Mental Health Guidance
In Spring 2026 ARA appointed Sharon McMeekin of Preserve Together to create this mental health guidance for the recordkeeping sector. Previous research had shown that 16 per cent of the recordkeeping workforce suffers from long-term health issues, and over a third of this population identifies that their illnesses affect their work. The recordkeeping sector has long been aware that the workforce is affected by vicarious trauma but research into more general areas of mental illness, anxiety and depression had been overlooked, this guidance seeks to address that gap.
This document was created by Sharon McMeekin of Preserve Together on behalf of the Archives and Records Association UK & Ireland. Published October 2026. Copyright: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International)
You can download a pdf of this guidance here.
Disclaimer
This guidance has been developed for informational and educational use only; it does not constitute professional medical advice and should not be used as a replacement for clinical diagnosis or treatment.
Introduction
According to a 2025 Office of National Statistics survey, mental health was the 3rd most common reason given for sickness absence from work in that year, accounting for 8.9% of occurrences [1]. A Health Foundation study found that mental ill health is the most common cause of work-limiting conditions for those aged 44 years and younger [2]. Whilst professional services consultancy firm Deloitte has estimated that poor mental wellbeing costs employers in the UK between £42 billion and £45 billion annually through issues like presenteeism, sickness absence and employee turnover [3]. The same research also reported that, on average, there is a positive return on investment of around £5 for every £1 spent on mental health support and interventions in the workplace. There is, therefore, both a need for organisations to support the mental health of their employees, and a clear benefit from doing so.
In addition to general workplace issues, recent community surveys have highlighted a number of mental health challenges that are specific to or disproportionately affect those working in the record keeping sector. Additionally, mental health issues have been shown to create barriers for those looking to enter the field and can impact on career development and progression.
In response, the Archives and Records Association (UK and Ireland) (ARA) has commissioned this guidance to help support their members and the wider record keeping community. It aims to provide a clear and practical framework for how organisations can support employees’ mental health and to provide specific guidance for those in roles with line management responsibilities. It is hoped that it will help managers promote good mental health for the employees they supervise and to help them support those experiencing issues. For records keeping professionals, this should lead to reduction in the occurrence of mental health issues such as stress and burnout, whilst encouraging a greater sense of belonging and increase motivation and job satisfaction. From an organisational perspective this can, in turn, reduce presenteeism, absences, and increase productivity.
When using the guidance, it can be consumed as a whole, but it has also been structured to allow readers to easily identify and locate sub-sections covering specific issues and activities relating to the support of mental health in the workplace. At the top level it has been split into three main sections:
Mental Health in the Workplace – offering foundational information on what mental health is, how it affects employees in the workplace, and the responsibilities of organisations as laid out in relevant legislation.
Organisational Initiatives to Support Mental Health – providing context for what support for mental health should look like at an organisational level.
Guidance for Managers – presenting specific guidance on knowledge and skills managers should look to develop and the steps they can take to support employees’ mental health.
While the guidance can not cover all situations that might occur, it does aim to provide a comprehensive framework for supporting mental health as well as offering a wide range of signposts to further information via the Appendices.
This guidance has been prepared by Sharon McMeekin of Preserve Together with support and input from a working group of record keeping professionals with lived experience of mental health issues and providing support to employees. Many thanks are offered to the working group members for their insightful contributions.
Footnotes
Mental Health in the Workplace
What is Mental Health?
The World Health Organization describes mental health as “a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community. It has intrinsic and instrumental value and is a basic human right [4].”
Our mental health can impact all aspects of our lives, including relationships with family and friends, our physical health, and our ability to participate in education and work. Factors that influence mental health are wide ranging and can be:
Biological, e.g. genetics, brain chemistry, or chronic illness/pain
Physical and emotional, e.g. resulting from trauma or abuse, low self-esteem, or unresolved grief or loss
Social and environmental, e.g. workplace stress, financial pressures, loneliness, or discrimination and stigma
Lifestyle and behavioural, e.g. poor sleep, an unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, or substance abuse
Understanding and supporting mental health requires both the promotion of good mental health practices whilst also assisting those who are experiencing issues. Statistics from a 2023/24 NHS England survey of mental health and wellbeing suggest that 1 in 5 people experience a common mental health problem (such as anxiety or depression) in any given week [5].
The most common treatments for mental health problems are talking therapies and medication, but there are many actions and activities that can support good mental health and aid with problems. These include physical activity, community support, and workplace accommodations. Raising awareness of mental health and wellbeing and reducing stigma can also have a significant impact.
Key Types of Mental Health Issues and Related Models
There are numerous different categorisations of mental health issues available, including those defined in medical publications such as the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (ICD-11) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5). Generally, mental health conditions include mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities as well as other mental states associated with significant distress, impairment in functioning, or risk of self-harm [6]. These can be loosely grouped as the following:
Anxiety Disorders such as Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Phobias and Social Anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and Hoarding Disorder.
Mood Disorders such as Depression and Bipolar Disorder.
Psychotic Disorders such as Schizophrenia and Psychosis.
Eating and Personality Disorders such as Anorexia, Bulimia, Borderline Personality Disorder, and Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD).
Substance Use Disorders such as addiction to drugs or alcohol.
Neurodevelopmental Conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and other neurodivergences.
It is important to note that this is not a comprehensive list, nor does it align exactly with the medical nomenclature and categorisations of ICD-11 or DSM-5.
It is also essential to recognise that each individual’s experience of mental health issues is unique, as is the support they will require to recover and to thrive. For example, working from home might aid one person who is experiencing anxiety as they are better able to control their surroundings, whilst it might exacerbate issues for another person if their home environment is busy. Furthermore, a person may experience multiple issues simultaneously. For example, those with neurodevelopmental conditions are more likely to experience anxiety, mood, substance use and/or eating disorders than the average member of the general populace [7].
When identifying and discussing mental health issues it is also essential to understand that there are different lenses through which to consider them. In particular, they may be considered through medical or social models. An awareness of both models will help you to contextualise the issues that employees might experience and help you take a holistic approach to support them. This can ensure that any measures put in place are appropriate and address the full range of opportunities and challenges relating to mental health.
The medical model views mental health issues as a result of a physical or biochemical defect, put most simply, that the body is a machine and issues experienced are a result of something that is broken or wrong. The medical model focuses primarily on diagnosing specific disorders and taking steps to reduce or eliminate related symptoms using tools like medication, psychotherapy, or institutional care.
The social model views mental health issues as a product of social-economic barriers, often categorised as physical and environmental, attitudinal, organisation and systemic, and communication, as well as the related impacts of these barriers, including poverty, trauma, discrimination, and loneliness. Through the lens of the social model, an individual is not impaired due to anything inherent within themselves, but rather by a societal infrastructure that exists for and benefits those with what are considered “average” needs and life experiences, causing issues for those whose needs and experiences differ. Addressing mental health issues then focuses on changing social structures, reducing inequity, and improving living conditions using tools such as peer support, community advocacy, improving welfare services, and policy reform.
Neither model is ideal, with the medical model often being linked to stigma, feelings of personal failure, and a lack of awareness of contextual and environmental factors, whilst the social model may not adequately account for potential biological triggers. It is, therefore, useful to think from both perspectives when considering mental health issues, their causes, and how they can be treated, managed, or addressed.
It is important to also recognise that mental health issues can co-occur with and impact on physical health issues, and vice versa. Examples include extreme weight loss and exhaustion due to an eating disorder or stress or depression triggered by a chronic illness such a diabetes or fibromyalgia. This can create complex needs which require a holistic and multifaceted approach to support and treatment.
Common Workplace Mental Health Issues and Causes
While employees might experience any type of mental health issue (as listed above) that might affect their ability to attend or perform at work, those that are most commonly linked to workplace experiences include:
Stress
Definition: The physical and mental response your body had to feeling threatened or under pressure.
Common signs and symptoms:
Headaches
Stomach aches
Tight muscles
Feeling anxious, angry or sad
Trouble sleeping or focusing
Burnout
Definition: A state of severe physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion caused by long-term, unresolved stress and/or being constantly under pressure.
Common signs and symptoms:
Constant fatigue
Frequent headaches
Sleep issues
Feelings of helplessness, cynicism or detachment
Loss of motivation
Withdrawal from responsibilities
Lower productivity or procrastination
Anxiety
Definition: A future-orientated fear response focused on uncertain or diffuse threats that might happen later. Anxiety becomes a disorder when the feelings are too intense, last a long time or begin to impact on daily life, education or work.
Common signs and symptoms:
A racing or irregular pulse
Shortness of breath or rapid breathing
Stomach upsets
Muscles aches or headaches
Feeling dizzy or faint
Hot or cold flushes, sweaty hands
Avoiding situations that might trigger fear
Constant worry or feelings of dread
Restlessness and focus issues
Frequent seeking of reassurance
Depression
Definition: A common and serious mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness, emptiness, and a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed.
Common signs and symptoms:
Sadness and tearfulness
Irritability
Fatigue
Sleeping too much or too little
Loss of appetite
Trouble concentrating
Difficulty making decisions
Thoughts of death or suicide
While mental health issues that affect employees’ ability to work might be caused by a wide range of external forces, there are also a significant number of factors that can cause or exacerbate mental health issues within the workplace. They can include:
Excessive workloads and understaffing, including too many demands, unrealistic or unclear expectations, and a lack of control of job design
Long, unsocial, or inflexible hours, that may result in conflicting home and work demands
Negative organisational cultures, including contexts that allow or turn a blind eye to harmful behaviours such as discrimination, inequity, and bullying
Unsafe or inferior physical working conditions
Poor relationships with colleagues and managers, including authoritarian supervision, exclusion, or isolation
Job insecurity, inadequate pay, or a lack of investment in career development
An under-use of skills or being under-skilled for work, which might also be linked to under- or over-promotion
Any understanding of mental health in the workplace, and any initiatives aiming to support good mental health or address issues, must take into consideration these potential factors.
