Positive Workplace Mental Health in the Charity Sector

Mental health in the workplace is evolving with a drive from workforces to speed up the pace of change with mental ill-health being the leading cause of sickness absence from the workplace. 41% of employees have experienced poor mental health where work was a contributing factor[1]. Mental health problems cost the UK economy at least £117.9 billion annually[2].

Lottie, Head of Executive Search – Board Appointments at Prospectus and Lea, CEO of MQ Mental Health, recently started a discussion through their shared motivation for supporting positive mental health and collectively wanted to provide some insights regarding workplace mental health. Sharing their own perspective as individuals, trustees and leaders in the sector, and drawing upon input from others they have engaged with through their conversation, Lottie and Lea explore how we support and navigate workplace mental health in the Charity Sector.

Lottie: “In my organisation you can now add ‘mental health day’ as an absence instead of the generic ‘sick day’, importantly clarifying the difference but equal weighting on the effect of poor mental health and reducing stigma.

I am part of our Mental Health Committee, an off shoot from our EDI Group and we also have a newly formed Men’s Mental Health Group where the first session welcomed anyone who wanted to participate with the topic of ‘imposter syndrome’. I shared my experience of returning from maternity leave to a new leadership role and a very demanding out of hours ‘client’, whose sleep patterns/illnesses impact my day job. Having family and close friends with lived experience of mental health problems, I’m motivated to break down historic and current barriers and reflect positive mental health practices in the workplace that are still needed.”

With 1 in 4 employees at high risk of burnout[3], workplace mental health needs to be a priority for all organisations. Employers can and should view high rates of burnout as a powerful warning sign that the organisation – not the employee – needs to undergo meaningful systemic change.[4]

Lea: “I joined MQ Mental Health Research during the start of the Pandemic. I’ve spent my career at the frontline of communities impacted by mental health, in prisons and alternative education centres. Investing time and energy into research and growing the evidence base of the problem is the only solution to prevent the current rising tide of mental health conditions.”

MQ has recently released research specifically focused on the current economic climate with The cost-of-living crisis in the UK: a whole society response to protect people’s mental health. The cost of living crisis has far-reaching implications, affecting both staff members within charities and the individuals they serve.

In the face of mounting challenges, including mental health, the charity sector requires boards that embrace inclusivity, diversity, and expertise, enabling them to make informed and impactful decisions swiftly.

Alongside their own discussion, Lottie and Lea reached out to charity sector leaders to gain further understanding on what some charities are doing to support positive workplace mental health.

Kawika Solidum, Chair of The Funding Network, highlighted restricted Wellbeing Grants by organisations such as Oglesby Charitable Trust that are dedicated solely to wellbeing activities for staff and volunteers (including Trustees) and ringfenced for this purpose.

Tom Neumark, Chief Executive at the 999 Club:

“One area we’ve been focusing on is ‘boundaries’ in particular making sure all staff are given the systems and support to ensure that they can finish their work and can debrief within their contracted hours, so that they can properly rest and recharge when they are not at work. As the old saying goes ‘you can’t cut a tree with a blunt saw’. To do these we are introducing a new structure to our daily debriefs and given all staff training on time boundaries.”

Paul Carbury, Chief Executive of the Smallwood Trust:

“We aim to put wellbeing at the centre of our approach towards our staff. Last year we developed a People Strategy with staff wellbeing as one of our key goals. We promote practices that aid staff to feel connected, heard and supported and we embed activities to enable this. Some of those activities include using job evaluation tools to ensure workloads are distributed fairly, reviewing our HR policies under an Equality Impact Assessment Framework, adopting flexible working practices, providing safe spaces for staff to talk through external issues that may be affecting them and asking staff to talk to us about and lead on remote wellbeing initiatives.”

Frances Duncan, CEO of the Clock Tower Sanctuary:

“We have embedded health and wellbeing into the culture of our organisation and how we treat each other. We started proactively addressing this with a policy identifying what the Clock Tower Sanctuary does to support staff and how an employee can take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing. In every one-to-one supervision meeting, the first question is “How are you?”, “How have you been feeling since we last met?” and “Is there anything you need from me to support your wellbeing?”. Due to the nature of our work, with vulnerable young people, staff can request an individual meeting with a qualified psychotherapist. We also have time together as a team for fun, following staff feedback, with 2 away days a year.”

Through this important discussion and research, Lottie and Lea have found that investing in staff development, promoting continuous learning, and harnessing the skills and expertise of employees can drive innovation from within the organisation, ensuring its adaptability and resilience in a rapidly changing landscape. Critically, investing in supporting positive mental health will retain the talent within your organisation.

As boards and CEOs, it is crucial to recognise the evolving needs of communities and ensure that charitable organisations remain responsive, inclusive and adaptive and listen to their staff to ensure mental health is central to their people strategy.

You can find further resources to draw upon for your workplace below: