Supporting Employees to Seek Help for Behavioral Health Challenges
The Wellness Works curriculum for managers and supervisors has been evaluated both quantitatively and qualitatively to show significant positive impact on participant attitudes. Consider this: in just six hours of instruction, participants showed significant changes in attitudes towards people who have mental health issues, including moving from being not sure about working next to someone with a history of having a mental illness, to being highly positive about working with a person who has a mental illness. Imagine the ripples of positive change that flow from this attitudinal movement!
“I learned to step back, breathe and not get defensive.”
Of all positions in the workplace, managers have the greatest impact on employee retention and engagement. When an employee is struggling with mental health issues, the attitude, skills and emotional intelligence of the employee’s manager are critical to employee outcomes. Managers control whether the workplace is a positive, health-enhancing component of the employee’s recovery, or whether work is another challenge and barrier to regaining health, wellbeing and productivity.
“It started a two-year process of change. I decided I need to be approachable. That way, people will want to come to work.”
Participants report lasting impact from the training, and significant changes in their own behavior towards supporting employee success:
“The management staff continues to use the information given and the techniques provided to assist in maintaining a happy and healthy environment for the employees.”
Two recently released reports demonstrate these findings:
A report by Nancy Spangler
Evaluating the Effects of Wellness Works – A Training Program of Mental Health America of California
Related posts