Mental Health in the Record Keeping Community
Both anecdotal evidence and general workforce studies have long suggested there are a number of mental health challenges that are specific to or disproportionately affect those in the record keeping community. These were first brought into sharper focus by the Digital Preservation Coalition’s (DPC) 2025 “Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Digital Preservation Community Survey Findings Report” [8] and have been further investigated by a 2026 survey of the record keeping community undertaken as part of the preparation of this guidance.
Both surveys have indicated that the record keeping community experiences issues of stress, burnout, and anxiety at higher levels than the general populace. For example, the DPC’s survey found that 88% of respondents experience stress at work, which is 28% higher than the 60% reported in relation to the general workforce [9]. The 2026 survey found that 43% of those in the record keeping workforce have had at least one absence due to mental health issues in the last five years, with 18% having three or more short absences (a week or less) or at least one long absence (more than a week).
Through both surveys, key contributing factors of mental health issues in the record keeping community have been highlighted as:
A lack of self confidence in their abilities and/or feelings of imposter syndrome
Unrealistic expectations in relation to performance/outputs
Unclear job descriptions/responsibilities
Fear of disclosing mental health issues
Feelings of loneliness/isolation
Poor relationships with managers
A lack of understanding of and appreciation for record keeping work
Working with records that contain distressing content
A significant cause of these problems has been the long-term defunding and deprioritisation of archival work, leaving services understaffed and struggling to manage increasingly complex demands. This has only been exacerbated by the growing need for archive services to manage both physical and digital records, without any additional resources being provided to facilitate these additional responsibilities. Further to this, the “lone archivist” is a growing phenomenon within the profession, where one person is required to fulfil the duties of several roles, each requiring its own specialist skills, whilst feeling increasingly overloaded and isolated. In turn, the need to advocate for sufficient resources for archival work and to constantly make the case for its importance creates another layer of burden and stress.
The 2026 survey asked respondents to indicate how mental health issues have affected their careers in record keeping. Only 31% of respondents stated that their mental health has had no significant impact on their career. In relation to how mental health issues have affected careers; the following details the percentage of total respondents who have experienced each of the following impacts.
Attendance at work 36%
Ability to undertake professional development 31%
Career progression/promotion 29%
Securing Employment 22%
Ability to remain in employment 17%
These results show that mental health issues are having a significant impact on those in the record keeping community, particularly in relation to securing, retaining, and progressing in employment. This translates to a clear need for proactive support on the part of employers and managers. Taking steps to support mental health can help employees by making them feel a sense of belonging, increase motivation, and reduce stress and burnout. This can, in turn, reduce presenteeism, absences, and increase productivity.
Employers’ Legal Responsibilities in Relation to Mental Health
While it is important that employers recognise they have moral and ethical responsibilities to support their employees’ mental health, in the UK and Ireland their responsibilities are also established in law. In the UK this is through the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Equality Act 2010, and in Ireland through the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and the Employment Equality Act 1998. Therefore, when planning how to support employees’ mental health, it is essential to understand and ensure you meet your legal obligations.
Health and Safety Legislation
In both UK and Irish Health and Safety legislation employers are required to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of their employees, protecting them from both physical and psychological harm. The framework for fulfilling these responsibilities requires employers to undertake three main activities relating to mental health:
Identify risks – Employers must look for potential mental health hazards within the workplace. These may include things like high stress, heavy workloads, poor support, bullying, or discrimination.
Assess and control risks – The risks that have been identified must be documented and actively monitored. This would usually be carried out through the use of a risk register which is regularly reviewed and updated.
Prevent harm – Employers must do everything that is reasonably practicable to proactively manage and reduce potential workplace risks to employees’ mental health and to address issues if they occur. Any issues that do occur should also be documented, including what steps were taken to attempt to remedy the problem. This ensures accountability as well as providing information to help continually improve practice.
Detailed guidance on how to fulfil these responsibilities is available from the Health and Safety Executive [https://www.hse.gov.uk/] in the UK and from the Health and Safety Authority [https://www.hsa.ie/] in Ireland.
Equalities Legislation
Legislation around equalities is complementary to health and safety legislation but rather than taking an approach centred around the identification of risks, the related acts set out protected characteristics, elements of employment that are covered, and the responsibilities of the employer. In both the UK and Irish acts, mental health is encompassed under “Disability”, as a protected characteristic in the UK act and as protected grounds in the Irish act.
Under the UK legislation, a very broad definition of disability is used, focusing primarily on the impact on a person’s daily life. A mental health issue qualifies as a disability if:
It has a “substantial adverse effect” on their life and/or it affects their ability to do normal day-to-day activities. This can include things like not being able to focus on tasks or taking longer than normal to complete them, experiencing issues interacting with other people, difficulties following instructions, or trouble keeping to set working times.
It has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months.
Additionally, a mental health issue does not require a formal diagnosis to qualify a person for support under the UK Act.
The Irish legislation likewise defines disability broadly, but through a more medically focused perspective. Definitions of disability covering mental health include:
Total or partial absence of bodily or mental functions.
Conditions or malfunctions resulting in different learning styles compared to someone without the condition.
Conditions, illnesses, or diseases affecting thought processes, reality perception, emotions, judgment, or resulting in disturbed behaviour.
Under both acts, employers have responsibilities to ensure the equality of and access to opportunities and to protect job applicants and employees from discrimination, harassment, and victimisation. This cuts across the full lifecycle of employment from advertisement of vacancies and recruitment, through all elements of employment such as supervision, pay, training, promotions, and definition of roles and responsibilities, to termination of employment, whether it is triggered by the employee (e.g. through resignation or retirement) or the employer (e.g. through dismissal or forced redundancy).
These responsibilities can be understood to fall under an employer’s “duty of care” to their employees and are usually addressed through one of the following three types of action:
Preventing discrimination – covering both direct and indirect discrimination.
Stopping harassment – putting in place measures to reduce the likelihood of harassment happening and stopping it if it does.
Providing reasonable adjustments (UK act)/accommodations (Irish act) – taking practical steps to adapt the workplace or duties so that a person can access, participate, and advance in employment.
It is important to also note that both acts include clauses relating to vicarious liability, where an employer is legally liable for any discriminatory acts or harassment carried out by an employee unless the employer took reasonable steps to prevent the behaviour.
Failure to meet the responsibilities set out in the relevant acts open organisations to the risk of employment tribunal claims which can result in the award of substantial damages if they are found to be at fault.
[4] https://web.archive.org/web/20260823080325/https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health
[7] https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/mental-health-problems-in-neurodevelopmental-disorders
[8] https://doi.org/10.7207/mhw2025
Organisational Initiatives to Support Mental Health
One of the four key findings of the DPC’s research on mental health and wellbeing centred on the impact that organisational culture has on employees:
“Respondents who suggested that their employer takes proactive steps to create a positive organizational culture were more likely to respond positively across the range of issues addressed by the survey, and vice versa. For example, organizations with mental health and wellbeing policy in place seem more likely to offer opportunities for advancement, to provide suitable physical workings spaces, and to have employees who feel supported. […]
On the other hand, those at organizations without mental health and wellbeing policy were less likely to feel supported. In turn, there were strong correlations between those who did not feel supported by their organization and a range of issues, such as:
Not feeling a sense of belonging;
Not feeling listened to;
Not feeling supported by colleagues;
A lack of clarity about their role;
An inability to keep up with their workload;
Experiencing fatigue; and
Feeling stressed. [10]”
Therefore, any steps that are taken at an organisational level to support employees’ mental health can have a significant impact. There are a wide range of initiatives and activities that an organisation can implement within this space. We will provide an overview of potential options in this section, but first we will look at the importance of having policy to underpin these activities.
Creating a Strong Foundation for Supporting Employees’ Mental Health
It is essential that there are clear policy and procedures to underpin any work on mental health within an organisation. In this sub-section we will examine some key elements of those foundations.
Mental Health Policy
The cornerstone of any initiatives to support mental health should be a policy that sets out the organisation’s responsibilities and commitments. It ensures that there is clarity for all stakeholders on:
What the organisation has promised to do
What support will be available
How managers can support employees with their mental health
How employees can access support and/or raise any concerns when they arise
The mental health policy can be a standalone document or be part of a wider employee health and wellbeing policy.
Developing mental health policy should be a collaborative process bringing together managers, HR professionals, and groups representing employee perspectives, such as trade unions or groups relating to particular demographics, such as disabled or LGBTQIA+ employees.
At a minimum, a good mental health policy should cover:
What mental health is and how it can affect people, in particular recognising that everyone’s experience of mental health issues will be different
What the organisation’s responsibilities are in relation to supporting employee’s mental health
The commitments the organisation makes to meet those responsibilities
What support programmes will be implemented and made available to employees
What training will be offered to managers and employees
How confidentiality will be supported
Who has responsibility for implementation of the policy and how it will be monitored
How and when the policy will be reviewed and updated, who will be involved
The policy might also cover details covering absences due to mental health issues and return to work and processes for dealing with problems that arise, but it might be more appropriate to cover these in procedural documents and/or an employee handbook.
Once created, the mental health policy should be shared widely across the organisation, with a plan in place for regular awareness raising of its existence and contents. It should also be included in processes such as employee induction. Finally, it is important to use the policy as the basis for any decisions made about mental health initiatives that are to be implemented.
As indicated above, review and update of the policy should also be planned to ensure it remains relevant and fit for purpose. This should happen at regular intervals, perhaps every two to three years, but may also be triggered by events such as changes in legislation or in response to an incident that has occurred. Any policy review should include the same range of stakeholders as policy development.
Monitoring Mental Health and Accountability
Once policy relating to mental health is in place, the organisation must ensure it is actually implemented and that the resulting programmes and initiatives are effective. To do this, the organisations should have a methodology for monitoring employee mental health and for sharing information on outcomes that allows them to be held accountable. This work might be led by the human resources department or by a cross-departmental working group formed of key stakeholders.
Sources of information on mental health might include:
Employee surveys on mental health and wellbeing
Focus group sessions on programmes and initiatives
Feedback provided through feedback forms
Departmental/HR staffing reports covering general trends or in response to specific health, safety and/or wellbeing incidents
This information should be analysed and compiled into a report that covers successes, challenges, issues, lessons learned, and a plan for continued improvement. Key findings should be used to plan programmes and initiatives that support mental health within the organisation.
