

then it becomes a manager issue and then that team impacts on another team.

And then before we know it, the teams that are there to support these employees,

such as the HR team or the occupational health team,

are feeling quite burnt out by the level of stress

and potentially mental health problems in the business.

So it can really have a big, big impact on a business.

And when a workplace could be considered toxic from a stress perspective and people are struggling

and they're not being helped in terms of support for that stress, word of mouth goes a long way in bad PR.

So if people talk about how stressed they are in work, you know, it's a small world

in certain industries and sectors, so you won't retain talent and you won't recruit it.

So that will hit the bottom line.

I think a lot of line

managers will find that information really useful, so thank you.

And onto line managers, they obviously play a crucial role in helping to prevent and manage work related stress.

What are some different ways that you can support an employee who might be struggling with stress?

So there's a range of different ways that line managers can approach this situation.

It can be about creating clear roles and responsibilities for the person,

ensuring that you've had an open and honest conversation about their workload

and what feels fair and realistic for them in terms of, for example, targets and deadlines,

considering the work life balance and making

sure that you reminding them of breaks and holidays

and taking them when they can,

having a really supportive work environment

between yourself and that employee, but also within the team and within the wider business as much as you can do

checking in with your direct reports about how they're getting on,

if they need any source of support, making sure that you signpost them accordingly,

making sure that they are equipped to deal with the job that they've got to do.

So it might be the right sort of equipment, the right training in place, the right coaching

that they've mentioned, making sure that you empower them to make the decisions about their working life as well.

So they feel very much in the driving seat at times in control, maybe selecting different projects

that they'd like to get involved in or prioritising as they see fit.

Thank you.

And lastly, what advice would you give to managers on how to support an employee

returning to work after stress leave?

I think this is a really important one and it's one that I hear quite a bit as a clinician in mental health.

So you've got to be very sensitive about the nature of the reason for sickness absence, which is work related.

So if we think about that, when you go off work and you come back into work after a period

where you've recognised that work has been a trigger for you, it's it's been something that has led to you having

a period of sickness, it can be very difficult to return

to that working environment and not be triggered in some way.

It could be relationships with colleagues, it could be particular

meetings, certain roles and responsibilities that you have.

So as a line manager, really recognising that that that might be quite a challenging situation to return to.

Thinking about, then easing them back into that situation, having a regular check in with them.

One of the biggest things I hear as a mental health clinician is someone says, “No one ever asked me how I am.

No one ever said how are you?” And that is really significant

for me as a mental health clinician, because it's a very simple and straightforward question,

but it doesn't get asked a lot, particularly with regards to work related stress.

And it goes a long way for someone.

Another thing you find is that people's confidence is dented, so they've gone off and they come back

and their confidence has took a bit of a knock and it's about validating them.

You know, you've taken the time to get better.

That's really important.

We’re so pleased you did that and that's lets them recognise

them as an individual within the company and value them.

Compliments and positive reinforcement go a long way with us all.

We all love to hear a positive about ourselves

and it boosts someone's coping and work adjustment.

So if you can say great job, well done, that was a brilliant piece of work

that will really help them to embed back into the business.

Thank you so much for joining me today, Naomi.

I think the tips and advice that you've given will be really helpful for our line managers watching this.

So thank you. Thank you.

Hello and welcome to this Bitesize Academy module.

I'm Emma Shatliff, manager of the Bupa Academy.

At Bupa we're really serious about opening up

the conversation around mental health in the workplace.

As a parent myself, I know how hard it is to juggle work and family life.

In today's session,

we'll be discussing the role line managers can play to support parents and guardians

to support children with mental health challenges.

I'm delighted to be joined

by Dr Naomi Humber, clinical psychologist and head of mental well being at Bupa.

Welcome, Naomi.

If you're ready, we'll get started with the first question.

Impact of the pandemic on childrens mental health

Okay, Naomi. So, research shows that since March 2020,

a staggering 80% of teens have had symptoms of poor mental health.

In what ways can children's mental health

affect parents or guardians whilst at work?

Yeah, so the pandemic led to increasing

levels of anxiety and stress in children and young people.

We found that there was a lot of disruption to usual routines

and that played havoc, really, with children's mental health

andwellbeing. We also realised that teenagers have had a tough time.

It's not an easy time in development

anyway, but the pandemic exacerbated some of that stress.

So what we found in research was that 52%

of teens engaged in unhelpful coping behaviours,

such as excessive or restrictive eating, self harm and hair pulling.

And so teenage years are a difficult time.

And then Mums and Dads have got everything

else that went on top with the pandemic, too.

So Mums and Dads and guardians, caregivers of children have had a really stressful

time, which has impacted on them in the workplace as well.

