What are some ways managers can support their team's mental health?

When I meet with team members, I ask them how they are doing on a scale of 1-10, personally and professionally, and why. A ten means that life is better than it's ever been. A one means that life is terrible. When people are up and have great things happening, I celebrate with them. When people aren't doing great, I ask them how I can help. People ultimately want to know that you care about them. The simplest way to care for someone is to simply ask them how they're doing, genuinely listen, and help them in anyway that you can.

There’s a lot to be said on this topic. 1. Regular Check-Ins: Conduct regular one-on-one check-ins to discuss both work-related matters and personal well-being. This signals that the manager values the holistic health of their team members. 2. Flexibility and Work-Life Balance: Offer flexibility in work arrangements, such as remote work options or flexible schedules. Encourage a healthy work-life balance to prevent burnout and support overall mental well-being. 3. Training on Mental Health Awareness: Provide training for managers on mental health awareness. This equips them with the knowledge to recognise signs of distress and respond appropriately, reducing the stigma associated with mental health discussions.

One of the most important skills for a manager is empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Empathy can help you build trust, rapport, and loyalty with your team members, as well as identify and address any issues they may be facing. Compassion, the desire to help others who are suffering, can also motivate you to provide adequate support, resources, and feedback to your team. To be empathetic and compassionate, you need to listen actively, communicate effectively, and show genuine interest and concern for your team's well-being.

Empatia e compaixão são essenciais para uma liderança eficaz. Elas permitem que gestores construam relações de confiança, identifiquem problemas e motivem suas equipes com entendimento e suporte. Ouvir ativamente e se comunicar com cuidado são chaves para demonstrar genuíno interesse no bem-estar da equipe. Essas habilidades vão além do gerenciamento, impactando positivamente o ambiente de trabalho e a produtividade.

From my experience, supporting personal staff development through exposure to local/regional and international workshops makes them feel appreciated yet also learning new ideas. Being exposed to different organisational setups one comes to appreciate the roles they play in their own organizations. This time away, makes one refresh mentally and will return rejuvenated willing to share the experiences from the workshop with other staff members thereby increasing interaction among staff (team building).

Almost all managers and leaders say work life balance is important. Yet in most organizations people who work full time, and work regular overtime, have a higher probability of getting high ratings, pay rises and promotion opportunities. As long as this is true, what you say about work life balance won't matter because people know reality doesn't match what leaders say. Promoting work life balance starts with: 1. leaders at all levels creating work life balance for themselves 2. allowing people who work less than full time to have access to leadership roles 3. making fair and predictable decisions about ratings, rewards and progression that aren't biased to value those who work many hours. Managingwithoutpower.com

Equilibrar vida profissional e pessoal é crucial para a saúde mental e a produtividade. Gestores podem fomentar esse equilíbrio com expectativas flexíveis, respeitando limites, e incentivando descansos. Modelar comportamentos saudáveis é essencial para criar um ambiente de trabalho onde todos possam prosperar sem sacrificar seu bem-estar pessoal.

**Foster Work-Life Balance:** Emphasize the importance of work-life balance by setting realistic expectations for workload, discouraging excessive overtime, and promoting breaks. Encourage employees to take time off when needed and model healthy boundaries as a manager.

Entender a realidade dos seus liderados e adaptar a forma como você, gestor, lida com as demandas, é fundamental. Montar PDIs pessoais vinculados aos profissionais, com OKRs e KPIs direcionados transformam sonhos, ambições, em realidade.

Managers can promote work-life balance by encouraging mental health days be taken by employees, this means not just saying they are ok, but checking in with individual employees to see if they have taken at least one day per quarter off of work. Also, making sure that the idea of "my work will build up and be more overwhelming when I return" is not a truism. This can be done using realistic and flexible expectations around work loads both in general and in connection with time off, no matter how much time that is (a day vs. a week's vacation for example). Finally, take a look at the expectations you have for yourself and your team around this subject. Are they realistic for everyone, if not, how can you correct that?