Sharing information on the impacts of mental health programmes and initiatives should become a key pillar of organisational accountability. Ideally, this information should be incorporated into regular reporting mechanisms, for example with key points being shared at annual general or annual public meetings.
When planning support of employees’ mental health, it can be useful to see if you have access to any such reports to understand issues that be prevalent in your local context and the steps being taken to support mental health at an organisational level. This will help you identify existing resources and where your efforts might best be focused.
Absence and Pay
Statutory requirements for the provision of sick leave and pay must be applied equally to physical and mental health issues. If enhanced sick pay, beyond statutory levels, is offered to employees it is also good practice to offer the same entitlements for mental health issues as are available for physical ones. Failure to do so opens an organisation to the liability of discrimination claims, particularly if an employee’s mental health condition would qualify them as disabled under relevant equalities legislation.
Extension of leave and pay provision to mental health should also include any entitlements to paid time off to attend related appointments.
It is essential that sick leave and pay entitlements for mental health issues are clearly stated in all relevant policies and guidance, e.g. in employee absence policy and staff handbooks. This helps ensure that employees understand their rights and that they are fairly afforded to all employees at an organisation. These rights should also be covered in staff inductions and training provided to those in line management roles.
Schemes Promoting Good Mental Health in the Workplace
As part of developing initiatives to support mental health in the workplace, many organisations find it useful to join an external membership/accreditation scheme. This can help provide a framework for developing their programme, solidify organisational commitment, and demonstrate to current and potential employees action is being taken to fulfil their responsibilities.
Each scheme has its strengths, and it is important to identify the one that is the right fit for your organisation. A list of schemes your organisation might consider joining is included in Appendix Two.
Support Programmes
Implementing agreed mental health policy and procedures often begins with putting in place key employee support programmes. In this sub-section we detail four common programmes that have been widely adopted by organisations looking to support employee mental health.
Employee Assistance Programmes
An employee assistance programme (EAP) is a common work benefit offered by organisations to provide mental health support and advice. The service is paid for by the organisation and available to employees at no personal cost. EAPs bring benefits to the organisation and employees through increased wellbeing, reduction in absences, and improved productivity.
EAPs usually include access to:
24/7 Helplines, to provide aid when it is needed, particularly to those in crisis
Short-term Counselling, so employees can talk with trained professionals about issues like stress, anxiety, or grief.
Expert advice, training and coaching for managers, to ensure they are well equipped to support supervisees.
Resources on specific issues that may affect employee mental health, such as stress, the menopause, neurodivergence, substance use, or financial struggles.
Most EAPs are provided to organisations through third-party providers. Potential UK providers can be found through the EAP Association [http://eapa.org.uk/find-an-eap-provider/]. A similar service does not exist in Ireland, but potential providers can be found through an online search or through recommendations from organisations similar to your own. When sourcing an EAP provider, it is important to verify credentials and ensure counselling services are provided by suitably accredited counsellors. Recognised accreditation bodies include the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP) and the equivalent British body (BACP).
Mental Health First Aiders
Similar to when supporting the physical health of employees through the provision of traditional first aiders, having trained mental health first aiders (MHFAs) across an organisation is good practice. In particular, having MHFAs can help an organisation fulfil its duty of care to employees, helping to address mental health risks identified as part of an organisation’s responsibilities under health and safety legislation, as well as supporting general wellbeing.
MHFAs can:
Spot signs that can lead to early intervention. MHFAs are trained to notice changes in behaviour, mood, or emotional well-being that might indicate distress, anxiety, depression, or other issues which would allow interventions to occur before conditions escalate.
Be a safe point of contact. They can provide a safe, non-judgemental, and confidential space where employees can talk.
Signpost to expert support. They will be able to direct individuals to professional resources like an EAP, helplines, internal HR support, or relevant health services.
Offer crisis support. They receive training to allow them to manage immediate safety risks, such as severe panic attacks or thoughts of suicide, and will know which emergency service(s) to call if required.
Help reduce stigma. Having a visible MHFA programme can help to normalise conversations about mental health and create a more open and supportive workplace culture.
However, it is also important to note that MHFAs do not:
Provide diagnosis of mental health issues.
Offer counselling or therapy or other forms of treatment.
These services should only be provided by appropriate professionals.
A list of organisations that can provide MHFA training is included in Appendix Three.
Flexible Working
Flexible working schemes have proven to be particularly effective in supporting employees’ mental health. For example, they can help reduce stress for those who have caring responsibilities outside of work, they aid with managing anxiety for those who find long commutes stressful, and they can help with managing energy levels for those experiencing depression or people who are neurodivergent. They have also been linked to increased productivity and staff retention, to being able to attract top talent to roles, and to reduced rates of burnout and absence.
Common types of flexible working include:
Hybrid or remote working, where employees can work from home or another suitable location of their choice for some or all of their work week.
Flexitime, where employees can choose their own start and finish times, within agreed limits, and potentially fit in breaks as needed.
Compressed hours¸ where employees can fit their contracted hours over fewer days. For example, working full-time hours over four days or a 30-hour week over 3 days.
Part-time hours or job sharing, where an employee may work fewer hours or a full-time role might be shared by two people.
The types of flexible working that do and do not work will depend on the individual in question, and as such there should be space within policy and procedures to allow it to be tailored to their specific needs. Employees in both the UK and Ireland have the right to request flexible working arrangements, under the Employment Rights Act 1996 and the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 in Ireland. Under both pieces of legislation employers must handle all requests within a reasonable time and can only turn them down if they can supply specific business reasons.
Organisations like Acas [https://www.acas.org.uk/statutory-flexible-working-requests] in the UK and the Workplace Relations Commission [https://www.workplacerelations.ie/en/what_you_should_know/codes_practice/code-of-practice-for-employers-and-employees-right-to-request-flexible-working-and-right-to-request-remote-working/] in Ireland provide advice on submitting and processing flexible working requests.
Support for Professional Development
Providing employees with structured access to professional development opportunities can be an important step in supporting mental health. It has been shown to help protect mental wellbeing, reduce stress and anxiety, and prevent burnout. For individual employees, help them to understand how handle new or difficult tasks, build confidence, connect them with a sense of purpose, and spark new ideas.
Organisations can support professional development by:
Supporting employees to plan professional development activities. This should be a core line management responsibility and might be incorporated into regular check-ins or annual reviews.
Providing learning and training opportunities. These can either be in-house or offered through external providers.
Offering a ringfenced budget for professional development. This can be offered at a department, team, or individual level.
Make sure employees have protected time for development activities. In an age of increasing work pressures and busy schedules, this can often be the most important element of supporting professional development. It might be offered as a day a month or 2 weeks in a year.
This type of support is particularly important for those in the record keeping community where it can help combat identified issues such as imposter syndrome, and loneliness and isolation. Participation in development activities, especially those in a group setting can help build confidence as well as provide professionals with the opportunity to build networks and community that offer much needed peer support.
Raising Awareness
Raising awareness of mental health in the workplace is an important step in reducing stigma and encouraging open conversations and acceptance. Activities in this space can focus on awareness of good mental health and how to maintain it and/or support those experiencing mental health issues. In this sub-section we will look at how awareness can be spread through both campaigns and training.
Awareness Raising Campaigns
Organising and promoting awareness raising campaigns on mental health can have a broad and positive impact within an organisation. The following are some ideas on the types of campaigns you may consider running:
Aligning internal campaigns with external events. There are multiple national and international campaigns around raising awareness of mental health, such as Mental Health Awareness Week [https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/public-engagement/mental-health-awareness-week] held in the UK in May or World Mental Health Day on the 10th of October each year. Tying your internal campaign to this can help provide direction and secure buy-in, as well as providing ideas for themes to use.
Offer information sessions and guidance. This might include sessions or guidance to raise awareness of employees’ rights as well as the support offered by the organisation, for example leave entitlements and the availability of support through an EAP. You may also wish to invite external speakers to talk about key mental health issues.
Create a toolkit encouraging good mental health practices. Offer and promote practical guidance on how employees can make decisions and take actions that will positively impact their mental health. This might include tips on managing workloads and stress, maintaining a healthy work/life balance, or self-care activities such as meditation and mindfulness.
Focus on key issues identified within your workforce. Results from work to monitor mental health within your organisation should help identify potential themes for awareness raising campaigns. This may be promotion of an initiative or resource that has proven to have a positive effect on mental wellbeing, or provision of new guidance, support, or training around an issue that has been identified as prevalent amongst employees.
Making sure campaigns are well planned out is essential, as is ensuring employees have the time within working hours to organise and participate in these activities. It is also important to assess the success of any campaigns to understand their impact and help improve initiatives moving forward.
Training and Workshops
In addition to broader awareness raising campaigns, organisations should also provide employees with training on mental health issues. This will provide them with the knowledge and skills required to spot early signs of distress, help reduce stigma, encourage open communication, support colleagues, and, ultimately, help to reduce the occurrence of issues and related absences.
This is of particular importance for those in line management roles who need to fulfil their duty of care to the employees under their supervision. Managers must be aware of the rights of those they supervise and how to structure and provide support if it is needed. Training should be provided to anyone taking up a role with staff management responsibilities and refreshed at regular intervals thereafter.
Mental health training or workshop sessions might cover:
What is mental health? With a particular focus on issues that can be caused or exacerbated by workplace contexts and activities.
Legal responsibilities and employees’ rights. This will help ensure access to and equality of support.
Open and supportive communication. How to encourage and have dialogues about sensitive issues, and how to practice active listening. Also, the essential nature of confidentiality and when it might be necessary to break it.
How to support a colleague when they are experiencing mental health issues. This should include key questions to ask, actions to take, and who can help.
Signposting of resources. Sharing the range of resources that are available to help support mental health, both internally within the organisation and from external sources such as an EAP or relevant charity or support bodies.
