How To Manage The Situation Afterwards To Avoid Any Serious Long-Term Consequences
Colleagues will need some information but this is best kept simple and matter of fact. The key is to behave at all times in a professional manner.
Do say
- "John is struggling a bit and has gone home."
- "Claire has gone to see her doctor."
- "Michael is quite poorly and we have taken him to see a doctor."
- "You'll all have noticed that Rachel is not behaving as her normal self today and we have arranged for some professional support. I'll let you know what happens as I get to hear about."
Don't say
- "John's gone home because he's depressed, his wife's left him"
- "Claire has been behaving weirdly, as you all know, so we've sent her to the doctor"
- "Michael was hearing voices, can you believe it? We've got him out of here to the doctor."
- "You all saw Rachel crying, we had to call an ambulance to stop her killing herself.
Arranging for some training for staff on mental health conditions and awareness of issues will help to foster a caring supportive environment for everyone. Some organisations who offer different types of mental health awareness training are listed on this site, for more information email us at mentalhealth@shaw-trust.org.uk
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 mentalhealth@shaw-trust.org.uk