Creating a supportive culture is essential as it enables people to thrive and also contributes in achieving goals, collectively. To promote a supportive culture requires developing empathy and embracing diversity. We are approaching 2024 and the world post covid has proved that working extra hours or in office particularly doesn't reflect performance or productivity. True productivity lies in achieving tasks in given or lesser time, irrespective of the fact where ever you are. In our organizations we have people from different backgrounds and different circumstances. Understanding their situation and giving them a space to breathe and work will not only allow them perform but will also enable to boost organization performance.

Among others: Combine work on-site, in office prem, with remote work in order to enable personnel to work productively while facilitating family tasks. Address the time zones difference during webinars planning. Awareness sessions to cultivate calmness, safety, and inner peace, allowing personnel to remain unaffected by the stress.

Encourage workplace friendships  Ensure the right message gets across by making it clear that everyone struggles with mental health issues at some point in life  Be open to listening to employees’ problems  Give time to unplug  Foster a company culture that is supportive of employee wellness 

To foster a supportive work culture, prioritize clear communication, inclusive policies, and diversity. Recognize employee efforts, encourage team building, and provide professional development. Offer flexibility, wellness programs, and lead by example. Establish effective conflict resolution, engage in social responsibility, and maintain a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination. These efforts contribute to a positive workplace that values well-being and inclusivity.

Uma cultura organizacional de apoio, que valoriza colaboração, inclusão e segurança psicológica, é vital para a saúde mental da equipe. Como gestor, promover metas claras, feedback construtivo, celebração de conquistas e abordagem positiva de conflitos reforça o senso de pertencimento e propósito, contribuindo para um ambiente de trabalho saudável e produtivo.

When you run your team well, most learning happens on the job. It requires 2 things from managers: 1. spend quality time running genuine conversations about career & personal growth with team members, so you learn what they get energy from, what drains their energy, and what helps them grow. 2. Assign projects to people from a growth mindset, as opposed to a 'minimizing risk mindset'. The safest bet is to give projects to those who ran them successfully in the past, but it may no longer be a growth opportunity for them. The same project might be a growth opportunity for another person in your team, who may require more guidance, but will grow more, and may surprise you more. Managingwithoutpower.com

Fazer com que os colaboradores troquem entre si e sejam os protagonistas das falas pode trazer à tona qualidades adormecidas. Permitir momentos de feedbacks 360 também auxiliam no crescimento pessoal.

A aprendizagem e o desenvolvimento impulsionam o crescimento pessoal e profissional, beneficiando a saúde mental. Como gestor, oferecer treinamento, coaching e feedback, e incentivar a equipe a seguir paixões e aspirações, estimula curiosidade, criatividade e confiança, criando um ambiente de trabalho dinâmico e enriquecedor.

Es ist wichtig Mitarbeitern Fortbildung zu ermöglichen, damit sie sich weiterentwickeln , Defizite reduzieren und neue Einsichten bekommen. Auch macht es Sinn von Zeit zu Zeit Mitarbeiter zu Themen im Team referieren zu lassen, damit sie sich mit einem Thema intensiver beschäftigen müssen.

I have learned that personal and professional development go hand in hand. There are skills that I have been able to transfer from personal counselling which have improved my professional perfomance and also made me more aware of where others could improve. Professional studies will help me personally to achieve my career goals but working on my interpersonal skills will take me to the next level. Thats also how I want to help my team, teaching them the practical skills needed to do well, then demonstrating the behaviours and skills needed to be successful.

In my opinion, managers should have good listening ears. This will give confidence to team members and they will open up for any professional challenges they are facing. Managers should make them feel that he/she is part of team and no different. Empathies with team members and help them maintain balance between personal and professional life. Be available: managers should always be available, whenever team member seek help, without judging them.