You may wish to develop your own inhouse training on mental health so that it aligns closely with internal policies and support provision, general training is also available from a wide range of external organisations. This may take the form of in-person or online sessions, or as self-directed training content that can be made available via a learning management system. A list of potential providers is included in Appendix Three.
Adjustments for Employees
As mentioned in sub-section 1.5, equalities legislation sets out organisations’ responsibilities to provide reasonable adjustments for employees who require them. These are referred to as accommodations in Irish legislation but, for simplicity’s sake, this guidance will use adjustments to cover both terms.
It is important to note that adjustments must be made not only for direct employees, but also for contractors and job applicants. In this sub-section we will look at what reasonable adjustments are, when they apply, and common types.
What Are Reasonable Adjustments and When Do They Apply?
Reasonable adjustments are changes an employer makes to an employee’s working conditions or role to remove or reduce unfair barriers and disadvantages for those who are disabled, have mental or physical health conditions, or face other challenges that inhibit them from participating in the workplace. They are not just about providing the same working conditions as other employees but are aimed at ensuring people have an equitable chance of securing employment and being able to fully and productively contribute once they are in a role. Therefore, adjustments are generally specific to each person and their particular challenges and context, as they need to address their individual needs.
Reasonable adjustments might involve:
Finding a different way to do something
Making changes to the workplace
Changing someone's working arrangements
Providing equipment, services or support [11] [12]
Employers must make reasonable adjustments if requested directly by an employee, contractor, or job applicant, but also when they know, or could reasonably be expected to know, that an employee is disabled, when someone with a disability is having difficulty with a part of their job, or their absence record or return to work is because of, or linked to, their disability.
While a failure to make appropriate reasonable adjustments opens an organisation to legal liability, they do not have to grant all requests automatically. Each request should be carefully considered, looking at if the adjustment will, indeed, remove or reduce a disadvantage, if it is practical to make, if it is affordable, and if it might harm the health and safety of others. An employer also does not need to fundamentally change the nature of the job in question.
Due to the individual nature and impact of adjustments, any situation where they are needed and/or requested should be considered separately. This should be done through open and supportive discussion with the person in question to ensure their needs are fully understood, and consideration of the adjustments can be done in an informed and fair manner. Once agreed, it is essential that adjustments are actually implemented and also that they are reviewed if needed, e.g. if they are no longer effective.
Any decisions on reasonable adjustments, whether granted or not, should be documented. For those adjustments that are agreed, many organisations are now recording these in either a wellness plan or disability passport. These can both list the specific adjustments agreed, the reasons they were agreed, when the decision was made and, who made it, and for how long the adjustment(s) should be in place (either for a set period or permanently). Documenting the adjustment(s) should help ensure that they are implemented correctly as well as saving the employee from the need to repeat the request process if they move to a new role or team or get a new manager. Whichever document type is used, the resulting product should be owned and controlled by the person they apply to, and they should have discretion to decide who they are shared with. An example of how a disability passport might be structured and completed is included in Appendix Four and a wellness plan in Appendix Five.
In addition to provisions provided by employers, individuals may be able to secure similar support through government funded schemes aimed at enabling those with physical or mental health issues to get a job and stay in work. In the UK this is available through the Access to Work [https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work] scheme and in Ireland through the Work and Access [https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-social-protection/services/work-and-access/] scheme.
Common Types of Adjustments
There is no definitive list of the reasonable adjustments that can be made for employees due to their need to account for the individual challenges and needs of the person in question. There are, however, some common types of adjustments that might assist those experiencing mental health issues, which can include the following:
Flexible working – As discussed above in sub-section 2.2, this can include remote or hybrid working, flexitime, compressed hours, part-time hours, and/or job-sharing.
Changes to workload – This can include adjustments to or removal of certain tasks, lowering targets during times when issues are experienced, or ringfencing focus time when no meetings can be scheduled.
Environment updates – Providing a quieter area or private office, having a dedicated desk rather than hotdesking, working in a space with natural rather than fluorescent light, and/or the use of noise cancelling headphones.
Honouring communications choices – Agreeing to communicate via email or chat rather than unexpected phone calls, asking colleagues not to interrupt during focus periods, or making sure that instructions or requests are clearly explained, in a written form if preferred.
Having accessible meetings – Having an agenda provided well ahead of time (including notification of any topics that might be sensitive or stressful), giving participants processing time for questions posed, and/or ensuring everyone has a chance to contribute equitably.
Provision of special equipment or software – Producing written communication in accessible formats, supplying accessibility software, and/or equipment like electronic notepads or ergonomic keyboards and mice.
Implementing inclusive recruitment practices – Providing questions and exercises ahead of time, allowing processing time for questions, accommodating communication differences, and/or offering the opportunity to visit the interview venue ahead of the day.
Making time for care – Giving time for therapy or medical appointments, ensuring breaks are taken as needed, providing access to EAPs, and/or implementing phased returns after absences.
It is important to remember that needs change over time, as will the adjustments required to support them. Employees should be made to feel comfortable sharing changes to their needs and know that they will be given fair consideration.
Finally, although reasonable adjustments are individual to the needs of a particular employee, there are many that can benefit the wider staff as well. In addition to the provisions covered above, like flexible working, initiatives like designated focus time, accessible meetings, and inclusive recruitment practices can create significant benefits if implemented as standard.
Encouraging Community and Belonging
Ensuring employees feel a sense of belonging at work and valued by their employers can have a significant positive impact on their mental health. In this sub-section we will describe a range of activities and initiatives that can help grow and embed those feelings.
Wellbeing Activities
There are a wide range of wellbeing activities that organisations can organise to support mental health and wellbeing. These can include:
Social and team building events – This can include activities such as arts and crafts workshops, book clubs, aways days, or quizzes.
Self-care sessions – Such as mindfulness or meditation sessions or yoga classes.
Nature-based activities – This might include organised hikes, bird watching, wild swimming or other outdoor activities.
Group volunteering or charity events – Making space for volunteer activities or events to support charities that are important to employees can contribute to good mental health. This might include organising a group volunteering opportunity with a local charity or participating in national or international campaign programmes like MacMillan Coffee Mornings, Movember, Move with Pride, or We Act.
Physical activities – These might include things like a walking or running club, sports teams, or more formal programmes like a cycle to work scheme or sponsored gym membership.
Access to wellness services – Some organisations will organise free or subsidised wellness services like health checks or massages. These might be offered through an external third-party provider or made available onsite at regular intervals.
Before planning events, it will be helpful to consult with employees and key stakeholders as to the types of events that might be welcomed and prove useful. There are also schemes like We Invest in Wellbeing accreditation or Excellence Through People certification that can help provide a framework for developing and implementing a wellbeing programme.
It is also important to remember that participation in these types of activities do not benefit everyone, and some may find them stressful or anxiety inducing. Therefore, participation should always be voluntary and peer pressure to attend should be discouraged.
Peer Groups and Networks
Peer groups and networks can be an excellent way to help employees feel a sense of community and belonging in the workplace. They provide safe spaces to share problems, offer advice, and support each other. They also encourage peer learning and career growth.
Peer groups and networks may centre on themes such as:
LGBTQIA+
Disabilities
Neurodivergence
Minority groups or cultural communities
Parents and care givers
Menopause
Bereavement
Professional development/learning
Shared interests
General wellbeing
These groups can also be a central element of developing positive workplace culture, enshrining acceptance and support of different social and cultural groups.
When establishing peer groups and networks in the workplace, it is important for employees to feel ownership and engagement with the process. As with wellbeing activities, relevant stakeholders should be consulted before setting groups up. Once established control and development of the group should be led by those participating. Formal organisational involvement should be limited to providing required resources, such as funding or in-person/online spaces to meet and potentially offering support for administration and communications. Groups that feel too formal or corporate will feel inauthentic to participants and will often fail to thrive. Finally, it is also important that those contributing to the groups have time to do so within their work hours, there may even be crossover between these activities and their professional development goals.
[10] https://doi.org/10.7207/mhw2025
[11] https://www.acas.org.uk/reasonable-adjustments
[12] https://www.employersforchange.ie/Reasonable-Accommodation
Guidance for Managers
A positive and supportive manager/employee relationship is integral to fostering an environment that encourages good mental health in the workplace. In this section we will examine why this relationship is so important, skills and knowledge managers should look to develop, key steps to supporting employees’ mental health, addressing issues common for record keeping professionals, and how to support someone experiencing a mental health crisis. With the incidences of those experiencing mental health issues being high in the record keeping community, and with a number of clear challenges specific to the field having been identified, being proactive in your support for mental health is an essential part of being an effective manager.
The Importance of the Managerial Relationship
The relationship between an employee and their manager is pivotal to their state of mental health in the workplace. A Gallup study found that 70% of the variance in team engagement levels can be attributed to managers, as they create the conditions that promote the behaviours of engaged employees, or cause the converse [13]. When a strong manager-employee relationship is in place it helps build trust and good communication. It also creates an environment where employees feel supported, valued, and motivated, leading to greater engagement, performance, and staff retention [14]. When the relationship breaks down the opposite will be true. Overall, the skills that make someone a generally good people manager will also have a big positive impact on the mental health of the people they supervise.
These conclusions have been borne out in research investigating mental health within record keeping professions as mentioned in sub-section 1.4 above, with strong indicators that there is much work to be done in building more positive and productive manager-employee relationships. In the DPC survey, respondent numbers who replied neutrally or negatively to feeling supported by their organisation (50%) were comparable to those who provided similar responses to being able to share issues with their manager (55%) and had experienced a difficult relationship with a manager (46%).
The topic of managerial relationships was also one of the most touched upon in written responses to both the DPC research and the survey carried out to support the production of this guidance, both in terms of the impact of positive and negative relationships. Positive responses indicated that good manager-employee relationships made individuals feel supported and valued, made them feel more comfortable in sharing issues, helped build confidence, and enabled them to make better choices in relation to their mental health. Responses relating to negative relationships described direct links between them and issues such as stress, anxiety, and burnout, as well as being a key motivator for those who had to leave a role and/or organisation due to mental health issues.
Therefore, investing in and nurturing manager-employee relationships is essential to supporting employee mental health.
