How to build an inclusive Mental Health Strategy for working parents and carers

At the This Can Happen Conference 2022, Jyoti Choitram, Executive Coach at ECC, gave a seminar on Working Hard And Playing Harder: How To Support Mental Health In Client-Servicing Industries. In this article she shares her insights on what employers can do to better support the mental wellbeing of their working parents and carers.

Definition: “Mental health is a state of wellbeing in which an individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”        World Health Organisation

Poor mental health is on the rise. Thankfully, workplaces are increasingly beginning to understand and recognise that this is something that needs to be addressed at the core of an organisation. And not just because ‘it’s the right thing to do’ but as an acceptance that, good or bad, mental health is something that an employee will bring to work, and it may affect their contribution and therefore is a correlated cost to the business.

Some of the latest statistics:

• Covid -19 pandemic has triggered a 25% increase in prevalence in anxiety and depression worldwide (1)
• The estimated total annual costs of absenteeism, presenteeism (attending work whilst ill so underperforming or being less productive) and labour turnover have increased 25% since 2019. This is reaching an estimated annual total of GBP53-56 billion in 2020-21 (2)
• In the UK, 16% of children aged 5-16 were identified as having a probable mental disorder in 2020, an increase from 11% in 2017 (3)

These statistics show the likelihood that poor mental health (our own or that of someone close to us) affects nearly all of us on a regular basis.

Employers who recognise this are putting in place mental wellbeing strategies and initiatives to support employees. These often include:

• increasing awareness and reducing stigma
• creating a mentally healthy work environment
• providing access to and signposting support

There is, however, an increasing awareness that this is not a ‘one size fits all approach’. The needs of different groups, including parents in the workplace, must be understood, and met. In my experience as a coach and as a mother of two, the needs of parents and carers are unique because:

1. They are likely dealing with their children’s mental health as well as their own
2. They often put aside their own mental health needs to care for others.

Below are some insights into these perspectives and some practical thoughts on what an inclusive mental health strategy could consider.

Parents and carers are likely dealing with their children’s mental health

For those of you who are parents, many will relate to the feeling of having had a full day before even starting the ‘day job’. Add onto this supporting your child who may be anxious, depressed or any of the myriad of symptoms they are experiencing, (diagnosed or undiagnosed) and you are already starting the day with your stress container partially full.

So, what can your organisation do to help?

• In mental health awareness-raising campaigns, organisations should consider spotlighting children’s mental health through storytelling, education and the unique perspective of parents who are caring for a child with poor mental health. Opening the dialogue will normalise the conversation and allow parents to connect with others who may be facing similar challenges and enable a ‘safe space’ to discuss this.
• Within the work environment, policies or practices to support parents and carers should recognise mental ill health equally alongside physical ill health (and appreciate that this can’t be measured with a thermometer or a PCR test). Providing those who manage teams with mental health awareness training is key. Specific support might include flexible working hours, or the ability to work from home to support your child through a period of mental ill health when stressors are high.
• Support that the organisation provides through employee assistance programmes or mindfulness/wellbeing apps are often accessible to family members, but this is often less known and less publicised. The natural concern in the workplace is for the employees themselves but, through highlighting support available (internally or externally) for family members, employers are recognising ‘the whole self’. During the pandemic, organisations that promoted materials such as ‘talking to children about war’ or ‘explaining coronavirus to young children’, recognised that this is something that parents and carers will be dealing with and were likely thinking about.

Parents and carers put aside caring for their own mental health to care for others

A productive workday will carry its fair share of recognised stresses and pressures. Assuming work is left with the formal working day, imagine the previously mentioned figurative cup at the end of this day. Preventative and essential self-care methods, which includes sleep, exercise and nutrition, are often very hard to achieve for parents – especially those with young children. And they most likely can forget about the luxuries of yoga, meditation or even an hour to yourself. Depending on your care structure, as soon as you walk through the door, or collect your children from day care, the second half of your day begins. Those precious hours when the kids are asleep are most often used for practical arrangements, chores and preparing for the next day. A full mental recharge is not always possible, but parents learn to ‘survive’.

You can help your working parents by:

• By raising awareness and reducing stigma, similar to the above, consider promoting the perspective of the parent in storytelling and awareness campaigns. Raise awareness of issues that might be wildly applicable but recognise that this will not be well received by everyone – having a variety and diversity of views is key.
• To be inclusive of mental health, employers should recognise that reasonable adjustments can made in the workplace – including adjusted hours, workload etc. It is highly unlikely that these are made at home. Whilst the responsibility of the employer does not extend to this, simply asking what support might be helpful to them can go a long way. It could include further flexibility for them to decide when/ how they work in a hybrid way or recognising why they are taking time off in the working day for appointments. They should also appreciate that not everyone will be able to participate in evening events, as well intended as they are. Whether it’s due to child care arrangements or an additional pressure, they might simply need to ‘say no’.
• Provide actual support for working parents and carers to take care of themselves, for example, access to emergency childcare which they can call upon if they are unwell. Make them aware, as you would any employee, of the resources and support available to them. Recognise that they might not always be putting themselves first. The additional encouragement from someone they respect, might just be what they need.

Put simply, inclusivity is achieved through listening first. Take the time to ask the questions, “how are you and how are things at home?”.  And ask twice.

Sources:

(1) WHO, March 2022

(2) Mental Health and employers, the case for investment beyond the pandemic, Deloitte, March 2022

(3) Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, NHS, 2021

This Can Happen is an organisation aimed at empowering employers and employees alike in creating positive environments that support workplace mental health. Their range of services are solutions-led and effective in enabling organisations support their workers.