onlincourse

Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Modern Workplace

Understand the pressures of the modern workplace, and learn what you can do to promote mental wellbeing in your organisation, with this online course from the Mental Health Foundation.

Duration

3 weeks

Weekly study

2 hours

Premium course

What's included?

Join the conversation and help break down stigma in the workplace

Organisations are beginning to realise that the mental health of their employees is as crucial as their physical health. Changes in our moods, emotions, and stress levels can dramatically affect our ability to achieve employment goals.

On this three-week course from the Mental Health Foundation, you’ll learn more about the importance of psychological wellbeing. From the impact of stress and burnout to legal issues around the duty of care, you’ll gain the knowledge you need to promote an open and healthy working environment.

Discuss the mental health continuum and what it means for the workplace

Psychologists now see our mental health as existing on a continuum, which ranges from thriving, through surviving, to crisis. Any movement along this continuum will impact our motivation and productivity.

In Week 1 of the course, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the mental health continuum and the wider landscape of mental health in the workplace and beyond.

Investigate the impact of stress and burnout at work

Burnout is a state of mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion. Early intervention and stress management is essential to prevent employees from reaching this state.

Examining real case studies of stress and burnout, you’ll learn how to notice and act when a colleague is overworked.

Develop strategies for creating a psychologically safe hybrid workplace

In a hybrid working environment, it can be even harder to spot when a colleague is struggling. As they introduce you to best practices for promoting psychological safety, your course leaders will pay particular attention to the mental pressures of the hybrid workplace.

You’ll finish the course with the safeguarding and sensitivity training you need to support your colleagues and make a difference on an individual level.

Week 1
Developing Understanding
- Introduction: our work and why it matters
  Welcome to the course! In this first activity, we will introduce ourselves and the course, then look at the reasons why mental health is a workplace issue.
- Understanding Mental Health
  In this activity, we will deepen our understanding of what mental health is and define some of the terminology around this.
- Stress
  Stress is a feeling which has a huge impact on our wellbeing. In this activity, we will look at the role of stress in the workplace.
- The role of stigma in worsening the mental health epidemic
  We have seen how prevalent poor mental health is and that the decline in mental health is a trend which is continuing globally. If poor mental health in the workplace is so widespread, why are so many people not talking about it?
- Social determinants of mental health
  We are all susceptible to experiencing mental health issues in our lives. However, some people are more susceptible than others. In this activity, we will look at some of the mental health inequalities that exist in society.
Week 2
Developing a psychologically safe environment
- The principles of a psychologically safe workplace
  An employer needs to set the conditions in which an employee can thrive, both professionally and personally. This week, we will take a closer look at how we can put our understanding and principles into action.
- Key policies for supporting mental health in the workplace
  In this activity, we will look at some of systems and policies workplaces need to support mental health. Support is only effective if employees know it is available, where to access it and can utilise it without fear.
- Boundaries in the workplace
  In this activity, we will explore the necessity for boundaries in the ever-changing workplace in order to protect our wellbeing and how to communicate these boundaries effectively.
- Creating a network of social support
  The relationships we make and maintain in the workplace are crucial. In this activity, we will look at how robust networks of social support can protect mental health.
Week 3
Developing skills
- Noticing the signs of poor mental health
  This week, we aim to empower you to support the mental wellbeing of your colleagues through the development of all-important interpersonal skills. We begin with the art of noticing the signs of poor mental health.
- Listening to colleagues
  Social support is one of the best ways to protect mental health. In this activity, we will look at how to provide support to colleagues by listening to them and signposting them to further support.
- Supporting wellbeing as a line manager
  In this activity, we will look at some of the ways that compassionate and effective line managers can create mentally healthy teams while ensuring performance of the business.
- Putting it all together
  We are nearing the end of the course. In this activity, you will reflect on the learning so far, make pledges for change, complete your final summative assessment and obtain information about how to further your learning.