Duty of Care
In understanding the importance of the employee-manager relationship it is also useful to describe in more detail the concept of “duty of care”. It is both a moral and legal obligation for an individual or organisation to take reasonable steps to keep others safe from foreseeable harms. Legally, it is a key concept that underpins both health and safety and equalities legislation, as well as being a separate legal principle in relation to negligence.
In the workplace, duty of care requires employers, and by extension those in management positions, to provide a safe environment, proper training, and welfare support for their employees. For managers this relates to the following core responsibilities:
Confirming that necessary risk assessments are in place and are followed
Providing a safe working environment
Ensuring employees have received appropriate training, receive clear instructions, and are adequately supervised
Supporting mental health and wellbeing
Keeping communication open
These responsibilities should, therefore, provide the foundation for development and successful maintenance of relationships with employees under your care.
Fostering a Positive Managerial Relationship
Positive relationships between yourself and the employees under your care are not something that can happen instantly, rather it is something that needs to be built over time. Therefore, it is essential to be aware of key strategies for doing this, so you can consciously take steps to achieve this goal.
Key strategies include:
Communicating openly – listening with intent, guaranteeing confidentiality, and providing honest, supportive feedback.
Building trust – making sure you share information in a timely manner, follow through on commitments, and are accountable.
Supporting growth – helping employees to identify and achieve their learning and career goals.
Prioritising wellbeing – respecting their work-life balance and ensuring they have the support they need when experiencing issues.
Resolving conflicts early – addressing any disagreements promptly and fairly before they become major issues and being willing to escalate issues to HR or more senior management if needed.
Modelling good behaviours – adhering to working practices that support good mental health yourself will encourage others to do so too.
Putting these strategies into action will help create an environment where employees will feel supported and valued.
Key Knowledge and Skills to Develop
To enable you to effectively support the employees you supervise, there are a range of key skills you will need to possess, and knowledge required to underpin them. Many of these skills largely fall under the heading of people management, which are often considered to be “soft skills”. These types of skills can be harder to define and develop than more technical or process related skills and knowledge but are absolutely essential when managing staff. In this sub-section we will examine the range of skills and knowledge that can help you successfully support the mental health of employees you manage.
Awareness of Common Mental Health Issues and Symptoms
While you should not be expected to have an in-depth knowledge of mental health issues, their diagnosis and treatment, a high-level understanding of the main types and those most common in the workplace is important. This will help you spot symptoms when someone might be experiencing issues, allow you to communicate with them with empathy and understanding, assist in identifying any adjustments that can be put in place to aid them, and ensure you know how to signpost them to any additional support they need. You may be able to access relevant training and information from your organisation or via a recognised mental health charity (see Appendix Three for suggestions).
Understanding Employee Rights
Providing effective support for employee mental health requires a solid understanding of their rights in this area. This will help you to ensure that good practice is in place to ensure issues are avoided where possible and you know your responsibilities and the scope and boundaries of how you should help if they do occur. Key steps here include familiarising yourself with relevant organisational policies and procedures covering issues such as mental health, wellbeing, absences, equality, and health and safety. This should also include awareness of services that are offered, such as Employee Assistance Programmes and training options. You can also gain an understanding of applicable legislation and related employees’ rights through guidance provided by organisations such as Acas in the UK and the Workplace Relations Commission in Ireland.
Communication Skills
Good communication skills are at the heart of being a supportive and approachable manager. It is important to be able to communicate clearly and with compassion, empathy, and patience. You need to be able to build trust with employees that they know you offer a space for them to safely share issues and that you will react with sympathy and without judgement.
One of the most important techniques to help build a positive relationship is active listening. It is the deliberate practice of giving the person you are speaking with your full attention, making the effort to fully absorb their meaning, and responding with intention and understanding. The practice of active listening helps to build trust and avoid misunderstandings.
There are many resources available online for free that can help you to understand and develop active listening techniques, but at its core it requires you to:
Give your full attention, setting aside phones and other distractions.
Use open body language, such as maintaining eye contact, nodding, and leaning forward slightly to indicate engagement.
Resist interrupting, giving the speaker the space to finish their thoughts. This is particularly important when they are speaking about something difficult such as a mental health issue or if they have any communication or processing difficulties.
Ask open-ended questions, starting with words like “what” and “how” to encourage deeper thought and ensure you have properly understood the situation. This can also help the speaker internally process and understand their issues.
Summarise and paraphrase, restating the main points to help confirm a mutual understanding.
These techniques are not only useful with current employees but are also effective in interview scenarios to help encourage candidates and ensure they are able to fulfil their potential.
Another key element of communicating as a manager relates to motivation. It is, therefore, important to learn when and how to support employees through encouragement and praise for work well done. Feeling appreciated at work is a key element in developing a sense of belonging. To build strong skills of this type, you may consider undertaking training on coaching and/or mentorship.
Work Planning and Management
Being able to effectively create workplans and monitor their execution is another core skillset required by managers when supporting employees and their mental health. This goes beyond just project management skills to incorporate performance management, understanding different planning and documentation methodologies, and how to collaborate with employees on this process using communication skills mentioned above. Having these skills will help you work with employees to develop plans that work for their individual strengths and challenges without putting them under undue pressure and stress.
To help with this process you should develop skills and knowledge relating to:
Breaking down work into clear tasks and goals, so that there are clear expectations on both sides.
Time management and resource allocation, to ensure the volume of work assigned is proportionate to the employee’s skills, role, and the time available, as well as ensuring they have the resources they need.
Delegation, understanding when you should delegate tasks, how to develop trust in their ability to complete tasks, and how to avoid micromanagement.
Performance review, knowing when and how to review an employees work in a way that is constructive and supportive.
Training may be available on these skills via your organisation or external sources. With both these skills and communications skills, practice and iterative review of your own performance is also important. Consider discussing skills and techniques with peers and your own manager, as well as seeking feedback from the employees you supervise.
Steps to Support Employees
As a manager there are a wide range of actions you can take to help support the mental health of the employees you supervise. In this sub-section we will introduce some of the most important actions you might consider, including what to do and how they can help employees.
Raise Awareness of Organisational Support Available
The first action to consider is how you can act as an amplifier for the organisational support that is offered to employees so that they know what is available and how they can access it. You will need to begin by gathering information to facilitate this process. This can involve reading relevant policy and procedures, identifying information available via organisational intranets or shared drives, and consulting with knowledgeable colleagues, such as leaders of relevant wellbeing groups or HR staff members with responsibilities in this area.
Steps to share this information might include:
Forwarding relevant resources to your supervisees/team
Have a standing item on team meeting agendas to highlight support and initiatives
Encourage participation in training or information sessions when available
By sharing this information, you are signalling to employees your support and prioritisation of their mental health and wellbeing, and this will encourage them to make use of services that are available and feel more comfortable sharing issues with you when they arise.
It is essential that when sharing information that you do not share any confidential information or single out any particular employees, especially if they are currently experiencing issues or have experienced them in the past. It must also be done with sensitivity, making sure not to cause additional distress. For example, sharing information on suicide prevention could promote a trauma response from someone who has recently experienced a suicide-related loss.
It will also help establish good practice and behaviours by those you supervise if you are seen to embody those qualities yourself. Modelling good practice includes:
Making sure you take breaks as needed
Using your annual leave allowance
Taking sick leave when needed
Not frequently working outside of your regular working hours
Being willing to share your personal experiences, where appropriate
Understanding Individual Needs
Any efforts to support the mental health of an employee need to begin with understanding their individual needs. It is essential to recognise that every person’s experiences of mental health, both good and bad, are unique, as will be the support they require. For example, one person experiencing depression may need their workload lightened temporarily to give them the space and energy to recover, while another person may respond better to keeping busy, but refocusing on tasks they find particularly rewarding.
It is, therefore, important to make space to talk with employees about their wellbeing and to ensure they feel comfortable doing so. This aligns with an approach often referred to as person-centred management, where employees are equal partners in planning steps to support their wellbeing. The core principles of person-centred management are:
Individuality – Leaving behind a “one size fits all model” and recognising that everyone had their own unique values, choices, issues, and needs.
Dignity and Respect – Ensuring people know they are valued, that their perspectives are being listened to and understood, and that their privacy will be protected.
Empowerment and Choice – Providing people with the information they need and the ability to make informed decisions about their own wellbeing with support and guidance from their manager.
Partnership – working with individuals rather than doing things for or to them.
Using a person-centred approach has been found to improve employee-manager relationships and leads to improved outcomes.
When starting conversations with employees about their mental health and wellbeing, it is also important to appreciate the importance work can have in respect to these issues. Being in work can be a central component of improving and maintaining a person’s mental health. In particular, where there is a positive organisational culture and they find their role fulfilling. It provides routine and structure, can provide a sense of purpose, and increase feelings of self-worth.
In terms of how to structure conversations about mental health and wellbeing, a useful tool is the “Navigating Uncertainty: A Human-Centred Assessment Compass for Digital Preservation Practitioners” framework developed by the POWRR project [15]. Although it was developed with digital preservation practitioners in mind, it contains nothing specific to this area of practice and so is relevant to all information managers and record keeping professionals. It defines six aspects of work and wellbeing that can be assessed across four different levels of progress. The six aspects are:
Sustainable Resourcing
Confidence and Self-Efficacy
Support and Belonging
Institutional Safety and Validation
Emotional Resilience
Reflection and Growth
Working through the framework with an employee will allow you to assess together their mental health and wellbeing across the six aspects. This can, in turn, help to identify strengths and challenges, and provide clarity on how support can be provided. That support might be in the form of reasonable adjustments or other activities such as providing professional development opportunities or referral to services from an employee assistance programme. Outcomes of these conversations might then be captured in a Wellness Action Plan, which we will describe in the next sub-section.
Lastly, when taking steps to understand the mental health of an employee you supervise, it is crucial to be aware of the role masking might have in how they present their current state of wellbeing. Masking is the conscious or unconscious act of hiding one’s true behaviour, emotions, or state of being to help fit in or meet social expectations. It is a common trait of neurodivergence but can also be adopted by those experiencing mental health issues. In the workplace, high performance can be used as a mask by an individual who is close to burnout, or anxiety might be masked by what seems like conscientiousness or perfectionism.
