Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do? : A Workplace Guide - 5

As a Co-Worker:
What Can I Do?
" I can listen and be a source of support to my colleagues. "
As a co-worker, you can do a lot to help promote a mental healthfriendly
workplace, regardless of your position or level within the
organization.
To start, if a co-worker shares
information with you about a
mental health condition or is
having problems at work that you
feel might be a result of stress,
anxiety or other mental health
conditions, you can encourage
them to seek help. If your
company offers an employee
assistance program (EAP), that is
a good place to start. EAPs assist
employees, including those with
mental health conditions, and
family members experiencing
personal difficulties that might be
impacting their job performance.
If your organization does not offer
an EAP, you might suggest your
co-worker seek assistance outside
of the workplace, for instance,
through a community mental
health services provider. While it is
not your role to provide solutions,
such a suggestion may serve as
a first step in someone getting
needed support.
You can also remind co-workers
that they may be able to request
a reasonable accommodation
to assist in managing a mental
health condition, if they are open
to talking to their manager or
someone in the company's Human
Resources or Equal Employment
Opportunity office about it.
On a broader level, you can play
an important role in creating a
supportive, inclusive culture-both
at work and in your community-
by how you speak about mental
health. Words matter. Discourage
others from perpetuating
stereotypes or using derogatory
terms to describe people with
mental health conditions. Also
know that information about a
person's disability should always
be held in confidence.
Finally, all people have mental
health needs, so remember to
take care of your own and access
support and resources, if needed.
It is important to note
that it is not your role
to diagnose or ask or
speculate about a coworker's
mental health.
But, by understanding
more about mental health
conditions and resources
available to help people
experiencing them, you
may be able to help.
Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do? : A Workplace Guide

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do? : A Workplace Guide
