3 Ways Managers Can Positively Impact Employee Mental Health

According to the World Health Organization, 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety alone, costing a whopping $1 trillion annually in lost productivity. And we’ve likely all seen the research from last year that highlighted the profound impact that managers have on the mental health of their team members, revealing that they can affect employee mental health even more than doctors or therapists. It says a lot.

It says that no matter how solid and well-thought-through our mental health and wellbeing strategies, the relationship an employee has with their manager or team leader is going to override anything we do. 

Which is a bit disheartening if you ask me. And it can leave us internal communication (IC) and employee experience (EX) professionals feeling pretty helpless and frustrated.

So, this blog post looks at what we can all do to help the situation. Because IC and EX pros have more power than we may realize, and there are a few core ways for us to increase employee wellbeing by improving the impact of managers and team leaders across our organizations.

Let’s jump in.

The impacts managers have on employee mental health

More than 80% of employees would rather have good mental health than a high-paying job. Despite this, only half of employees agree that their organization has a positive impact on their mental health. Worse still, 77% say workplace stress has negatively impacted their health, and 62% say it’s damaged personal relationships.

Research not only spotlights the significant impact managers have, it also reveals that seven in 10 employees want their manager to do more to support their mental health.

One of the most significant challenges we face is that many people leaders are genuinely unaware of their impact and influence.

It’s not always the ‘big ticket items’ like workload, job design, or recognition that can become problematic; it’s often small actions that are taken or language that’s used. For example, what message is conveyed when a manager comments that they can’t work late because of their kids? Is it possible that the team members who don’t have kids might feel as though their manager is implying they’re expected to work late every day?

And how is it received when a manager sends emails over the weekend with questions or requests for support? Could team members feel stressed, pressured, or guilty for not replying immediately, even if it’s a non-working day for them?

If part of the impact that a manager has on their employees is unknown and unintentional, what can be done to raise awareness and turn the tide?

What can IC and EX professionals do about it?

This is where the good news comes in – there are three key things that we can do to ensure that managers in our organizations have a positive impact on their team members.

Because impact and influence goes both ways, and you’re faced with a huge opportunity to improve the wellbeing of your workforce by supporting, equipping, and enabling the management population.

1. Increase manager awareness

One of the most impactful things we can do as IC and EX professionals is to help managers and team leaders increase their awareness of the ‘hidden influence’ that we explored earlier. Whether they realize it or not, they are being watched and analyzed by their team members.  

We need to educate people leaders within our organizations on the impact that their words and actions can have on their colleagues.

This might be through management onboarding materials, comms training, or establishing leadership coaching and mentoring programs.

Another key way to increase manager awareness is through training – formal and informal, internal and external. Concerningly, the 2024 Workforce State of Mind report from Headspace revealed that less than a quarter of people managers are required to take mental-health-specific training. How can we expect our leaders to be able to effectively support their team members’ mental health and wellbeing if they’re not being trained?

Training comes in many forms and can range from more formal external ‘mental health for managers’ courses to internal workshops or monthly presentations. A quick online search will bring up lots of options for both free and paid courses that your organization might be able to take advantage of.

2. Provide support

On top of increasing manager awareness through education and training, we need to equip them with the right resources. Things like templates, guidance documents, talking points, case studies, and referral information can make all the difference.

Because without these materials, your people managers are essentially going in blind. And it’ll lead to a patchy and inconsistent approach across the organization, largely dependent on the personal experiences of each leader.

As IC and EX professionals, we also need to ensure our management population is aware of the mental health resources available to them. Research shows that managers are often even more stressed than team members or senior leadership, so it’s incredibly important that we use our team leader communication channels – such as our dedicated EXP Spaces or our team leader briefing emails – to highlight the mental health supports that are available to them as well as their team members. You’d be surprised how many managers think their organization’s employee assistance program (EAP) is only for non-managerial team members.

3. Cultivate open communication

Finally, one of our most important responsibilities is to cultivate open communication about mental health. By playing our part in removing mental health stigma and breaking down barriers, we can encourage employees to have more open and honest conversations about their wellbeing with their managers.  

First and foremost, we need to prioritize building awareness of our corporate wellbeing programs. Despite 64% of US employees saying they struggled with their mental health in 2022, only 19% used their company’s mental health benefits. Be sure to lay a solid foundation for new employees by showcasing mental health resources during onboarding, and continue to refer back to the wellbeing program and resources at regular intervals.

Storytelling is another effective way to normalize and destigmatize conversations about mental wellbeing at work. Think about running a recurring ‘spotlight series’ where you publish real stories from different leaders across the organization. Studies have shown that almost 90% of employees say they appreciate it when leaders talk about their own mental health.

The things we’ve explored in this blog post will help you provide the best possible support for people managers across your organization, equipping and enabling them to encourage positive mental health among their team members.

But internal communicators also need to look inwards, and earlier this year I explored some of the ways we can adjust our IC approaches to best alleviate workplace stress.

If you’d like to find out how the Workvivo platform can support you with any of the things we’ve talked about in this article, get in touch with our team of experts to schedule a free demo!