To spot masking, it is important to watch out for any changes in behaviours or attitudes, even if the employee is still performing well. It is, also, another reason why creating a safe and supportive environment for employees to share issues is essential. An employee is far more likely to disclose issues they are experiencing before they escalate if they feel they will be listened to and supported.
Creating a Wellness Plan
A Wellness Plan (WP) - also known as a Wellness or Wellbeing Action Plan - is a tool that allows a manager and employee to work together to identify and document what will keep the employee well at work, what causes them to become unwell, and how to address mental health issues if they experience one. They are useful for all employees, whether they experience mental health issues or not.
Having a WP facilitates a proactive approach to mental health and wellbeing and helps employees to feel ownership of the steps needed to stay well at work or manage issues if they arise. It can also be a helpful tool for opening up a dialogue between you and employees, allowing you to better understand their context and needs and to more effectively support them. They are also particularly helpful during a return-to-work process where they can provide structure for discussions about what support they will need and which adjustments might help.
Developing a WP can take some time, including multiple meetings with the employee, but the first step is to discuss what a WP is and to talk through any templates you might use. At a minimum a WP template should cover:
How the employee works – including their current working arrangements (e.g. hours contracted, if they work in the office and/or from home, and if there are any flexible working arrangements in place) and if there are any characteristics of their working style they think impact their wellbeing (e.g. preferring face to face conversations, for instructions to be provided in a written format, or a desire to have a mentor).
What they need to stay mentally healthy at work – including what currently helps, what situations or behaviours (from themselves or others) might trigger issues, and steps that could improve the current situation or reduce triggers, including adjustments.
Experiencing poor mental health at work – including how mental health issues might impact on their work, warning signs you or their colleagues might look for, how warning signs could be addressed, and any other support that could help.
Templates for WPs are available from a wide range of sources, but good starting points are Mind, Mental Health Reform or SAMH. When planning meetings to discuss a WP, you should identify a space where the employee will feel comfortable. This might be in a private, quiet space within your physical working environment, at an external location like a coffee shop, or online if the employee works remotely. You should also make sure to provide sufficient notice of the meeting, to ensure that they have enough time to prepare their thoughts in advance. Notice should include information about what the meeting will involve, its intended goals and a copy of any template(s) to be used. During meetings you should aim to use active listening techniques and a person-centred approach as described, to ensure that the employee feels comfortable and that the development of the plan is collaborative and meets their unique needs.
As with any plan, it is also important to review and update it. At a minimum you might plan for annual review sessions, but you should also consider revisiting the plan if the employee experiences any specific issues and/or submits a request for new reasonable adjustments.
It is also worthwhile remembering the impact that modelling good practice can have on the employees you supervise. Putting into place your own WP will help establish their importance and encourage engagement with and acceptance of the process.
Agreeing Adjustments
As described in section 2.4 above, putting in place reasonable adjustments to support employees is an important step in supporting mental health, and one that is required by equalities legislation in both the UK and Ireland. Adjustments are a key method for ensuring that those who experience mental health issues or challenges can have equitable opportunities to access work and then be successful once in a role.
Suggestions for reasonable adjustments most often begin with the employees, but it is important to note that they might not know what adjustments they can ask for or which ones will help them. You should, therefore, be prepared to help them identify potential adjustments and to discuss which might be suitable. It might be necessary to trial and review adjustments to see what might work best. A list of potential types of adjustments is included in section 2.4, and information on adjustments that are useful for those with specific issues can often be found via related charities (see Appendix Six).
Ideally reasonable adjustments should be put in place as soon as a qualifying employee starts with the organisation to ensure they have the support they need, but they have the right to request them at any time. Requests may be submitted later due to reasons such as changing needs or if an employee did not feel comfortable disclosing an issue early in their employment or to a manager they viewed as unsympathetic. Many people fear that asking for an adjustment is an indicator of limitations on their part, so it is essential that when talking about them they are framed as positively as possible. It is also important to remember that consideration of reasonable adjustments for job applicants during the recruitment process is required.
As the requirement for reasonable adjustments is a legally held right for employees, it is important that they are handled fairly and with due consideration. There is also a legal requirement that they are considered within a reasonable time, for example, simple requests should usually receive a response within a couple of weeks. If there are internal procedures for processing reasonable adjustments, these should always be followed, and all requests and decisions should be documented.
The process for making and handling a request for reasonable adjustments will likely include the following steps:
A request is made – this can be made in a meeting, via written correspondence like an email or letter, or via a formal process if in place, e.g. using a form supplied by HR.
A meeting is agreed and held – usually held between the employee and their manager, although HR or union representatives might also be present, this should be used to find out more about the request. This might include discussion of why the request has been made, what adjustments could be put in place, and how they will help. It is important that you listen to the employee and understand their needs without making judgements or assumptions.
Additional information may need to be gathered – if the employee’s needs or the adjustments they have requested are complex, there may be a need to gather additional information. This may include a letter from the employee’s doctor or other relevant medical professional, or the need to complete an occupational health assessment.
A decision is made – Based on the information provided, a decision will be made on whether to grant the adjustments by a person with relevant authority, usually the employee’s manager or an HR professional. Notification of the decision to offer or deny reasonable adjustments should be made in writing. If granted, the notification should set out a timetable for their implementation, if denied, clear justification for this decision should be provided.
Any agreed adjustments should be documented – this might be done in a Wellness Action Plan (see Appendix Four) or a Disability Passport (see Appendix Five). This ensures that the employee has proof of the decision in a format that can be shared if they move to a new manager and/or role within the organisation.
Unless there is a strong business reason to deny the request for a reasonable adjustment, it is good practice approve requests where possible. One barrier to approval that you might experience is where the needs of different employees are in conflict. For example, a neurodivergent employee may be sensitive to bright lights, which causes them distress, and asks for them to be lowered, but they share the office with someone who has a visual impairment who would not be able to see in low light. If this happens, it is important to balance the needs of those in question as much as possible. In this case, that might mean switching office occupancy to match those with similar needs.
Finally, it is important to remember that an employee’s needs may change over time, so adjustments should be reviewed at regular intervals to ensure they are still required or fit for purpose. For example, an employee experiencing anxiety may have found the office environment stressful and moved to working full-time from home. Over time, through treatment, they may find their anxiety lessens and wish to change to a hybrid working pattern to help build stronger connections with colleagues. Any changes to adjustments must be documented in the employee’s wellness action plan, disability passport, or similar record.
Advice on handling reasonable adjustment requests is available from Acas in the UK and the Workplace Relations Commission in Ireland.
The Importance of Check-Ins
No matter what approach is taken to support employees’ mental health, it is good practice to make sure you are having regular check-ins. There are no set requirements for how often these should happen, rather it is best to establish what will work well in conversation with individual employees. Needs may also impact on the frequency, for example, an employee experiencing issues might benefit from weekly check-ins, whereas another employee who is thriving might only want check-ins on a bi-monthly or quarterly basis. It is, however, helpful to ensure you schedule more informal sessions as well as formal meetings such as performance reviews.
Check-ins might cover a wide range of issues, such as:
Discussing current work and priorities, including identifying challenges, barriers, and acknowledging successes.
Ensuring the employee is making room for self-care, such as checking they are taking sick leave when needed, that they are using their annual leave entitlement, and that they take the breaks they need.
Checking that any support and adjustments remain fit for purpose, or if changes need to be made.
Professional development needs, covering what might be required to support their current work as well as continued development.
Reviewing the support you are providing as a manager, sometimes referred to as a 360̊ review, this ensures accountability and facilitates your own reflection.
At the end of any check-in session, remember to review key takeaways and actions and to update any relevant documents, such as wellness action plans or disability passports, appropriately.
As with before, using a person-centred approach and active listening techniques will help to make check-ins more effective.
Supporting an Employee Experiencing a Serious Mental Health Issue
No matter the proactive steps we take to support mental health, more serious issues can arise. This might include a need to help someone in an emergency situation who is experiencing suicidal thoughts, psychosis, mania, or significant paranoia. In these situations, it is important to understand what you can do to help in the moment, what the limitations of that help are, and how you can aid them to find the more substantive help they will likely need.
Firstly, you will be able to provide emotional support by:
Listening – Giving someone space to talk, either immediately or when they are ready, can be helpful in itself.
Offering reassurance – Seeking help can be lonely and scary, letting someone know they are not alone can offer reassurance.
Staying calm – This will help them feel calmer too and show them they can talk to you without causing upset.
Being patient – It’s important to let them have the space to express themselves at their own pace, and the same for seeking help.
Trying not to make assumptions – Try not to assume that you know what has caused the issue or what will help [16].
Talking with the person will help you assess if the situation is an emergency or not. If you suspect they might be having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, it is OK to ask directly, but sensitively, about this. This will not put those thoughts into their head. It will also be useful if you know if your organisation has Mental Health First Aiders and who they are, as they will be able to offer help, advice, and aid in assessing the situation.
If the person is safe in the moment, you might offer to:
Support them in making a list of questions they have or steps they might take.
Assist them in identifying useful information and guidance from a related charity.
Sit with them while they call the Samaritans (116 123 in the UK and Ireland), NHS 111 if they are in the UK, or the Pieta helpline (1800 247 247) in Ireland.
Help them make an emergency GP appointment.
Check-in with them regularly while they are experiencing issues.
If they are not safe by themselves, you should help them call an ambulance and stay with them while they wait if you feel able to do so. If it is not possible to get an ambulance, you might help them find another way to get to A&E, for example, getting a taxi or finding someone to drive them.
If you are worried that they might be a danger to yourself or others, you should call the police for help. You might feel worried about getting someone in trouble, but it is important that you put safety first.
Due to the nature of this guidance, these recommendations only cover high-level actions you might take. To help with dealing with more significant issues if they arise, you may wish to encourage your organisation to develop a crisis plan. The mental health charity Mind offers further guidance on how to create a crisis plan.
