Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

StressMental healthLearning & developmentSickness absenceWellbeing

Guidance encourages mental health training for managers

by Ashleigh Webber 20 Sep 2021
by Ashleigh Webber 20 Sep 2021 The guidance says training should enable managers to have conversations about employees' mental health
Shutterstock
The guidance says training should enable managers to have conversations about employees' mental health
Shutterstock

Employers should give managers mental health training to enable them to facilitate conversations that help address wellbeing concerns, health bodies have said.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Public Health England (PHE) have issued draft guidance that urges organisations to offer training that equips managers with the knowledge, tools, skills and resources to improve awareness of mental wellbeing at work.

It says organisations should also look to improve employees understanding of and engagement in organisational decisions, and improve communication between managers and the employees that report into them.

Last year, Deloitte found that poor mental health costs employers £42-45bn each year in staff absence and underperformance. This is an increase of 16% on the cost estimated in its 2017 report.

NICE and PHE’s Mental wellbeing at work guidance is under consultation and a finalised version is set to be published in March 2022. It updates guidance that was last issued in 2009.

The drat guidance says that mental health training for managers should cover:

  • how to have a conversation about mental wellbeing with an employee
  • information about mental wellbeing
  • how to identify early warning signs of poor mental wellbeing
  • resources on mental wellbeing
  • awareness of the stigma associated with poor mental wellbeing
  • ongoing monitoring of mental wellbeing in the workplace.

It suggests that all employers should give managers time away from their usual duties to attend training, and allow managers to make any necessary adjustments to workload or work intensity for their employees.

Mental wellbeing

Majority don’t think employer supports mental health well

Half lie about true reason for mental health absence

Study: Wellbeing apps and classes ‘don’t benefit mental health’

“Reducing stigma and equipping managers with skills to have conversations with employees about mental health is likely to facilitate conversations between managers and employees about any concerns about their mental wellbeing. This makes it more likely that managers can support employees with mental health issues,” said Dr Paul Chrisp, director of NICE’s centre for guidelines.

“Further research is needed in this area, but providing managers with skills to discuss mental wellbeing improves the relationship between manager and employee so that they can identify and reduce work stressors.

“This is a practicable step employers can implement and adopt quickly without a huge amount of investment.”

The draft guidance also makes recommendations for creating a supportive work environment. It says employers should consider ensuring active leadership support and engagement in mental wellbeing actions; increasing “mental health literacy”; encouraging and facilitating peer support, for example buddying; promoting good communication with employees; and being aware that mental wellbeing at work also depends on external factors such as domestic relationships, financial circumstances and societal discrimination.

Chrisp said: “Even before the pandemic, the state of the nation’s mental health has been a topic of conversation at home, in the workplace and in the media.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“Our new guidelines have considered issues which were a problem before Covid-19 emerged and new issues which have presented themselves as a result of the pandemic.”

L&D job opportunities on Personnel Today


Browse more L&D jobs

Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is a former editor of OHW+ and former HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support.

previous post
Three-quarters worried about labour shortages
next post
Ashurst commits to five-year diversity targets

You may also like

Employers ‘worryingly’ ignorant about stress risk assessments

20 May 2025

Awareness weeks fuel spike in demand for mental...

19 May 2025

Workers ‘wait and see’ as companies struggle to...

16 May 2025

Healthcare workers prioritise mental health support in new...

12 May 2025

Why HR burnout is a strategic issue

12 May 2025

Two-thirds of school leaders suffering mental ill health

6 May 2025

Employers urged to do more to tackle loneliness

1 May 2025

Increasing burnout fuelling demand for sabbaticals

30 Apr 2025

Nearly half did not take even one full...

14 Apr 2025

Are employers ready to recruit more people with...

11 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today