Your how-to: Implementing leadership reviews of mental health policies and programs
This refers to the practice of having senior management or leaders within your company assess and evaluate the efficacy and inclusivity of your existing mental health policies and programmes. This ensures that your company's approach is not only structured and comprehensive but also responsive to the specific and evolving needs of your employees.
The review process entails a thorough examination of current health policies, initiatives, employee feedback and well-being surveys. The aim is to identify gaps, make refinements where necessary, and introduce new measures to better support employee mental health.
The engineers of this review are usually leaders who possess an understanding of the company's strategic goals and culture. They often work in consultation with HR teams, occupational health consultants, or even external mental health professionals when necessary. These reviews can be part of an ongoing annual or biannual process, or may be initiated in response to specific triggers such as significant organisational change or troubling well-being survey results.
Importantly for organisations operating within Australia, these reviews should take into consideration both the general Duty Of Care to employees under occupational health and safety legislation, as well as findings published by organisations such as Beyond Blue which offer unique insights into the mental health challenges faced by Australian workers.
Step by step instructions
Convene a Leadership Team: Identify a group of leaders who will lead the evaluation and possible restructuring of existing mental health policies. Ensure this team consists of individuals who have a deep comprehension of the company's strategic objectives and culture. They should ideally work closely with the HR teams, occupational health consultants, or even third-party mental health professionals when necessary.
Conduct a Preliminary Evaluation: The leadership team should conduct an initial review to identify possible gaps or areas for improvement in the existing mental health policies and programmes.
Review Legislation and External Resources: The leadership team should review Australian legislation's Duty of Care concerning mental health and any associated penalties. This may involve reaching out to organisations like Beyond Blue, who offer unique insights into the mental health challenges faced by Australian workers.
Introduce Necessary Changes: Revamp the existing policies and make necessary amendments or introduce new ones based on insight gained through this process. The content should be communicated in clear and accessible language to all staff.
Identify Current Mental Health Policies and Programs: Collect and lay out all existing mental health policies and programmes currently used in your organisation. This collection process should involve gathering both documented policies and less formal practices.
Solicit Employee Feedback: Create an anonymous survey or a feedback mechanism to incorporate opinions from the employees. Their feedback is central to understanding the practical effects and effectiveness of existing policies. Be mindful of the data collected and analysed, ensuring it aligns with Australian Privacy Principles.
Re-evaluate Policies: Based on employee feedback, legislative requirements, and insights from external resources, the leadership team should re-evaluate current mental health policies and programmes.
Implement Changes and Communicate: Implement the restructured or new policies and communicate these changes to the employees.
Use this template to implement
To ensure you can execute seamlessly, download the implementation template.
Pitfalls to avoid
It is vital that your leadership team is sufficiently trained to review mental health policies and support programs. Without proper training, they may miss key elements of successful mental health policies, or unintentionally enforce policies that might harm employee mental health. Informative workshops and opportunities for learning about mental health will surely equip them with the right tools and knowledge.
It is important to consult employees and take their feedback into account when reviewing and creating mental health policies. Exclude their input, and it might lead to policies which do not accommodate the real mental health needs of your workforce.
Inconsistent enforcement of policies can lead to confusion and may undermine the overall effectiveness of your mental health programs. Ensure that leaders are committed to enforcing these policies consistently across the board.
A common mistake is implementing policies without taking into account the diversity of your workforce. Remember that mental health issues do not discriminate and can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion or sexuality. Therefore, policies should be reflective of this.
Stigmatisation of mental health issues is a common scenario that can deter employees from seeking help or disclosing their mental health struggles. Ensure a safe and confidential space for employees to take advantage of these programs.
Ensure your program adheres to the mandatory guidelines and standards set by the Australian Human Rights Commission and the National Mental Health Commission. Non-compliance may result in legal issues and potential damage to your company's reputation.