Why Mental Health Is Part of a Manager’s Job

Every team has people with mental health. Some days it is good, some days it is poor, and sometimes a person becomes unwell. This is true in an office, a warehouse, a drilling rig, a hospital ward and a remote camp. A manager meets it whether or not they are ready.

The manager is often the first person at work to notice that something has changed. The manager also shapes much of what affects mental health at work: how much work people have, how much say they have in it, how they are spoken to and how change is handled. That is why the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends training managers to support the mental health of their workers.

What you will be able to do

• Explain mental health and mental ill-health in plain words.
• Recognise work factors that can harm mental health, and act on the ones in your control.
• Notice signs that someone may be struggling, and start a supportive, private conversation.
• Respond calmly if someone talks about suicide or is in crisis, and get the right help.
• Point people to support, agree adjustments and support a return to work.
• Support a team after a traumatic incident, and look after your own mental health.

Related courses

This course looks at mental health from the manager’s side. How an employee manages their own stress is taught in the Resilience and Stress Management course. Building an organisation-wide programme for work-related stress, including surveys and risk assessment, is taught in the Managing Workplace Stress course. You do not need either before starting here.