So parents have gone into work really

worried and concerned about what's going on at home and that's understandably

impacted on their performance and productivity in the workplace.

So it might be that they've missed

deadlines, not been able to complete some tasks and been absent in meetings.

And so, overall, it's been a tough time because they felt they had been pulled

in different directions because of the two parties, work and home,

and felt quite guilty about being absent in both camps at times.

Supporting parents and guardians at work

Parents and guardians will at some

point worry about their children's mental health whilst they're at work.

So how important is it that organisations

offer support to employees caring for a child with a mental health problem?

Yeah, so issues that children, young people, parents and guardians face

needs to be considered by employers and companies.

If we don't and we ignore and we avoid those issues,

it's going to impact on the bottom line, it can impact on productivity,

absenteeism, high turnover, and really, we do need to consider it as employers

in terms of what we do to support our parents and guardians in the workplace.

Stress has felt at home have a huge impact on things in work.

And so what we need to do is we need to be

able to understand what's going on and try and help and support in as best we can.

What we find is if parents and guardians are supported in the workplace.

They are much more likely to be able to concentrate and function and perform

to the best of their ability in the workplace and actually they feel

very loyal to the company then very cared for,

valued,

understood and so they don't have the need to sort of take time off,

think about reducing their hours or

actually taking some time away and maybe even quitting the job.

So what we need to do is have the right

resources, tools, support, guidance in place so that they can

navigate being a parent, being a guardian, whilst being able to function at work.

Why is it important

So in particular,

why is it important for line managers to help working parents to be in a better

place to support themselves and their children?

So as parents and caregivers and guardians support their children and young people,

we need to support them as their organisation or their employer.

It goes a long way and so what we see is

in these sorts of individuals, we find that there's curve of a burnout

which is absolutely huge, it's on the rise as well, given the pandemic.

So thinking about that exhaustion when

you're looking after dependents all the time.

People who particularly get exacerbated

in that way are single parents because they don't have a partner to rely

on to shield them from some of the tough times that they're having to face.

We also find that too often parents are

putting themselves right at the bottom of the list.

So they're running on empty really

and they haven't got the resilience that's required either at work or at home.

And if we don't feel we've got a sanctuary

at home or at work, we end up really struggling. As a line manager,

if we're unaware, we avoid,

we ignore the conversation about how to support parents and guardians,

we're going to end up in a situation where

we're unaware of the needs that's going on and it might end up where the employee

is really struggling to perform in their role.

They might be really having poor productivity, performance,

it might be impacting in terms of presenteeism,

they might be having random periods of absence because of the children.

And so ultimately,

if we don't offer that sign posting and support, it's not going to end well

for obviously ourselves as a business and also the person themselves.

If we are able to provide care, support, guidance, signpost them accordingly,

they will feel supported in that workplace, very much cared for,

loyal, looked after and they will thrive in that job.

What line managers can do

What are some of the things

that line managers can do to support parents or guardians in the workplace?

So it's really important to get to know your employee,

don't be a stranger to them, understand what's going on for them

at home, how you could support them in any way, shape or form.

Thinking about really listening to what

they've got to say, active listening and engaging them

in those conversations, not shying away from it.

Thinking about if there's any reasonable adjustments you can make to their working

life to make it easier for them and more comfortable.

It might be working from home on certain days or certain periods of time,

creating very much an open culture in the workplace so that teams discuss

these sorts of things, what it's like to be a working Mum,

a working Dad, and how difficult that can be at times.

Sign posting to mental health services as required.

So it might be the Employee Assistance Programme, which covers from 16 plus.

So it could be 16 or 17 year olds who are struggling.

They can get access through that employee assistance programme.

Or it might be the individual themselves, the parent or the guardian.

They can get help, guidance and support through that programme too.

It might be the Bupa family helpline.

So that is a mental health helpline for parents and caregivers that can be

used even if the child isn't on the policy and the adult can speak to someone there

as a qualified professional to get that guidance.

Thanks so much for your time today, Naomi.

That's all the questions we have on this subject.

Thank you very much.

Hi everyone, and welcome to this Bitesize Academy module.

I'm Emma Shatliff, manager of the Bupa Academy.

In today's session, we'll be discussing alcohol addiction.

I'm delighted to be joined by Steven Costin, corporate account manager

at Bupa and Nick Conn, the founder and CEO of Help 4 Addiction.

Welcome both. Thanks for joining.

So, Steven, if we can start with you first.

Can you start by telling us a bit about your own journey with alcohol addiction

and how it impacted your personal and professional life?

Yeah, sure.

So, I think I've always been a big drinker.

since I was sort of 15, 16, like most people do, I suppose.

And then,

being of the era I was, it

was the pub most days and playing football and back to the pub again.

