3 expert insights for managing mental health in an ambitious company

Startups are expected to foster dynamic, high-performance cultures. At the same time, they’re also told they need a culture of progressive, positive attitudes towards mental health. Balancing these ideas can feel like walking a tightrope — especially if you’re working with a small team, where every employee is absolutely indispensable.

In the typical workplace, it’s incredibly difficult to be open and honest about your mental health, or to ask for a break for mental health reasons. Even today, in businesses large and small, from start-up to conglomerate, mental health struggles exist in the workplace. As a team leader, acknowledging the importance of mental health and a willingness to address them in a positive and constructive way is a vital first step to building a healthier and more productive work environment and creating a space where your team feel they can be open.

But creating such a space can be tricky. To illuminate the way towards developing an honest and supportive workplace, I spoke to four friends and leaders in the mental health start-up sector and asked for some key pieces of advice.

It’s important that your team know that they are in a space that welcomes discussion on mental health, and feel they will be supported rather than penalised for coming to you with the fact that they are struggling. Refer them to professionals, ensure they know where and how to seek constructive and accessible support from appropriate, and qualified sources.

In the same way that a broken leg needs a physio to help rebuild its strength, identify the right people to help understand what’s required. Be prepared that a sensible option may involve a period of time off — from short stints which last less than a week, to considerably longer periods where they can really focus on recovery.

It’s important to listen and build a greater sense of trust between you and your team members, rather than jumping the gun and seeking out a fix immediately. By finding out and trying to understand what they’re going through, you’ll encourage them to be open enough to seek help and find a constructive way forwards. This could be anything from taking the afternoon off to seeing a therapist to booking an extended sick leave to manage stress levels. Feel free to ask for a doctor’s note if that helps put you and the company at ease, but with any luck trust will be a two way street.

Openness, trust and the ability to truly listen to the mental health issues your team may be struggling are some of the key cornerstones in developing a workplace that fosters a positive attitude towards mental health, and is key to maximising the productivity of your team for greater performances from each individual and team overall. Encouraging managers and team members alike to recognise the importance of their mental health and that of their team members is crucial to the survival and success of your team and your company. Effectively managing scenarios of stress and anxiety should start before the problems arise, by building a candid and open culture around mental health in your workplace.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this post!

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