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 in the UK and the Workplace Relations Commission 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 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 scheme and in Ireland through the 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