Ever felt unsure about how to discuss mental health with a colleague you are concerned about or manage?
One of the key pillars of the Thrive at Work framework is Mitigate illness, and an illness organisations are increasingly having to manage is mental ill health. When done well, organisations identify employees who are experiencing mental ill health, support employees who are impaired to get well again, and assist those who have been unwell to return to the workplace.
Privacy, confidentiality and uncertainty about what to say without causing upset or offence are some of the reasons that stop us having difficult conversations about mental health.
Likewise, there are barriers for employees who may find it difficult to raise concerns about mental health and wellbeing: fear of being misunderstood or their job being under threat, stigma and myths about mental ill health, etc.
The workshop will provide an easy to use framework and simple, practical tips for people in workplaces who need to respond to someone they are concerned about.
It is suitable for managers, supervisors, HR staff, CEOs, OHS staff and anyone who wants to learn how to understand how to respond appropriately when someone has a mental health issue.
Provide an overview of the reasons we need to look out for people and how to identify someone who might be struggling at work.
Discuss the importance of knowing your people and fostering high quality connections.
Identify the barriers to having a conversation with someone who may have a mental health issue.
Identify the challenges for someone to speak up about their mental health issues in the workplace.
Provide some guidelines for preparing, undertaking and bringing courage to a conversation.
Discuss and understand the importance of empathy.
The workshop will be interactive and participants will have an opportunity to share their experiences and have Q & A time.
Please forward this invitation to anyone who might be interested.
Date: 21 November 2019 (RSVP by: 17/11/2019)
Location: The Platform, L3, 256 Adelaide Terrace, Perth
Julie Loveny and Sue Crock are mental health professionals with many years’ experience in different contexts. They are the directors of This Working Life, a Perth-based consultancy providing services to help workplaces thrive and employees to flourish. As educators and facilitators they are passionate about the prevention of mental health issues. They consider well managed organisations, who prioritise their people, as well as have a commitment to good work design are in an excellent position to protect employees’ wellbeing. Having a conversation with someone you are concerned about takes courage, but is part of an employer’s duty of care. Julie and Sue bring many skills to ‘unpacking’ this important topic.
