Workplace mental health - who's responsible?

Who's responsible for your mental health at work? Some would say your H.R. department, others the Safety and Risk Management team, others still would suggest your direct line manager/supervisor. I say that a combination of all of these can have input into your good mental health, but ultimately it's YOU who is responsible for making it happen.
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We live in a culture that it constantly attempting to calculate risk and allocate blame or responsibility to whomever/whatever process has caused us to achieve a less than perfect outcome. It's my opinion that this dominant way of thinking has influenced a trend away from us as individuals taking on full responsibility for ourselves. It's easier to allocate responsibility elsewhere, than to do the hard work that is sometimes required to fix or prevent our own problems.

This being said, I always advocate for a wellbalanced approach. Personal responsibility needs to be present, but it needs to be balanced with public accountability too. A one size fits all approach rarely works in every circumstance (except in the case of blue cheese and figs - they should always go together), so we need to look at the parties, the players involved, to see where we can reasonably allocate responsibility in specific circumstances. In every relationship; partner/partner; workplace/staff member; citizen/government; parent/child; it's important to consider power dynamics when determining responsibility. Who has the power and resources to achieve the task required? And who has any vulnerabilities that could act as obstacles to prevent achieving the task required?
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Let's consider an individual's mental health in the workplace and allocate responsibility for positive wellbeing:

Responsibilities of the WORKPLACE:

1. Promote a positive culture in which bullying and harassment are not tolerated, nor any other behaviour that may contribute to psychological injury or stress. This is part of your legal obligation under your state's OHS Act to manage and prevent workplace injury.
2. Lead with transparent and plentiful communication so individuals have clarity about what they can expect, and the responsibilities they must fulfill.
3. Provide information to leaders and employees about the instance, symptoms and impacts of mental illness to promote the de-stigmatisation of mental health issues. Encourage staff to seek help or support if they need it.
4. Provide support to individuals who disclose mental health issues by a) addressing workplace complaints that are contributing to these issues or b) referring them to support services qualified to assist them with a mental health action plan. eg. a workplace EAP program.

Responsibilities of the INDIVIDUAL:

1. Communicate - with your team, line manager or organisation - about any problems you are experiencing in the workplace. Problems - whether they are operational and contributing to your stress, or relational - cannot be addressed if the other party or organisation is not aware that the problem exists. It is your responsibility to raise it.
2. Seek help - if you are experiencing symptoms that are impacting your quality of life, seek help within your workplace OR with your GP, OR with another organisation that provides mental health support (beyondblue.org.au is a great place to start if you are unsure of where else to go.)
3. Take action - there are a myriad of strategies and ways you can improve your mental health. Most of them will involve you making a decision to change some of your physical habits and/or your thinking patterns. Be prepared to do the work. No mental health professional is going to wave a magic wand and fix you (unfortunately. Sometimes we too wish we could) but they can offer a wealth of information and support that will help you feel empowered and give you hope of recovery.
4. Behave in a way within your workplace that isn't going to cause harm to any other individuals. We all want to be treated with dignity and respect by others. Make sure dignity and respect are your regular modes of operating and communicating.

Be willing to take personal responsibility for seeking the help you need to care for your own mental health. Your workplace has legal responsibilities to help and support you, but they cannot do this until you have done what is within your power to do: talk about it.

Check out  the rest of this website wellbalance.net.au for more information about workplace wellbeing programs and how I can help your workplace to support staff and reduce the risk of psychological injury occurring.

Kristy is the founder of Wellbalance. She is inspired to motivate leaders and workplaces toward proactive, effective and productive communication with their people, to achieve positive outcomes for all and resolve conflict. Kristy enjoys long walks on the beach and holding hands at sunset (just joking - actually not really!) Kristy thrives on seeing relationships reach their full potential, and celebrates when people come to understand their true value - to love their flaws, accept their perceived failings and grow beyond these. She believes that the entire human race are healthier and happier when they CONNECT - with their people, GROW - in their self awareness and ability to engage with others, and LIVE - life to their full potential.

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