Want to improve employee wellbeing? Mental Health First Aid is not enough

Author: Amber O’Brien, Founder and Lead Training Consultant

Workplace wellbeing is a hot topic. As we become more open about mental health as a society, and as the evidence for investing in employee wellbeing grows, more and more companies are taking action. From Employee Assistance Programmes to free yoga, there are hundreds of options out there. But one particular intervention is perhaps the most popular: Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). 

First developed in Australia, MHFA has become somewhat of a phenomenon. The course takes around 2 days to complete, and attendees leave with the title ‘Mental Health First Aider’ under their belt. Companies tend to pay for a small number of employees to attend and then these Mental Health First Aiders are dotted around the organisation so that they can provide support to employees who may be struggling (albeit without appropriate supervision).

When adopted in the right way MHFA is a great initiative, I’m not here to argue otherwise. But what I am here to argue is that it is not enough. Having a few Mental Health First Aiders around the organisation will not impact the organisational culture alone (see companies like Brewdog). In fact, a large review by the Health and Safety Executive concluded that “There is no evidence that the introduction of MHFA training has improved the organisational management of mental health in workplaces.”

But why might this be? Well, firstly having a few people trained in something can’t possibly have a significant impact on the overarching culture. If that culture is already problematic, these pockets of good practice will exist in a vacuum. 

Secondly, organisations need a shared understanding of how to minimise workplace stressors in the first place. Only adopting a reactive approach can lead to firefighting and puts the responsibility of mental health at work on employees (if you’re stressed speak to a Mental Health First Aider). What if the culture is causing the stress? 

The most recent mental health at work review by Deloitte found that the most successful approach is ‘universal’, i.e. looking at prevention, intervention, and support. This means that solely having a few MHFAs, or an EAP, is simply not sufficient.

Frankly the only way to have a clear shared understanding about mental health at work is to train everybody in at least some level of mental health at work competency, starting with senior leaders and managers. This does not need to be a 2 day in depth course looking at the symptomatology of various diagnoses; it needs to cover the things that people need to know to help make an impact: how to reduce workplace stressors, how to recognise early warning signs, how to have sensitive conversations, how to support people with mental health problems at work. 

For companies nervous about investing in this level of training - the evidence is pretty clear. The more people you train the bigger the impact it will have, and the higher the return on investment will be (£6 back for every £1 spent, in fact). And let’s face it, if you’re spending money on a half hearted approach that sounds great, you’re being far less cost effective.