You spend an average of 8 hours at work each day, and your manager is someone that you see daily whether it is in person or remotely, so it’s important to remember that they play a key role in preserving your mental health, they are the key to my wellbeing.  

An article published by I News earlier this year highlights that in the last year, 39% of employees aged between 18 and 29 were most likely to leave their job and move to an employer that provides better mental health support.

So why is my manager key to my wellbeing, why is our relationship critical and how can we build the trust and support we need?

Read this blog to find out why your manager is critical to your mental health, and if you are a manager yourself don’t miss our tips on adjustments and support you can provide to employees with mental health conditions. 

The Importance of Good Leadership and Management  

 A good manager shows excellent organisation and (of course) management skills, is fair and treats all employees with respect. Having a good manager can help employees to feel valued and comfortable in their role which translates to good mental health, boosted work morale and high productivity.  

On the other hand, if a manager shows negative traits such as being disorganised, difficult to approach or manipulative this can lead to employees suffering from stress-induced illnesses such as anxiety and depression.  

 If a manager is weak the structure of the team is also likely to suffer, which can cause frustration between team members and a lack of direction and purpose. 

  CIPD found in their 2022 Health and Wellbeing at work survey, that around a quarter of respondents blamed management style for work related stress. And it’s important to note that even workloads and volumes of work, the most common source of work related stress, is in some way often related to how this gets prioritised by managers.

This statistic gives a good idea of how detrimental it can be to have a poor manager and shows the knock on effects my manager can have on my wellbeing. Therefore, managers play a critical role in influencing the environment of a workplace and supporting employees health and wellbeing.  

My wellbeing 

Managers hold a lot of responsibility when it comes to leadership within the workplace and can influence the environment to be a positive space to work in, and there is a lot they can do to support employees struggling with mental health. 

 During the COVID-19 pandemic managers have had to adapt like never before in the way that they work, with the pandemic also worsening the poor mental wellbeing of employees. 

With the average worker spending eight hours a day at work, it is important for managers to promote and preserve good mental health in the workplace.  

 Your manager can help with this by offering adjustments to aid the way that you work as well as offering ongoing support and an open door policy.  

There are several work adjustments to explore, such as: 

• Allowing an employee to work from home 

• Changes to working hours 

• Providing an employee with the ability to work hybrid (a mix of both in person and working from home 

• Provide training  

• Provision of quiet area  

• Changes to working environment e.g working at a different area of an office  

• Having more frequent one to one appraisals and reviews to discuss the job with manager 

• Getting signed off work temporarily to get help for mental health  

While you may require medical evidence of your mental health condition to explore the option of workplace adjustments, making your employer aware of your personal mental health will help them to better understand what adaptations may best suit your own needs.  

 In some instances it may even be necessary for an employee to temporarily relocate to a different role within the department that may be better suited for them or that the job description changes slightly to provide relief to a workload. 

It is important to check-in regularly with your employees

Managers will also be able to schedule regular one-to-one meetings which will allow you to frequently update them on your wellbeing and how you are finding work. A trusting relationship between where employees feel free to speak up about their worries opens and important channel of dialogue. Regular check in sessions and appraisals can allow an employee and manager to discuss the following points: 

• Nurture a positive employee / manager relationship  

• Provide the opportunity to update your manager on your current mental health state and alert them of any personal problems that may interfere with your work productivity.  

• Allow your employer to identify any potential problems early on and take the necessary steps to rectify the problem before it escalates. 

• Provide an opportunity for you to reflect on how well the current management style is serving you as an individual  

• Raise any personal problems that could affect work productivity ie. a bereavement  

Regular meetings between employees and managers are also essential for staff that works remotely as this can often be the only time that employees have contact with their manager and can help them not to feel isolated and unsupported.  

Offer mental health training  

Managers and leaders can also help to raise awareness of mental health and assist in reducing the related stigma within the workplace.  

 For example, they can arrange mental health training days and seminars which can help to educate the wider team about the importance of mental health and give informative tips and strategies manage this.  

Managers can also implement a mental health strategy which will help to allow workers to get the necessary mental health support when it is needed, if their company does not have one already.  

Conclusion 

Managers are critical to the mental health of workers as they have the power to either promote or detract a healthy work environment.  

A good manager will value mental health and seek to explore every avenue to ensure that employees feel that their mental health is supported in their role.  

This could take the form of workplace adjustments, enhanced support and regular check ins to meet individual workers specific mental health needs.  

Managers can also influence and inform the wider team of an organisation on mental health through training days, strategies and encouraging conversations on the topic of mental health.