World mental health day 2021 – useful resources for employers

by | Oct 6, 2021

World Mental Health Day 2021 blog header image of water drop
The theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day is ‘Mental Health in an Unequal World’. It has been chosen to highlight that access to mental health services remains unequal.   According to the World Federation for Mental Health,  many people with a mental illness do not receive the treatment that they are entitled to and deserve and together with their families and carers continue to experience stigma and discrimination.  So where does that leave employers and what can you do to support your staff with their mental health? We’ve rounded-up the most useful resources we have found for business owners and managers.

  • Mental Health First Aid Training

We all know how important good mental health and wellbeing are to a thriving, productive workplace, but many of us just don’t know how to turn that into a reality. Could your business benefit from mental health first aid training? Read our interview with Simpila Healthy Solutions to find out how mental health first aid training could help your business.

  • Mental health at work

A PDF guide to mental health in the workplace from Mental Health Foundation including guidance on supporting a colleague and a checklist for employers.

  • COVID and mental health

CIPD has a free guide on managing mental health in the workplace post-lockdown.

  • Employment law and mental health

ACAS has useful guidance on your legal obligations when it comes to support your staff’s mental wellbeing.

  • Making workplace adjustments

Department of Health has guidance on when and how you should make workplace adjustments for employees.

  • Employer’s toolkit

We like this detailed toolkit from Business in the Community and Public Health England.

  • Wellness action plans

Mind has a free wellness action plan download – these are an easy, practical way of helping you to support your own mental health at work and, if you are a manager, helping you to support the mental health of your team members.

  • Tackling work-related mental health issues

This Mind guide sets out simple, practical and inexpensive steps that line managers and HR teams can take. It is designed to help you create a more open and supportive culture, improve mental wellbeing for all staff, and boost employee engagement.

  • Managing stress

Handy guidance for anyone who wants to know how to deal with stress and how to learn to relax. It explains when and how stress can be bad for you, and provides helpful strategies for dealing with it and where to go for further help.

  • Talking to someone experiencing mental health issues

Although the Time to Change campaign has now closed, it has some useful resources on its site including this post on how to start the conversation

  • Managing mental health in a small business

This is a useful fact sheet from Federation of Small Businesses and Mind on how to spot the signs of mental distress.

  • Managing mental health in practice

The Agency Collective has an insightful blog sharing real-life examples of how agencies deal with mental health within the workplace.

You may also like to read our guide on supporting a colleague with a mental health issue or download our free eBook ‘How to looking after your employees’ wellbeing.’

Other useful organisations: