Metropolitan Gaming

Ian Woodward

When we say that out loud, reactions can range from nods of eager interest to rolling of the eyes and assumptions that HR is about to enforce more protocols and restrictions on managers and business operations.

Yet mental health, or, as I like to say, mental well-being, is not going away. It’s always been there, just not openly discussed. Perhaps because of its personal or sensitive nature, or because generally we are not experts in it, so it’s easier to avoid for fear of “getting it wrong”?

However, what if how companies deal with employee well-being within the workplace became a reason for your employees to stay? What if the way things are done is envied by competitors, and as a result, the workforce becomes even more engaged and productive? Ah, then managers become more open, and the business may benefit, even grow, achieving greater productivity.

“By engaging with employees, particularly regarding their mental well-being, we find a new way of working with them, both for their job role and for the benefit of the company.”

The “great pandemic of 2020” [maybe that’s how it will be referred to in history] did provide a rare opportunity. Its impact on everyone—individuals, families, and communities—was unprecedented. It continues, as do the subsequent impacts.

Speaking from experience, companies, particularly within the hospitality and entertainment sectors, struggled to survive, enduring the multiple and lengthy lockdowns and non-trading periods while trying, at the same time, to support their employees and colleagues. The “opportunity” was, and is, that it accelerated people talking about mental well-being. HR, businesses, and managers were seeing increased discussions and issues arising from how their teams were coping personally, and as a result, in order to survive, reopen, and trade in the era beyond, we had to react. Perhaps differently than how we had in the past.

One of the key learnings from this time is the need for people to be permitted to openly talk about how they were feeling, whether this be via employee surveys, during formal consultation processes, or during reopening phases and return-to-work situations. And we had to listen. On top of the pandemic was the Brexit impact, and when the two events were combined, the outcome was the creation of a much smaller talent pool available to employers. Employees in this role were more focused on what would provide them with job satisfaction and purpose. Potential and existing employees now have choices too!

So, in this new era, language when discussing an employee impacted by mental well-being has changed from “so you can’t” to “what can you do?”, and more and more “what can we do to support you?”.  By engaging with employees, particularly regarding their mental well-being, we find a new way of working with them, both for their job role and for the benefit of the company. When an employee feels able to speak up and, more importantly, be listened to and then reacted to accordingly, their loyalty will increase. Working collaboratively with their employers to proactively be able to work means commitment, respect for themselves and the company, and greater engagement from both sides. Often, it may be little tweaks relating to work-life balance, shift patterns, or a change in role. But if that supports employees being more emotionally resilient and able to balance day-to-day expectations with their own well-being, then they will try and more likely succeed. The unwritten psychological contract between employer and employee becomes stronger. As does employer branding.

We have seen a switch from individual and reactive support, such as traditional employee assistance programs and occupational health referrals, to proactive ones, such as organisation wide focus on well-being within the workplace generally. Health and well-being initiatives are being put in place, and company-paid services such as online, virtual, and face-to-face therapy are being made readily available. Managers are being educated on these often-underutilised benefits so they can inform, promote, signpost, and, if need be, direct employees to engage with them. Mental health first aiders and champions are being invested in, educated, and supported, in turn, to support their colleagues and managers. Often, through unfiltered and honest conversations that can occur outside of formal processes or HR interventions, which, being honest, can stifle and limit the process due to a lack of relationship or trust, solutions can be found more quickly and more immediately.

And the greatest way of accelerating this culture? Senior managers and visible figureheads in the workplace talk openly about the topic, sharing stories about their own mental well-being. Normalising it. Making it obvious that it can impact anyone, regardless of status or situation. After all, if someone is off work with a broken leg following an accident, they will openly talk about how the short-term injury occurred and how it is being treated. No uncomfortable discussions, no awkward silence, and no uncertainty about what questions can and cannot be asked. Just acceptance and then solution searching. The same hopefully now applies when mental well-being prevents “business as normal.”

And the outcome is happy, supported, loyal employees who are able to be more open without fear, which in turn can drive greater productivity and consistency.

If this culture is achieved, it’s not about mental well-being; it’s about having an environment that embraces what makes each of us unique. It ultimately enhances inclusion in the workplace as opposed to isolation, and it ensures we support the diversity within our workforce. It allows everyone to be uniquely different, just like everyone else.

Surely that’s a greater outcome for success.