Mental health and wellbeing courses

The best mental health and wellbeing courses for your business can depend on many factors including the size and location of your workforce, along with your budget and any platform integrations you may require.

Some key requirements when looking for the best mental health and wellbeing courses could include:

• Relevance for roles: The best mental health and wellbeing courses typically include training for both employees and managers
• Accreditations: Industry accreditations will ensure your mental health and wellbeing training courses are of the highest quality
• Device compatibility: Look for health and wellbeing courses that employees can access on multiple devices at any time to allow for improved engagement and easy completion of courses
• Engagement and interactivity: Case studies, role-playing exercises, real life scenarios and bite sized learning can all help make training more fun and engaging
• Certifications and acknowledgements: Find training that can allow employees to accumulate CPD hours or achieve certifications upon completion
• Administrative burden: Find training that is updated and managed by the supplier regularly and appropriately to ensure your time is best spent promoting positive mental wellbeing in the workplace
• Evaluation and measurement: Ensure your training can be tracked and measured, potentially as part of an LMS
• LMS integration: Consider how employee mental wellbeing training can be integrated as part of your existing LMS or a new LMS along with other software such as engagement tools
• Cost and budget: Find a provider that fits your budget and can provide flexibility depending on the courses and level of detail you need.

Other factors to consider include how quick and easy the implementation process is and whether additional human resource is required to get up and running. Providers can give quick and easy access to course material, while extra features such as LMS integration can take a little longer.

Training such as Mental Health First Aiders training is currently recommended for employers to provide but not a legal requirement.

That said, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 makes it mandatory that businesses protect the health, safety, and welfare of their employees, including with mental health issues in the workplace.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) also urges businesses to think about stress and its relation to mental health and take appropriate action to address it.

Other frameworks and guidelines, like the Mental Health at Work Commitment and the Thriving at Work report, advise businesses to offer mental health awareness training and support their employees.

Workplace mental health training is essential for raising awareness, facilitating early intervention, and providing support to staff members who are experiencing health and wellbeing issues.

Appropriate training helps reduce stigma, promotes empathy, and improves well-being by teaching staff members about prevalent disorders and offering helpful coping mechanisms.

Early detection of wellbeing issues allows for prompt intervention, which lowers presenteeism and absenteeism while raising morale and productivity.

Additionally, funding accredited mental health courses and training shows a company's dedication to its workers' wellbeing, cultivates a healthy workplace environment, and reduces legal and reputational risks.

One of the most effective ways for employers to support employee mental health is to provide adequate and effective training.

Through this training, employers can reduce stigma, identify mental health issues in others, and effectively support coworkers who are experiencing difficulties.

Organisations can develop a culture of transparency and support that empowers employees to prioritise their mental health by making them feel understood, appreciated, and empowered.

Workplace mental health concerns encompass a range of conditions, such as stress, anxiety, depression, burnout, and mood disorders.

Heavy workloads, looming deadlines, and disagreements with coworkers can all lead to stress.

Excessive stress, tension, or trouble focusing can all be signs of anxiety, which can affect one's ability to function at work.

Chronic professional stress typically leads to burnout, which is becoming even more prevalent in businesses today.

As mental wellbeing is such a broad and complex topic, these challenges only scratch the surface of the mental wellbeing challenges your employees may be facing.

This makes it all the more important that your organisation provides appropriate and effective employee wellbeing training.

To properly support their team members and establish a workplace conducive to strong mental wellbeing, managers must receive appropriate training.

Managers who receive training are better able to identify symptoms, reduce stigma, and encourage candid discussions about wellbeing.

With mental health training for managers, leaders can support employees in need of assistance and adjustments by being aware of the effects of workplace pressures and demonstrating sympathetic and empathetic leadership.

Additionally, relevant training gives managers the abilities to handle challenging circumstances like handling performance problems relating to mental health or resolving conflicts.

Mental health awareness training typically helps employees and leaders to recognise the signs of poor mental wellbeing, understand how to manage challenging mental wellbeing situations and understand how to effectively approach conversations with empathy and support.

The course content of awareness training can vary, but by implementing training with an accredited provider of mental health and wellbeing training you can ensure employees are appropriately training in how to spot the signs of poor mental wellbeing and act accordingly.