Additionally, throughout and after supporting someone with more serious issues, it is essential that you also look after yourself. Make sure that you:
Take a break if you need one – you will not be able to help if you also become overwhelmed or exhausted.
Talk to someone afterwards - either a person you trust or a mental health professional.
Set boundaries and be realistic about what you can do – you are not a mental health professional and should not be expected to fulfil those types of responsibilities.
Share your caring role with others if appropriate – it is easier to support someone if you are not doing it on your own.
Finally, it is likely that any serious issues that happen in the workplace will need to be documented. You should be able get guidance and help with this from HR colleagues.
Supporting Record Keeping Professionals
In sub-section 1.4 of this guidance, we identified a number of key causes of mental health issues that are specific to, or particularly prevalent in the record keeping community. General support for mental health can help, but support tailored to specific problems will also have an impact. In this sub-section we will provide guidance on steps you can take to support employees who are affected by them.
Lack of Understanding and Appreciation of Record Keeping Work
Both the DPC’s research and the 2026 survey found that record keeping professionals carry a substantial advocacy burden due to the lack of understanding and appreciation of their work. Records, and the work undertaken to preserve and provide access to them, are essential from legal, cultural, and research perspectives but they are frequently undervalued. The specialist skills and knowledge required to undertake the work also required a significant investment in learning and accumulation of experience that should be acknowledged. Undervaluing this work and the professional knowledge and experience required to do it can cause a significant impact on the mental health of related professionals, contributing to issues such as anxiety, depression, and burnout.
Support that can help with these issues includes:
Giving positive feedback to record keepers so that they know their work is valued – this might be done at team meetings or one to one check-ins. You may also consider nominating an individual or the organisation’s service for an Archives and Records Association (ARA) award [https://www.archives.org.uk/awards] or similar.
Collaborate on planning for effective advocacy – ensuring they have the time and space to be able to approach advocacy in the most efficient and effective way possible.
Include record keeping professionals in relevant decision making – good leadership practice requires that decision-making is a collaborative process, so, ideally, record keeping professionals should be included, or at a minimum, consulted on any decisions that affect their work. This not only helps strengthen the manager-employee relationship but also ensures employees feel more valued and in control. This is particularly important if you are not from a record keeping background as the knowledge and experience they bring will be essential to ensure the right decisions are made.
Amplifying communications highlighting record keeping work – making sure as many people as possible can learn about record keeping and archives.
Helping records keepers identify advocacy opportunities – such as publications or blogs where stories could be shared, or meetings they could present at to promote and raise awareness of their work.
Supporting work to secure additional resources – including helping to identify internal and external funding opportunities, collaborating on proposals and business cases, and acting as a champion on their behalf.
Checking-in on how they are doing – making sure they have a safe space to talk about struggles in relation to these issues.
Understaffing, Workloads, and Fragmented Roles
Linked to the issues mentioned under the previous heading, many record keepers and the services they work in find themselves under huge resource pressures due to a lack of funding, insufficient staffing, unrealistic workloads, and jobs that incorporate the responsibilities and skills required of different roles. In addition to some of the suggestions provided earlier, such as supporting work to secure additional resources, the following steps can also help:
Ensuring role descriptions are accurate and appropriate – a lack of clarity around the responsibilities of record keeping roles can often be an issue. Making sure job descriptions are suitably scoped and accurate can help with ensuring workloads are not overwhelming. It is also important to ensure responsibilities are matched to their skills and knowledge.
Helping to prioritise tasks – trying to make progress in too many areas can lead to stress and burnout. Collaborating with record keepers to identify how to most efficiently focus staff time and effort and establishing priorities can help curb the desire to do everything at once and reduce risks to mental health.
Making realistic workplans – working together to make weekly or monthly workplans to help manage time and energy can also help to reduce stress and burnout. These should include ringfenced focus time for tasks that require attention and also include contingency time for unexpected additions like new meetings. Energy accounting [17], originally developed to help neurodivergent people manage or reduce the risk of burnout, is a useful tool for work planning as it helps to balance energy levels.
Checking to make sure staff are keeping to their contracted hours – it is not always possible to avoid out of hours work, but employees should be strongly encouraged not to make this the norm. Ensuring breaks and leave are also taken is important. Setting boundaries and having a work-life balance should be expected.
Self Confidence and Imposter Syndrome
Due to the increasingly complex nature of record keeping work, especially in light of the growing need to preserve digital records, and the specialist skills and knowledge required, many professionals experience issues with self-confidence and imposter syndrome. To reduce these issues and their impact on mental health, the following steps might be taken:
Provide regular and constructive feedback – in particular, highlighting successes and acknowledging achievements can have a significant impact on reducing self-confidence issues.
Support professional development opportunities – assist with the planning of continued professional development and making sure they have the time and resources to undertake activities is essential to growing confidence. While paid training and learning opportunities are the most obvious options, it is also possible to plan development at relatively low or little cost beyond the time taken. This can involve identifying tasks that will push their skills and experience further and also allocating protected time for development, such as a day a month. Tools like ARA’s competency framework can help with planning and the related registration and fellowship schemes can provide a framework for measuring progress.
Help to find a mentor – having a nominated person to talk to about professional development and related issues, such as confidence, can have a significant impact, whether a person is early in their career or more established. Helping to identify a suitable mentor, either within or outside of the organisation, can be an important step. Time should also be allocated within working hours for mentorship meetings and activities.
Loneliness and Isolation
Most record keeping professionals work alone or as part of a small team and this can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation which can impact on mental health. Taking steps to encourage connections with others and foster a sense of belonging are key. This can be helped by:
Dedicating regular time for catch-ups – building a strong manager-employee relationship and making sure they know you are available for support and to listen can help reduce loneliness and isolation.
Providing opportunities to connect with other record keepers – connecting with peers can be invaluable in helping people to feel heard, understood, and supported. This can be through formal events like training or conferences, by encouraging visits to other record keeping services, or through informal channels like online meetups or messaging groups. There are also local peer groups in many areas and the opportunity to get involved with special interest “Sections” through ARA membership. Time should be allocated for these types of activities within the working day.
Encouraging participation in groups within your organisation – as described in sub-section 2.5 above, these might be groups that focus on a particular interest, be for those who belong to a certain demographic, or be centred around wellbeing issues. Participation in these groups can help reduce issues of isolation and loneliness and help build community, a sense of belonging, and support networks.
Working with Distressing Content
Record keepers might find themselves working with materials that include disturbing or distressing content, which can impact on mental health and cause issues such as secondary trauma and compassion fatigue. A significant amount of research and guidance has already been produced on this topic and links to key resources are included in Appendix One. There are, however, some key steps a manager should be aware of when helping to support a record keeping professional who is working with this type of content:
Make sure appropriate preparation is carried out – including planning how to break up the work with time away in-between sessions and that those undertaking the work have learnt relevant emotional resilience techniques.
Know key warning signs of issues – for example key symptoms that may manifest and be ready to act if you spot them or if concerns are raised by another colleague.
Be prepared to offer support when it is needed – make sure it is clear that you are available to provide a safe and confidential space to talk. Also consider scheduling more frequent check-in sessions for the duration of the work.
Make sure you are aware of relevant organisational support that is available – having information to hand on organisational support mechanisms, such as elements of an employee assistance programme, can help provide required support in a timely manner.
[14] https://www.truvelop.com/the-importance-of-strengthening-the-manager-employee-relationship/
[15] http://hdl.handle.net/10150/677915
[17] https://energyaccounting.com/
Appendices
Appendix One – General Mental Health Resources
This appendix provides links to a range of resources relating to mental health and wellbeing, including general mental health charities, guidance from leading workplace organisations, key pieces of relevant legislation, other publications and tools related to this guidance.
General Mental Health Charities
3ts - https://www.3ts.ie/
Aware - https://www.aware.ie/
The Brain Charity - https://www.thebraincharity.org.uk/
Change Mental Health - https://changemh.org/
Mental Health Foundation - https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/
Mental Health Ireland - https://www.mentalhealthireland.ie/
Mind – https://www.mind.org.uk/
MindWise - https://www.mindwisenv.org/
Rethink Mental Illness - https://www.rethink.org/
Scottish Action for Mental Health - https://www.samh.org.uk/
Shine - https://www.shine.ie/
Shout - https://giveusashout.org/
Mental Health in the Workplace
Acas - https://www.acas.org.uk/supporting-mental-health-workplace
Access to Work Scheme - https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work
British Red Cross - https://www.redcrossfirstaidtraining.co.uk/mental-health-blogs/mental-health-in-the-workplace-a-guide-for-employers/
Health and Safety Executive - https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/mental-health-overview.htm
Healthy Workplace Ireland - https://healthyworkplace.ie/areas/wellbeing-areas/mental-health/
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) - https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng212
Work and Access Scheme - https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-social-protection/services/work-and-access/
Workplace Relations Commission - https://www.workplacerelations.ie/en/
World Health Organisation - https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240053052
Key Legislation
Employment Equality Act 1998 (Ireland) - https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1998/act/21/enacted/en/html
Equality Act 2010 (UK) - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents
Related Guidance - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equality-act-2010-guidance
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (UK) - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/37/contents
Health and Safety Executive - https://www.hse.gov.uk/
Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (Ireland) - https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2005/act/10/enacted/en/print
Health and Safety Authority - https://www.hsa.ie/
Relevant Publications and Tools
2025 NDSA Staffing Survey - https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22003450
Archives and Records Association (UK and Ireland) Guidance on Working with Disturbing Material - https://www.archives.org.uk/health-wellbeing
Beyond the Checklist: Healing, Connection, and Capacity-Building Through Digital Preservation Peer Assessment: A white paper prepared for the Institute of Museum and Library Services for the Digital POWRR Peer Assessment Program (Jones, Stacey et al) - http://hdl.handle.net/10150/677915
Energy Accounting - https://energyaccounting.com/
Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Digital Preservation Community: 2023 Survey Findings Report (Digital Preservation Coalition) - https://doi.org/10.7207/mhw2025
Sickness Absence in the UK Labour Market: 2025 - https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/labourproductivity/articles/sicknessabsenceinthelabourmarket/2025
Understanding the International Landscape of Trauma and Archives (International Council on Archives) - https://www.ica.org/resource/understanding-the-international-landscape-of-trauma-and-archives-report/
Working with Difficult Records: Introduction to Trauma-Informed and Person-Centred Practices (Sexton, Anna) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKxD2GL_iTY
Appendix Two – Support and Accreditation Schemes
The following is a list of schemes that your organisation may consider joining that will help plan and implement approaches to support employees’ mental health.