It can be kind of a dodge to emphasize self-care if the practical aspects of the work environment don't allow for wellness to exist. Leaders have an obligation to both hire those who opt-in to the kind of work environment they foster, and then to recognize when someone is not thriving within it. Simply saying "mental health is important; take care of yourself" is a bit of a punt, and we can do better than that.

Promover autocuidado e bem-estar é chave para a saúde mental da equipe. Gestores podem apoiar isso oferecendo programas de bem-estar e incentivando hábitos saudáveis como exercícios e meditação. Isso não só reduz o estresse, mas também melhora o humor e a energia, criando um ambiente de trabalho mais feliz e produtivo.

Genuinely also understand why self care matters, ie it's not just a ‘fluffy’, nice, thing to do; it makes a difference. Managers understand how self care underpins and effects mental health, resilience, behaviours etc etc thus how it effects how teams turn up, how they do their jobs, how they perform, then managers are more cognisant of the importance of encouraging self care. Lead by example, have personal and professional boundaries, actively practice and encourage selfcare because of the difference it makes.

Offer diverse training programs, workshops, and online courses for employee learning and development. Encourage professional certifications, industry conferences, and mentorship programs. Foster a culture of continuous learning, support personalized development plans, and view mistakes as opportunities for growth. This dynamic approach empowers employees to stay current and contribute to organizational success.

O Gestor não precisa estar presente em todos os momentos, mas entender o contexto de vida de seus colaboradores e se atentar aos detalhes da atuação faz bastante diferença.

Managers can bolster their team's mental health by vigilantly recognizing signs of challenges, providing referrals for professional help, and consistently checking in. Proactive support, particularly for issues like anxiety and burnout, fosters a resilient and healthier work environment.

Damit ein Team funktioniert, muss Hilfestellung angeboten werden, damit nicht zu viel Zeit mit der Suche nach Lösungen verbraucht wird und Mitarbeiter frustriert werden.

Many companies, both large and small have Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), be sure you and your team are familiar with your EAP provider and how to reach them. This is often only mentioned during benefit enrollment periods! A simple reminder email that you can schedule to go out to all employees once per quarter will keep it fresh in everyone's mind. You are not expected to be a therapist, but showing empathy to your employees is important in both empowering them to seek help as well as to be seen as an effective manager. Recalling your own work struggles or work-life balance challenges and ways you sought help (or wish you had) can help to normalize employees utilizing their EAP or seeking other professional mental health help.

Managers can support their team's mental health by promoting open communication, offering flexible work arrangements, recognizing achievements, providing stress management training, and ensuring clear expectations. It is important to encourage breaks, offer access to employee assistance programs, and have policies that prioritise work-life balance. It can be helpful to implement flexible time-off policies, recognize mental health days, and organize team-building activities. Provide training on mental health awareness, conduct regular check-ins, and foster a supportive culture that encourages seeking help. These measures contribute to a positive work environment and the overall well-being of the team. This needs to be a systemic approach.

**Provide Mental Health Resources:** Offer access to mental health resources such as Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), counseling services, or workshops. Raise awareness about available support and reduce stigma around seeking professional help for mental health concerns.

Instill a positive and inclusive work culture that fosters open communication, respect and support among colleagues. Encourage teamwork and create opportunities for social interaction and collaboration

Don't forget to laugh, share a joke, treat your team members to a coffee as a nice midday break or a nice lunch as a morale boost when they're feeling/looking stressed.

Few other pointers to support team's mental health: - Create a culture of open communication and fearlessness, where everyone can voice their opinions without fear of reprisal - Mental and emotional well-being should not be a taboo and should be openly discussed across all levels. - Educate all employees about signs and symptoms of mental health problems. - Appropriate professional support system should be available. - Be free to listen to employees problems and offer support as deemed necessary. - Compliment, appreciate and reward team member's exceptional work. - Listen attentively to their pain points. Don't judge. - Organize team building activities. - Have exercise breaks. - Avoid micromanagement.