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Human Resources Professionals
If you are an HR manager in a large organisation, you may also be the return-to-work coordinator or you may have responsibility for overseeing or working with that person.
A key part of your role is likely to be supporting the supervisor of the returning employee. A good understanding of the following issues can help you successfully manage return to work after mental illness and support others involved in the process:
- best practice in managing the attendance and return to work of employees with a mental health problem
- the importance of good people management skills, including effective communication, rather than being knowledgeable about the employee’s mental health problem
- your organisation’s policy on return to work and how to put this into practice
- that successful return to work is linked to support from managers, the degree of control over work flexibility, the demands placed on them at work, the clarity of their role within the organisation, and their relationships at work
- the important role the employee plays in their own return-to-work process
- what organisational resources might be available for workplace adjustments
- how to introduce workplace adjustments and monitor the return-to-work process
- the factors that make it difficult to return to work and how you can minimise their impact
- what entitlements are available (e.g. family, sick and annual leave) for employees with a mental health problem
- your legal responsibilities, such as those under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992)
- understanding that it is your role to assist the employee to get the help they may need, but not to diagnose mental health problems or to provide counselling
- recognising the limitations of your responsibility towards an employee with a mental health problem
You also need to know how to communicate with employees on sick leave or returning to work after a mental health problem. Good communication requires:
- being sensitive to and understanding the individual and their context
- managing the expectations of an employee returning to work
- knowing how to have sensitive conversations with employees, including how to handle those that do not go as planned
Mental health training can help HR professionals develop the skills necessary for managing employees with mental health problems.
Mental Health in the Workplace
Managing Absence