That went on for a number of years

and people told me over the years, “you drink a lot, you drink too much,”

and you just kind of put it down to being age, and it's all right.

I'm still going to work.

I'm still doing what I need to do.

and then during lockdown, it just got really, really bad.

Got to the stage where I was drinking far too much.

It wasn't even enjoyable drinking.

A lot of it's blurry.

And then all of a sudden, it came to the end, where I was close

to losing everything.

I think by this stage

where my drinking had it got me to was my partner had had enough.

I run the risk of losing my partner, losing my little lad,

so something had to be done about it.

In relation to work,

yeah, I think you know, I was, I was, I was a little bit of an alcoholic.

I could go in and do my job on a daily basis,

but however, I think, though, if I carried on the way I was going,

that would have ended up impacting my work

as well at the end of the day and, like I say, if if I lost my family

and my job on the back of alcohol it’d just been not acceptable.

In terms of volumes

and stuff like, can you give us an idea how much – what were you drinking?

I was probably doing either 3 or 4 bottles of wine.

depending on when it was, etc..

A day? Yeah.

So it was, it was, it was, it was a vast amount, but it was just

because I was at a constant level, it didn't seem that much.

Yeah.

Do you know,

if I spoke to people about it, they said, “I don't often see you drunk.

Never see you falling about the pub.” It's because it was just at a constant level.

So, Nick, over to you.

What behaviours

do you think could indicate an employee is struggling with alcohol addiction?

And what signs should managers be aware of?

So that there could be a million answers for that.

and everyone's reasons and what everyone does

are all very different, but there's some common ones.

So lateness, sickness,

smelling of alcohol.

like Steve was saying before, but when we were having a chat prior,

from his experience, he would always have his camera off on a team's meeting.

So that's that's obviously a big one.

With alcoholism, generally it's secret drinking.

So if you notice people taking bags to the toilet,

it could be could be something going on there as well.

In what way did your alcohol addiction impact

your ability to perform in your job? Yeah.

I mean, from my point of view, I

thought I performed like a normally would do.

I'm sure that if you ask someone from the outside

they probably noticed that I deteriorated over the the lockdown period where

everything from my point of view was, was a chore.

You know, just doing a little mundane thing in work

all of a sudden become a massive chore for me.

Patience levels are really, really low and quite, quite cranky.

But in relation to doing my job, I'd say no.

I was doing my job the way I normally do it.

I think you'd probably have to ask somebody

externally or someone who was looking at me to say

to that change in that period or that changed.

And during that time, did anyone you know ever ask you if you were okay?

Did anyone suspect or because you were at home was that...?

I think,

I think over the past few years, 4

or 5 years, people have kind of suspected I've had a problem with it.

but, you know, I think one it's hard – how would you ask that question

to somebody without that person taking it as an offence or not?

No, no one came out and asked me that question.

I think people have had thoughts about it.

Well, yeah, I think Steve's got a problem.

but in relation to somebody asking me. No.

And that's a really good point there Nick.

So, you know, as a line manager,

how do you initiate that conversation if you are concerned about an employee?

It's a tricky one.

I think the fact is

initially it has to be based

on facts, not assumptions, because there's

a high chance that that person's not acknowledged it themself.

So they're going to be, they're going to try and push that question back.

They're going to be resistant. They're going to...

it may trigger emotions for them.

But the fact is it's important to realise that

alcohol is not somebody's problem.

It's their solution.

So there's a lot of underlying things going on there.

And obviously you have no idea what that is.

So it's important to keep it factual and be compassionate at the same time.

I think as well

as a manager, if you if you know you're going to approach that conversation,

you have sort of the opportunity to prepare what you're going to say.

So line managers need to realise that that person is hearing

in this, completely unprepared.

So it's not uncommon, is it, for them to shut that conversation down quite quickly.

No, because you can, like I said, keeping it factual.

So if you're, you've got a list of how many sick days they have or latenesses or,

people that have said they've smelt alcohol on them several times.

And when you're bringing those facts to it, rather than saying, I believe

that you might have an alcohol addiction, it's going to open up a whole argument.

Keep it factual, but be compassionate.

And equally as well.

I think it's important to understand, you know, addiction is an illness.

It's not a lifestyle choice.

And sometimes there's a misconception around that.

And people aren't as

sympathetic might be the

wrong word, but they may be very judgemental.

When nobody grows up saying, when I'm older, I want to become

an alcoholic, right?

People also have a perception that an alcoholic is someone

that's drinking on a park bench with a brown paper bag.

The fact is, with alcoholism, you have a drink,

you find it hard to stop.

And Stephen, what advice would you give then

to other people who might be struggling with alcohol addiction?