Schemes in the UK
Mental Health Charter Membership – started in 2020, the scheme requires a public commitment to supporting mental health in the workplace. Members are offered support to develop actions plans, including the creation of an employee champion scheme. They also have access to training and networking opportunities. https://mentalhealth-charter.co.uk/
Mindful Employer – the scheme offers a charter to which organisations can become signatories, indicating their commitment to support mental health. This is supported by training and resources, as well as access to an EAP through Mindful Employer+ membership. https://www.mindfulemployer.dpt.nhs.uk/
Workplace Wellbeing Charter – A national accreditation scheme aimed at establishing a broad commitment to health and wellbeing, with mental health being one of eight standards to meet. The process begins with a self-assessment, before you are provided with support by consultants to develop an action plan. Organisations then need to complete an external audit to achieve accreditation. https://healthatworkcentre.org.uk/wellbeing-charter/
Mind Partnership – A corporate sponsorship program from one of the UK’s leading mental health charities. It can provide a mutually beneficial relationship where the charity receives financial support, while the partner organisation can receive tailored expert support to help develop their mental health programme, particularly around awareness raising initiatives. Mind also offer organisations the opportunity to sign their free Mental Health at Work Commitment that covers 6 standards for mental health support in the workplace. https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/corporate-partnerships/ https://www.mind.org.uk/news-campaigns/our-campaigns/mental-health-at-work-commitment/
Schemes in Ireland
The Shine Workplace Programme – A structured six-step framework designed to help organisations embed mental health awareness and support into everyday practice. The programme takes organisations through a process of training, policy development, and staff engagement, with the aim of achieving accreditation. https://www.shine.ie/get-support/support-in-the-workplace
Mental Health Ireland Workplace Training – A workplace training scheme offering a range of workshops aimed at promoting mental health and wellbeing whilst offering attendees practical skills and knowledge to help organisations foster a culture of support and collaboration, deepen resilience, and reduce stress. https://www.mentalhealthireland.ie/training/workplace-training/
Appendix Three – Training Providers
The following lists provide links to training services and courses available from a number of leading charities and first aid organisations. There are also many private organisations that offer training services relating to mental health in the workplace.
Providers in the UK
Acas - https://obs.acas.org.uk/Default.aspx
British Red Cross - https://www.redcrossfirstaidtraining.co.uk/courses/mental-health-at-work
Mental Health First Aid England - https://mhfaengland.org/
Mental Health Foundation - https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/training-courses-and-materials
Mind - https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/mind-training/
MindEd - https://www.minded.org.uk/
Rethink Mental Illness - https://www.rethink.org/aboutus/what-we-do/workplace-mental-health-and-training/
St Andrew’s First Aid - https://www.firstaid.org.uk/our-courses/mental-health-first-aid/
St. John’s Ambulance - https://shop.sja.org.uk/collections/mental-health-courses
Providers in Ireland
Aware - https://www.aware.ie/programmes/wellness-work/
Mental Health First Aid Ireland - https://mhfaireland.ie/courses-training/
Mental Health Ireland - https://www.mentalhealthireland.ie/training/
Shine - https://www.shine.ie/get-support/support-in-the-workplace
Appendix Four – Wellness Plan Example
The structure of the Wellness Plan template used here is primarily based on resources published by the mental health charity Mind. This example has been completed from the perspective of a person who has experienced a long history of anxiety and depression. It has been drawn from the collective lived experiences of a number of people and does not represent a single specific person.
Appendix Five – Disability Passport Example
This is an example of a disability passport which can be used to document how a disability, as defined by the Equalities Act or Employment Equalities Act, affects an individual’s work and what adjustments might be put in place to help. This example has been written from the perspective of an autistic person. It has been drawn from the collective lived experiences of a number of people and does not represent a single specific person. The names used were sourced from an online random name generator.
Appendix Six – Mental Health Charities
This appendix provides links to prominent charities and support organisations for a range of common mental health issues and challenges. It is not intended to be fully comprehensive but should provide a helpful starting point for finding information on any of the issues and conditions covered.
Alcohol Use
Adfam - https://adfam.org.uk/
Alcohol Anonymous UK - https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/ (UK) https://www.alcoholicsanonymous.ie/ (Ireland)
Alcohol Change - https://alcoholchange.org.uk/
Alcohol Action Ireland - https://alcoholireland.ie/
Alcohol Forum Ireland - https://alcoholforum.org/
ASCERT - https://ascert.biz/
Change Grow Live - https://www.changegrowlive.org/
Drinkaware – https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/ (UK), https://drinkaware.ie/ (Ireland)
Turning Point - https://www.turning-point.co.uk/
Via - https://www.viaorg.uk/
With You - https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/
Anorexia and Bulimia
Beat Eating Disorders - https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/
Body Whys - https://www.bodywhys.ie/
FightED - https://www.familysupportni.gov.uk/Service/4112
First Steps ED - https://firststepsed.co.uk/
The Laurence Trust - https://www.thelaurencetrust.co.uk/
Seed - https://seed.charity/
SupportED - https://supportedscotland.org/
Anxiety
3ts - https://www.3ts.ie/information-support/mental-health-concerns/anxiety-panic
Anxiety UK - https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/
Aware - https://www.aware.ie/information/anxiety/
No Panic - https://nopanic.org.uk/
Social Anxiety Alliance UK - https://socialanxietyalliance.org.uk/
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
ADHDadultUK - https://www.adhdadult.uk/
ADHD Ireland - https://adhdireland.ie/
ADHD UK - https://adhduk.co.uk/
Scottish ADHD Coalition - https://www.scottishadhdcoalition.org/
Autism
As I Am - https://asiam.ie/
Autistica - https://www.autistica.org.uk/
Ambitious About Autism - https://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/
Irish Society for Autism - https://autism.ie/
National Autistic Society - https://www.autism.org.uk/
Scottish Autism - https://www.scottishautism.org/
SWAN Scotland - https://swanscotland.org/
Bipolar Disorder
Aware - https://www.aware.ie/information/bipolar-disorder/
Bipolar Scotland - https://bipolarscotland.org.uk/
Bipolar UK - https://www.bipolaruk.org/
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD)
Borderline Arts - https://www.borderlinearts.org/
Borderline Support - https://borderlinesupport.org.uk/comorbidconditions/antisocial-personality-disorder/
BPD Foundation UK - https://www.bpdfoundation.co.uk/
Depression
3ts - https://www.3ts.ie/information-support/mental-health-concerns/depression
Aware - https://www.aware.ie/information/depression/
Breathing Space - https://www.breathingspace.scot/
Mind - https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/depression/
Drug Use
Adfam - https://adfam.org.uk/
ASCERT - https://ascert.biz/
Change Grow Live - https://www.changegrowlive.org/
FRANK - https://www.talktofrank.com/
Narcotics Anonymous - https://www.ukna.org/ (UK), https://www.na-ireland.org/ (Ireland)
Release - https://www.release.org.uk/
Turning Point - https://www.turning-point.co.uk/
Via - https://www.viaorg.uk/
With You - https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/
Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Dysgraphia
British Dyslexia Association - https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/
Dyscalculia Association - http://www.dyscalculiaassociation.uk/
Dyscalculia Network - https://dyscalculianetwork.com/
Dysgraphia Life - https://www.dysgraphia.life/
The Dyslexia Association - https://www.dyslexia.uk.net/
Dyslexia Ireland - https://dyslexia.ie/
Dyslexia Scotland - https://dyslexiascotland.org.uk/
Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia Foundation - https://dyspraxiafoundation.co.uk/
Dyspraxia/DCD Ireland - https://www.dyspraxia.ie/
Dyspraxic Me - https://dyspraxic.me.uk/
Dyspraxia UK - https://dyspraxiauk.com/
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
OCD Action - https://ocdaction.org.uk/
OCD Ireland - https://ocdireland.org/
OCD-UK – https://www.ocduk.org/
PTSD
Birth Trauma Association - https://www.birthtraumaassociation.org/
National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) - https://www.napac.org.uk/
PTSD Resolution (Veterans) - https://ptsdresolution.org/
PTSD UK - https://www.ptsduk.org/
The Survivors Trust (Survivors of Sexual Violence) - https://www.thesurvivorstrust.org/
Schizophrenia and Psychosis
Hearing Voices - https://www.hearing-voices.org/
Living with Schizophrenia - https://livingwithschizophreniauk.org/
Maudsley Charity - https://maudsleycharity.org/our-grants/psychosis/
National Paranoia Network - http://www.nationalparanoianetwork.org/
POPS UK - https://popsuk.org.uk/
Self-Harm
Battle Scars - https://www.battle-scars-self-harm.org.uk/
Harmless - https://harmless.org.uk/
Pieta - https://www.pieta.ie/
Sift - https://sift.org.uk/
Suicide Prevention
3ts - https://www.3ts.ie/
Andy’s Man Club - https://andysmanclub.co.uk/
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) - https://www.thecalmzone.net/
Grassroots Suicide Prevention - https://prevent-suicide.org.uk/
Pieta - https://www.pieta.ie/
PIPS Suicide Prevention Ireland - https://pipscharity.com/
Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org/
Suicide or Survive - https://suicideorsurvive.ie/
Suicide Prevention UK - https://spuk.org.uk/
Zero Suicide Alliance - https://www.zerosuicidealliance.com/
Tourette’s Syndrome
Tourettes Action - https://www.tourettes-action.org.uk/
Tourette Scotland - https://www.tourettescotland.org/
Tourette’s Support NI and ROI - https://tourettessupportni.org/