For many workplaces, a mental health awareness week or month or initiative often means an influx in conversations about mental health for a short period of time. Bolstered by carefully curated corporate communications, keynote speakers, “toolkit”, or wellness challenges, leaders often feel more able and empowered to talk about mental health during these high-volume sprints of awareness activity.

But as the enthusiasm of these awareness-related activities fades, most leaders feel unsure about how to go about integrating conversations on mental health into the day to day, citing worries about the time it might take up or boundaries they might overstep or simply uncertainty around what words to use.  

But it’s worth the effort to figure it out.

Workers are increasingly seeking workplaces that explicitly prioritize mental health, and when at work, they prefer to have conversations about mental health and wellbeing with those they work closest with – their direct supervisors and coworkers – rather than wellness specialists or human resources (MindShare Partners, 2023; Capterra, 2022).

In this article, we’ll discuss ways in which you can continue conversations about mental health – beyond mental health awareness weeks or months. Keep reading to find practical prompts to get the conversation going in the day-to-day and examples of critical points along the employee journey when workers may especially benefit from having the dialogue started.

Let’s start with a key message.

If you’re not used to talking about mental health in some form or another, it can be easy to have your brain flooded with questions (What if I say the wrong thing? What if it doesn’t help?) that may get in the way of getting the conversations started.

No matter what aspect of mental health or wellbeing being discussed, there’s one message I like to think of ahead of time to ground all other conversations: All of us are human, who have mental health and experience struggle, and whose well-being is valuable.

That is, our mental health is worth prioritizing at work. Workers are people before they are producers, and a key goal of this work is to make the workplace more human again.

What might a “conversation about mental health” (at work) sound like?

Hint: It’s probably not the corporate doublespeak many of us have become accustomed to (like this recent TikTok that’s been living rent-free in my head). What you DON’T want this to sound like is a set of scripted remarks from a CEO that simply emphasizes how “important” conversations about mental health are. You need to strike a more authentic tone that hints at a real openness to the struggles and stressors your people are experiencing every day (like 10 hours of back-to-back meetings). 

To drive the conversation a bit deeper, here are a few ideas to help you start the discussion:

• What does mental health mean to us? What does it look like when we’re thriving?

• How is our work impacting our mental health and wellbeing right now, and vice versa?

• What behaviours might people notice in each of us when we’re struggling?

• What strategies do we use to support our mental health and wellbeing, as teammates or for ourselves individually?

• What are you going to do tonight to recharge? What are you going to prioritize for your wellbeing this weekend?

• How can I support you today/this week in terms of my management practices?

• What are the priorities this week, and do you have everything you need to get your work done?

• This is our organization’s vision for and commitment to supporting employee mental health. How do you feel we’re doing at making this a reality for you?

• What’s one mental health resource or program within our community that you’re aware of? Who might benefit from this kind of support? (record the list and send it to your HR team!)

There are also other subtle ways you might indirectly start mental health-valuing conversations. For example, if you share calendars with your colleagues, you could enter the activities that keep you well in the day-to-day. We do this at my work and some entries include “Run + Lunch”, “Date night” or “Break to get outside”. Another example: when taking a mental health wellness day, try adjusting your automatic email reply to clarify you’re taking a day to prioritize your mental health. Small signals like these send the message to others that it’s okay to prioritize wellbeing.  

Intentionally creating space in the day-to-day

Conversations that send the signal that mental health is valued and a priority at work don’t need to take a lot of time. They do, however, take intention and practice before they’re consistent. Here are some examples of how you can create space to make sure they happen:

1:1 Check-Ins

Schedule regular 1:1 check-ins with your direct reports. Ideally, aim for daily to weekly 10-15  minute check-ins, depending on team size and need. For these, focus on offering support, identifying challenges, and naming solutions. (e.g., “What is going well or is challenging at work right now?”, “Tell me a pit and a peak”, or “What do you need from me today?”).

Team Discussions

Set aside 10-minutes within your team meeting agenda to chat as a group on one of the topics listed above.

Performance Reviews

Incorporate check-ins on how work impacts/supports worker mental health as part of performance reviews.

Other beneficial points-in-time to check-in

In addition to day-to-day conversations, there are many key points when it can be very important to check-in with team members. Below we’ve outlined each time point, what the main objective to keep in mind when checking-in, and an example of how you could start the conversation.

During onboarding or when someone new joins the team

Goals: Communicate the organization’s vision and commitment to mental health. Clarify and establish team norms.

Examples of what to say:

 “On our project team, we check-in with each other on a weekly basis, using a scale from 1-10 and one word to describe where we’re at with work and life. This way, we can get a sense for when we might need to shuffle priorities or responsibilities to help each other out.”

 “As your manager, it’s my job to support you and meet you where you’re at to help you succeed. We all struggle with our mental health from time-to-time. Are there any signs or behaviours I should look out for, that will cue me to check in with you?”

Before, during, and after “busy” periods

Goals: Identifying strategies and processes for wellness in the presence of a predicted stressor. 

Example of what to say:

“As you know, we’re coming up to the busiest time of the year. What do we need to keep ourselves energized and mentally healthy during this time? What can I do to support you?”

After a perceived failure

Goals: Destigmatize failure. Identify learning opportunities.

Example of what to say:

“No one does this well the first time. Great work on seeing it through. Even though it didn’t go as planned, we can celebrate that you saw it through and that we can learn from it.”

After a critical incident or when you’ve noticed signs of mental health struggle

Goals: Create a safe space to talk. Connect to supports.

Examples of what to say:

“I know that was a very intense situation, and I’m concerned about you. Are you okay?”*

“I noticed that you’ve been quieter than usual during team meetings, which is not like you. Your perspective is important to our work. Is there anything happening for you that’s getting in the way of being able to do your best at work right now?”*

*After each of these initial opening questions, create space to listen and respond with empathy, then eventually move into discussion of support options (small changes in management practices, mental health resources and supports, etc.)

During performance reviews and exit interviews

Goals: Identify how the workplace impacts wellbeing. Identify ways to improve supportive actions and offerings.

Example of what to say:

“How do you feel your organization/manager has supported your mental health and wellbeing lately/during your time in this position?”

Setting boundaries with a worker who is sharing beyond what you feel capable of supporting

Goals: Clarify your own capacity and role, kindly and honestly. Connect to appropriate supports.

Examples of what to say:

“Thank you for sharing that with me. I’m not sure I’m the right person to be talking to about this but would love to connect you to the right support if you’re open to it. In the meantime, can we talk about how we can adjust work to make it a better fit while you’re going through this?”

“Thank you for sharing. I’m not sure I’m going to be the best listener right now, but I want to make sure you have the support you need. Can we take a step back and make a plan on where to go next?”

A note on follow-through

At times these conversations may lead to additional needs from workers – needs for supports and resources, needs for small adjustments to work processes, or needs for big changes or formal accommodation. If you’re starting the conversation, you need to be prepared to take action to support those needs. As a leader, you can make the work adjustments within your control, connect your team to appropriate resources, and advocate for additional changes that are outside of your control as needed.   

More and more workers are wanting workplaces that have conversations about mental health at work. Often this may not even include the use of the words “mental health” and there will undoubtedly be a range of preferences across teams and individuals as to what these conversations look like.

 As a leader, your job is to get the conversation started, and keep in tune with your team on what is working. We hope this read has given you a few helpful ideas!