36: Unpacking Common Mental Health Challenges HR & Leaders Encounter

Historically, the unspoken organisational culture meant that your personal issues and any mental health challenges you are experiencing were expected to stay at home. Today, it is increasingly accepted for employees to be more open about their mental health and wellbeing needs in the workplace. However, with the increasing prevalence and severity of mental illness in the community, this presents new challenges for HR and managers to know how to navigate these conversations empathetically while maintaining a focus on the organisation’s performance.Barry biography:In today’s episode, we want to focus on our HR audience, and so we have invited special guest host HR professional Lisa Young, who will be interviewing Clearhead’s clinical lead and clinical psychologist Barry Kirker, together they will unpack all the complexity surrounding employee mental health. Barry has 30 years’ experience working with individual clients and organisations across New Zealand and Australia. He undertakes complex mental health assessments, including fitness for work, forensic, and compensation/mental injury assessments, with a thorough understanding of both the clinical and legal aspects involved.In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions.00:00 – Introduction01:50 – Lisa introduction03:50 – Barry introduction05:30 – What is being covered08:40 – Definition of mental health10:00 – What to do when an employee self discloses their mental health challenges to you13:55 – What to do if you don’t feel equipped to have the conversation?14:30 – Are there things you shouldn’t say17:45 – How to assess the safety risk of someone who discloses they have suicidal thoughts22:00 – What if you can feel your own emotions taking over23:00 – When to seek professional help24:00 – How to tell if someone needs more support25:20 – What to do when you notice someone struggling with their mental health28:05 – Should you bring up performance issues in a mental health conversation29:50 – What if the person lacks insight and is dismissive of your concerns33:50 – Why it’s important to be proactive in having the mental health conversation34:25 – When an employee blames their mental health at a performance or disciplinary meeting39:20 – How do you know if a mental health disclosure is genuine42:00 – What to do when an employee says a performance improvement process negatively impacted their mental health45:00 – When should you breach the confidentiality of what an employee shared with you47:00 – How do you deal with the subsequent loss of employee trust49:40 – How do HR practice self-care and set boundaries on the mental load of supporting others54:10 – Barry and Lisa’s final takeawayLearn more about our guest host Lisa Young:https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-young-exceedhr/Helpful resources:Resource 1: Meeting Crisis with Care. How HR Can Navigate Mental Health Challenges https://www.myclearhead.com/blog/meeting-crisis-with-care-how-hr-can-navigate-mental-health-challenges/Resource 2: Mental Heatlh Conversations: Guidance for Leaders: https://www.myclearhead.com/blog/mental-health-conversations-guidance-for-leaders/Resource 3: Frameworks to Support Difficult Conversations at work: https://www.myclearhead.com/blog/frameworks-to-support-difficult-conversations-at-work/Learn more about Clearheadhttps://www.myclearhead.com/

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