Uncertainty breeds anxiety and we are indeed living in uncertain times. Between rising numbers of Covid-19 cases, its crushing financial impact on the economy and niggling worries over the possibility of World War 3, no one knows what will come next. This has taken, and continues to take its toll on people’s mental health in a big way, including at work,
According to a report by the United Nations, global rates of anxiety and depression increased by 25% in the first year of the pandemic. That number surged to 42% by the end of 2021. Additionally, it has been indicated in leading research that managers and leaders are ill equipped to assist their teams to take ownership of and manage their wellness journey.
What can Managers and Leaders do to support their team members and create a workplace culture built on mindfulness, mutual understanding and mental health support during these trying times? For effective leadership, businesses need to equip senior staff with the tools that effect change, underpinned by compassion, insight and understanding.
Why Management Mental Health Matters?
Good mental health is a prerequisite for strong employee performance at work. Unlike employee mental health, which is now being given a great deal of attention due to Covid-19, unfortunately, the mental health of leaders rarely takes centre stage. Studies show that even sub-clinical levels of depression are enough to detract from transformational leadership, affecting the individual, their team and the business itself.
In our capacity as safety intelligence experts, SafetyCloud has designed a new workplace wellness course: Managing Mental Wellness for Managers and Leaders. This is an interactive programme designed to equip supervisors and managers with multiple resources that help them better manage workplace wellness challenges pertaining to workers, the work environment and themselves.
Course Information
Course Name: Managing Mental Wellness for Managers and Leaders
Course launch date: 1 April 2022
Duration: 2 days
Cost: R2 400 (incl. VAT)
Type: Pure e-Learning course (online study)
Course Overview
Developed by a registered psychologist in collaboration with subject matter experts, the course builds competencies that allow leaders to initiate strategies that promote mental health in an organisation. Managing Mental Wellness for Managers and Leaders tackles complex topics such as the importance of wellness, how to build a foundation of trust, identifying mental health struggles and behaviours, building stigma-free environments, implementing a workplace wellness plan and how to provide emotional support that results in happy, healthy and productive teams.
Learning Outcomes
After successfully completing the two-day Managing Mental Wellness for Managers and Leaders course, you will be able to:
- Understand the need for workplace wellness
- Understand a manager’s role in corporate wellness
- Identify how existing workplace conditions contribute to declining employee mental health
- Examine key leadership concepts and skills necessary to effectively lead workplace wellness initiatives
- Build and implement employee mental health plans that reflect the needs of employees and the business
- Create a culture of understanding that is stigma-free
- Be self-reflective as a manager concerning your own mental health and understand how to identify personal mental health struggles
- Cultivate greater trust within the company between non-management staff and their superiors
Employee wellness doesn’t happen by magic and though it doesn’t happen overnight, a focus on staff mental health can have a measurable ROI, whether that’s in employee satisfaction metrics, productivity or the business’ bottom line. When managers and leaders are role models of self-care, they make it safe for others to take care of themselves.
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