What Are The Early Warning Signs Of Mental Ill Health?

Most of us have experienced high, even harmful stress at work occasionally. However, when an individual or group of employees becomes so routinely stressed that their health and work performance are affected then a mental health issue could develop.

So what are the particular early warning signs you should look out for?

  • An increase in unexplained absences or sick leave
  • Poor performance
  • Poor-time-keeping
  • Increased use of alcohol, drugs, tobacco or caffeine
  • Frequent headaches and back aches
  • Withdrawal from social contact
  • Poor judgement / indecision
  • Constant tiredness or low energy
  • Unusual displays of emotion e.g. frequent irritability or tearfulness

Talking to staff really is the best way to spot early signs of stress or an emerging mental health problem. The more open communication there is, the more feedback you receive and the more quickly you'll be able to spot early signs of stress. Follow the guidance here it's good to talk.

Shaw Trust offers a mental health helpline for employers to talk through any concerns or issues in more detail. For information on this service email us at mentalhealthline@shaw-trust.org.uk

It's important to build in an early warning system so you can spot early signs. By following the steps below you can keep on top of workplace issues that might be causing mental health problems.

  • Use supervision, appraisal or reviews to talk about any concerns your employee may have
  • Provide training to help staff recognise when they are stressed
  • Provide information on any services your company offers which will help your staff feel confident about your support
  • Regularly monitor how your staff are feeling, there are some tools to help you do this in how do I create a healthy workplace? There are external organisations who can audit your organisations wellbeing to highlight areas of potential problems so you can support staff before issues arise.
  • Develop a workplace culture in which staff feel comfortable about disclosing mental health issues to you. How do I create a healthy workplace?