Being a leader or manager comes with plenty of responsibilities, including the wellbeing of your team. But when you need to engage in disciplining employees with mental health issues, UK charities suggest the majority of staff are experiencing extreme levels of stress. So it’s important to be supportive while ensuring staff follow company policy. We explore how to do this in this post.
Over 90% of workers say they’ve experienced extreme levels of pressure or stress at some point in the past year. But while stress and burnout can lead to mental health issues like anxiety and depression, there are still stigmas surrounding mental health issues. This makes it vital for managers to understand the different types of mental health issues and how they can impact workplace performance. This is especially important when disciplining employees with mental health issues in UK organisations. So let’s delve into some of the main issues:
While stress itself isn’t considered a mental health issue, experiencing too much of it can lead to mental health issues or aggravate existing ones. Some of the more common mental health issues employees can face when dealing with excess stress include:
Experiencing mental health problems can affect workplace performance in different ways. Each person will have a different reaction to their mental health struggles and this can manifest in different ways. So, it’s important to bear these factors in mind when approaching the task of disciplining employees with mental health issues in UK organisations:
Read our recent newsletter on championing mental health in the workplace
Stigmas arise for many reasons but when it comes to mental health it’s usually from a lack of awareness, experience, training, and procedures around mental health conditions. Without a robust approach to mental health in the workplace, staff may be easily led into making judgements, showing prejudice, and even discriminating against their staff.
The results can include toxic atmospheres where staff with mental health issues experience microaggressions, exclusion, and even victimisation.
When staff do disclose their mental health, it can still be problematic. They may experience intense questioning from others, doubts over their condition, labels, and sometimes harassment. And it’s harassment that’s one of several areas considered illegal under disability discrimination laws.
The Equality Act 2010 exists to protect workers with protected characteristics, including disabilities. It applies to all staff working in England, Wales, and Scotland and protects people with mental health issues who can prove they’re experiencing problems on a long-term basis.
As a form of equality law, The Equality Act 2010 recognises that employers must make changes to the structure of staff employment to ensure they bring about equality. Changes may include removing physical barriers or providing extra support as needed, which is also known as making reasonable adjustments. Recruiting a workplace assessor to conduct a review on behalf of your staff member is worth considering.
Workers are also entitled to receive protection from any direct or indirect form of discrimination along with a sense of privacy, confidentiality, and provision of appropriate support for their condition.
When managers and leaders need to engage in disciplining employees with mental health issues, UK staff need a sensitive, supportive, and considerate approach. If they’re struggling with a long-term mental health condition, The Equality Act 2010 considers this a disability. In line with the act, employers must protect these staff against any form of discrimination, harassment, or victimisation.
Employers must also make reasonable adjustments for staff that enable them to work to their full ability and with minimal disruption from managing their mental health.
When managers have made every attempt to provide a welcoming, supportive environment in line with legal requirements and their staff are still underperforming there are steps they can take to address things.
When an employee is struggling with mental health challenges, it’s important to show empathy, to listen and show support, and to understand their struggles. Their behaviour and performance may change, and it’s important to encourage them to talk about any problems they’re facing with their mental health.
Research suggests mental health issues will affect around 50% of the world’s population, so it’s a growing concern that requires a safe and supportive environment and regular reviews. During these reviews, managers should check they’ve provided enough resources to staff and had open and honest conversations about their work. This can sometimes be hard to do but there are skills managers can develop to give them the confidence to approach these issues.
Before conducting a process of disciplining employees with mental health issues, UK staff should be offered reasonable adjustments. These could be alterations in working practices, different timetables, more flexible deadlines, or a reduction in work volume. An assessment can help and staff can apply for support from Access to Work.
During this process, it’s also important to check whether any performance-related issues are a direct result of someone’s mental health. For instance, if they’re suffering from anxiety and can’t perform well in front of clients, can another member of the team lead a meeting while they take a more supportive role?
When disciplining employees with mental health issues, set aside a specific time in the right environment to do it. It’s crucial to ensure the process is fair, transparent, and considers the impact of the employee’s condition on their performance or behaviour.
All disciplinary actions must align with company policies and with The Equality Act 2010. Some specific best practices you may want to follow during the disciplinary include:
In all matters, maintain professionalism and respect for your staff members. If in doubt, seek out legal advice or consultancy support.
Our small but mighty team builds leading-edge software that people love. We pride ourselves on a user-led approach to product design. The voice of the customer shapes what we create and that’s exactly how great assistive tech should be made.
