Mental Health Continuum - Manager’s Tool

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Supporting and promoting your employees’ good mental health begins with an understanding of the signs and symptoms that can appear when someone is struggling.

Knowing basic facts about mental health can also make you more confident and comfortable in discussing the subject with your staff. Use the Self-Awareness Tool to help you become more familiar with your employees’ behaviour patterns and to guide you when you observe changes.

Be proactive in offering your support. This tool suggests a number of things you can do to foster a healthier and more respectful workplace.

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What you can do as a manager

The colour indiction bar of the table

Healthy

  • Get to know your employees and maintain contact
  • Watch for behaviour changes
  • Ensure that your staff have the required skills, equipment and environment to do their job
  • Raise awareness among employees regarding mental health
  • Familiarize yourself with human resource policies, tools, and mental health resources
  • Foster a healthy and respectful work environment
  • Set the example

Reacting

  • Maintain contact with your employees
  • Identify unhealthy situations
  • Intervene: ask the employee how they are doing, listen, and ask if you can do something to help
  • Minimize stressors (e.g. reduce tasks, allow for flexible working arrangements)
  • Guide employees towards the right resources (e.g. Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Office of Informal Conflict Management)
  • Consult human resources or other services (e.g. EAP for managers) for assistance

Injured

  • Maintain respectful contact
  • Involve human resources or other services (e.g. EAP for managers) in order to seek help
  • Intervene: meet with the employee, ask how they are doing, listen, and ask if you can do something to help
  • Respect the employee’s functional limitations and find solutions in collaboration with them
  • Stop rumours
  • Address inappropriate behaviour

Ill

  • Maintain respectful contact
  • Ensure follow up with employees that are on sick leave
  • Respect the employee’s functional limitations and find solutions in collaboration with them
  • Ensure that the employee is aware of available resources and support
  • Obtain assistance from human resources in planning the employee’s return to work

Source: National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (adapted to ESDC’s context by the HRSB).

Support and Guide

You have an important role in supporting employees who are struggling with a mental health issue or illness. There are times however when an employee would benefit from the support of a healthcare professional. This becomes increasingly important as one’s health moves towards the right side of the continuum. As a manager, you can encourage an employee to seek out help.

Your active involvement in an employee’s situation can be a key element in their recovery. You are not responsible for the diagnosis or treatment of a mental health problem but you can be part of the employee’s support system.

image of management and professional support in mental health

  • Description of the image

    The diagram above clarifies the distinction between the role of management and that of health care professionals at different stages of the mental health continuum. Managers’ attention is necessary at the various stages of the continuum, but primarily when employees are at the "healthy (green)" and "reactive (yellow)" stages. Management’s role is to support employees so that those who are healthy remain so and those who are in a reactive situation return to optimal mental health. Thus, managers take a preventive approach and contribute to creating a workplace that fosters psychological health and safety. Managers also have an role to play with employees who are at the "injured (orange)" and "ill (red)" stages. As a rule, their role is more low-profile as professional support is sought and obtained. In some situations, employers must encourage their employees to consult a health care professional and ask whether their functional limitations require workplace accommodations. Managers must support their employees and refer them to resources at all stages of the continuum.

Confidentiality

The personal information that is disclosed to you as a manager is confidential. It is, however, a good practice to ask the employee what information they want shared with their colleagues, and how they prefer it be communicated.

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