CHARTER

Why?

• Physical and mental health risk factors or hazards can be present in work environments (e.g. bullying and harassment).
• Health and safety policies and practices (including prevention, early identification and providing resources to manage health conditions) help promote mental health at the workplace, as well as increase productivity and reduce staff turnover.
• Discriminating against employees can be costly for businesses (due to the cost of turnover).
• Employees perform better in a workplace which is free from harassment including sexual harassment.
• Policies ensure consistency in the decision-making and operational procedures and increases the impact of any intervention attempted.
• The availability of policies and related operational procedures conveys that the organisation is serious about the health and safety of its employees.
• Policies increase employees’ trust in the organization and can contribute to higher retention rates and increased productivity.
• It is the employer's responsibility to ensure a safe and healthy environment as per international conventions and national legislation.

Why?

• Employees perform best in a workplace which is: free from disrespect, discrimination and favouritism; is fair to everyone and promotes the fair and respectful provision of feedback on performance.
• Promoting equality of opportunity and fairness in staff management leads to increased satisfaction and motivation as well as commitment to work.
• Employing the right people for the job is crucial in order to help prevent stress of employees.
• Employees from different backgrounds can add richness to the teams as they will approach problems and projects in different ways.

Persons with a mental disorder may have all the valuable skills, talent, experience and talent needed for any particular position.

Why?

• Sources of work-related stress and risk factors for mental ill health include:
  • A misfit between the individual’s skills and aptitudes and the organization’s demands.
  • Role conflict (which occurs when an employee faces demands from their employer that are incompatible with their job role).
  • Role ambiguity (which occurs when an employee feels unsure of what is expected of them).
• Job misfit, role conflict and role ambiguity can lead to disengagement, a decrease commitment and job satisfaction, and a decline in performance.
• An effort-reward imbalance is linked to reduced motivation, psychological distress and increased incidence of cardiovascular disease. Reward is the respect and esteem in which the person is held and the presence of adequate social support in the workplace; as such it is not only about salary.
• Role clarity (in the form of a Job Description) ensures that employees have a clear understanding of their role and of expectations from the employer of specific tasks. This in turn acts as a protective factor for an individuals’ mental health.
• Clarification of the organizational structure provides clear information about the purpose, structure and work procedures of the organization.
• Ensuring that employees are adequately rewarded for their efforts (for example through adequate pay, personal recognition, career promotion and skill development) is a feature of a good psychosocial working environment.
• Being appreciated is one of the most important factors that increase motivation and satisfaction as well as health and well-being.

Why?

• Insufficient participation in decisions related to work can lead to poor physical and mental health (and potentially to developing a mental disorder like depression or substance use disorder).
• Increasing employee control over their work and participation in decision-making, along with flexible working practices, can improve psychosocial working conditions.
• Task variety can increase job satisfaction and motivation.
• Staff input into policies and procedures increases team members' confidence and compliance
• Participation in the decision-making processes gives each employee the opportunity to voice their opinions, and to share their knowledge with others.

Why?

• Stressors that impact negatively mental health and lead to an increased risk of developing a mental disorder include:
• A workload that is quantitatively or qualitatively excessive;
• Not enough work or an underuse of a person’s skills;
• Irregular and/or excessive working hours;
• Conflicting demands between work and home;
• Lack of autonomy.
• Greater flexibility within a role, including in terms of demand and time, can improve work-life balance.
• Breaks are needed and do boost productivity.
• Parental leave is an important accommodation, designed to increase the ability of families to balance the needs of the workplace and home.

Why?

• Inadequate, inconsiderate or unsupportive supervision, poor relationships with co-employees, bullying, harassment and isolation increase the risk of a mental disorder.
• How managers interact with their teams on a day-to-day basis has a direct impact on the mental health of these teams.
• Poor line management may inadvertently exacerbate or even cause mental health conditions.
• In contrast, effective line management can improve employees’ health and wellbeing, as well as their performance.
• Managers who demonstrate empathy, fairness and consistency have been found to be more likely to retain valued talent at work.
• How managers go about their role also has also a direct link with the level of trust in the relationship with their employees and thus the level of engagement and commitment of the latter.
• The behaviors of line managers are a key determinant of the extent to which employees will go the extra mile in their work, are resilient under pressure and maintain their loyalty and commitment.
• The authoritarian or laissez-faire supervisory style is linked to decreased employee satisfaction.

Why?

• Positive approaches aim to promote the positive aspects of work and employee capabilities.
• Having a clear vision and goals for the organization is an important component of positive leadership and contributes to wellbeing of staff through giving them a sense of purpose and meaning.
• A participatory approach involving employee representatives and management personnel can improve employee’s motivation, engagement and promote mental health.

Why?

• Training opportunities can promote wellbeing in the workplace.
• Programmes that support professional development of employees also protect and promote mental health.
• Programmes that support professional development of employees are tools for attracting, motivating and retaining talented employees.
• Supporting employees’ development through in-work training and development opportunities increases their engagement and loyalty and develops job satisfaction and performance.

Why?

• Employers and employees need to have access to scientific information about mental health. it’s important to help them identify signs of ill-mental health and address any stigma related to misconception around mental health and mental disorders.
• Employers and employees need to know how to take care of one self (to promote wellbeing, prevent ill-health and detect when ill-health occurs) and when support from health care professionals is needed.
• Practicing self-care helps prevent the onset and development of certain health conditions such as stress, burnout, depression and anxiety.
• Practicing self-care helps slow down the progression of certain health conditions after the risk factors and/or symptoms have appeared (i.e. stress management).
• Practicing self-care when the individual has already developed a health condition helps prevent deterioration and focus on recovery.
• To create an environment where conversations about mental health are commonplace, you need to make people aware and knowledgeable about it.

Why?

• HR and Line Managers play an important role in ensuring a balance between organizational goals and the mental and physical health of employees.
• Managers are critical in driving change towards better mental health in the workplace.
• Managers are likely to be the first to notice when an employee is experiencing difficulties.
• HR and line managers should be mindful of whether the workplace culture is conducive to encouraging people to talk about their mental health.

A management culture that ensures employees know that it is okay to talk about mental health helps to reduce the stigma and the stereotypes associated with it.

Why?

• Organizations are responsible for providing information and enabling employees to easily access support services available to them when in need.
• Access to evidence-based treatments has been shown to be beneficial for depression and other mental disorders.
• It has been shown that only $1 of investment in treatment for depression and anxiety leads to a return of $4 in better health and ability to work.

Why?

• A mental disorder is a health condition that persons will recover from with the right support.
• Barriers to working can have a detrimental impact on mental health and on recovery from mental ill-health.
• Employees who fear stigma do not seek treatment for mental disorders because they fear that it will affect their employment.
• Employers have the responsibility of ensuring that individuals feel comfortable to/and are able to ask for support in continuing with or returning to work.
• Even persons with serious mental disorders can thrive at work if they feel supported.
• Returning to work is often an important component of an individual’s recovery from a mental disorder.
• Adopting supportive policies can have significant benefits for employers in reducing sick leave, retaining valued employees and ensuring that their knowledge and skills are not lost to the workplace.
• According to Article 50 of the Lebanese Labor Law, dismissal based on any reason that is not related to the employee’s performance is a form of abuse which makes the employers liable (and the employee can claim indemnity).