How Do I Set Up An Early Warning System?
To help recognise early signs of mental health issues you could build a monitoring process into your management system.
Here are some good steps to take.
- Use supervision/appraisal/reviews to talk to staff about any issues or concerns they may have
- Provide relevant training to enable staff to recognise when they are feeling stressed
- Provide information about available services which will help staff feel confident about the support available. See our internal support suggestions.
- Create a culture in which staff feel comfortable disclosing mental health issues to you. See our suggestions in creating a comfortable environment.
- Regularly monitor how your staff are feeling. See our questionnaires to help you health check your team.
Remember, relationships play a key role in managing workplace stress. The more open these are and the more you listen, the more you will be able to spot early signs of stress quickly. Tackling problems early is important - don't ignore things in the hope they may go away and don't let problems fester.
Finally, the best way to identify early signs of stress or a mental health problem is to talk to your staff. By using common sense and natural care instincts you will get more honest feedback.