Yeah, I think, I think you've been sort of hitting the nail on the head

with it's an illness as such.

And I think when I was going through mine, I just,

I just kind of thought I just enjoyed a drink

and I was just a drunk and there was no underlying reason behind it.

And that was just my lifestyle.

And that's what I wanted to do.

I don't think it's until I went inside of the rehab side

that they really nail it down and tell you actually, you have got an illness.

You're ill.

And more along those lines.

So I think once people get that in their head, it's not just your lifestyle either.

And there is a ways around it.

And I think, you know, you can have to open up and speak to people.

But I think I think, Nick, you mentioned it.

You need to admit to yourself first of all.

And that's the big one.

If people aren’t willing, it doesn't really matter from a manager's

point of view, or a line manager’s point of view, what those questions are

if the individual's not going to open up themselves and admit it, it's

a really, really hard conversation for any form of manager to have.

And I suppose, that individual – I'm not seeing people enjoy

the effects of being, you know, addicted to alcohol–

but the thought of them that if they admit they’ve got a problem, they get the help

they'll never be able to drink again.

Did you ever think of that?

And that be what put you off so you can help sooner?

No, I wouldn't say it put me off seeking help sooner.

I think that I got stage when I was just close to losing everything.

and that really, really dawned on me, and I had to do that.

I think since I've gone into my recovery,

that has hit me, about ten months into it, where I really feel like this is me now,

this is my life, and I, like, I can't have a drink.

And me and Nick spoke before about this.

And, you know, at the end of the day, it's that's down to me.

That's my problem.

I've caused that issue myself.

So when I every time I get annoyed that I can't have a drink,

there's no one else to blame but myself.

But yeah, it's just I just think it's, people have got to open up

a little bit more, and, and I think the stigma isn't attached anymore.

Nick was quite right in what you said.

You say alcoholic, you think of someone sat on a park

bench with a brown bag – that isn't the case at all.

And, isn't it like that at all?

And, Nick, you know, were here from a line manager perspective.

What are those workplace factors that could contribute to someone misusing

alcohol?

And, you know, what can line managers do then to reduce those?

I mean, social events in licensed premises,

are an obvious one.

Lunch meetings and alcohol, in

those premises is another one.

I think encouraging sober months, you know, joining

being part of that celebrating wins you know in that sense.

But it's adopting a new culture. Right.

But I think ultimately it's about awareness.

And if you can create awareness and create and open up

that conversation in the workplace where people don't feel like....

So from my from my experience, I was a police officer with a cocaine addiction.

but I couldn't go to my

sergeants because of the job that I was in.

It was it was a no go.

However, if the conversation was open

and you could see that the organisation were actively

trying to make that conversation open, where I felt probably more comfortable

in coming forward.

That's a different kettle of fish.

So opening up the conversation on addiction in the workplace is

is a good start.

You’re right and I think, you know with any addiction, drugs, alcohol,

there is that fear that if I tell someone I'm going to lose my job

and then I can't pay my bills, and then what do I do?

So I can understand why people are hesitant.

But I suppose, like you say, as long as the culture try and people are there

willing to support that individual, then you know,

all we can do is ask that people.... Absolutely.

And if you adopt it where you do open it up

and you do welcome people to come if they have a problem,

rather than giving them the impression that they're going to be fired.

I mean, it obviously depends on the role

that they're in if they're an airline pilot, right? Yeah.

You can have to say, okay, you're going to be grounded for a bit.

Yeah. Right. But

it's important fundamentally you can do all of these things.

The sober months, the walking, you know, all these things.

But opening up that conversation is probably the most important part.

And what resources or assistance can line managers signpost employees

to struggling with alcohol addiction, specifically in the workplace?

So I think, I mean, there's quite there's quite a few services to

to keep it simple.

You've obviously got occupational health.

You've got services like Help 4 Addiction, which can look at all

private options, all statutory options, charitable options,

faith based options depending on what what meets their needs.

So and that way because it can be very complex

because it's understanding, does the person require a medical detox or not.

And so you don't want to just if you just put them into therapy

it's going to be a waste of time

because if they require a detox, you detox first before the therapy.

So there's a whole process and having

the understanding there is is a lot to put on someone.

So reach out to help for addiction or to occupational health and and we can help.

Thank you both for joining me today.

It's been a really interesting, session.

So thank you.

In terms of mental health support that we have at Bupa

we do have our mental health hub that's on our website.

We also have our partnership with JAAQ, an online mental health platform.

So please visit

www.jaaq.org.

And then lastly with our mental health cover for any employees that have got

private medical insurance, they can call and speak to a trained advisor

directly if they have mental health or addiction concerns.

And depending on their cover, they can be referred to a mental health

practitioner, usually without seeing a GP first.