Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing Coaching Amid Uncertainty

Written by Emma Turner

Supporting the wellbeing of your entire workforce has never been more important. How you hold all your employees through this universal experience will make a huge impact on their sense of belonging and how well they return to work, once this ‘rather peculiar’ period of history ends. 

D&A has been offering remote support for neurodiverse and disabled people for over a decade. We are now broadening our program of remote support to include short term mental health and wellbeing support for your entire team.

The change it can make:

• To help maintain good mental health during these turbulent times.
• To help adapt to the new work situation, using technology to support.
• Coping with change of circumstances.
• Finding resilience in an uncertain time.
• To feel ‘held’ in order to return to work well and ready. 

Who is this for? (everyone!)

• All employees, including furloughed staff

• Business owners/leaders
• Self-employed workers
• Sole traders

The one-to-one mental health and wellbeing coaching is delivered by our qualified and experienced mentors.

These one-to-one sessions may be accessed flexibly and can be spread over a period of months if preferred.

Q&A

1.When do you know that you or your team would benefit from some one-to-one coaching?

We’re all individuals and respond to situations uniquely, so you won’t necessarily be able to see the signs that someone is struggling. It’s likely that there will be a lot of masking, as colleagues can hide or downplay their difficulties, even from themselves.

Rather than inviting specific people that you feel may be in need of help, it’s important to anticipate a need. Simply offer it upfront and to everyone, we can all gain the benefits.

Proactivity is key – shout about the offer of support and then staff will be able to identify if they need it. Their needs will no doubt change from day to day, or even by the hour. So, supporting people across the board will not only be more helpful, it also means that no-one’s mental health will deteriorate through lack of support.

What happens when we don’t get this right?

• Stress, fatigue, burnout 
• Mental and physical illness
• Low morale and loyalty
• Low productivity and inefficiency 

2. What are the benefits of getting outside help at this time?

In these difficult, isolating times access to 1-2-1 support allows staff to de-stress, to have someone to listen to them without judgement, to create healthy habits, to put aside unhelpful thoughts and develop skills and strategies for dealing with challenges.

As a disabled-led organisation, D&A has been offering remote support for neurodiverse and disabled people for over a decade. Not only are our mentors highly qualified mental health professionals, but we have a deep understanding of the challenges your staff face as we may have faced these ourselves. We offer a non-judgmental, safe space to share thoughts and create strategies that work. We support people with everything from managing stress to building confidence and self-esteem. 

3. What are the barriers that stop business owners from getting this help?

While there’s a clear business case for making sure your employees are well supported in their work and in their wellbeing, there can be barriers such as mindset and attitude that get in the way of reaching out for support. 

Sometimes employers and employees feel we must each deal with challenges on our own, or that our personal reactions to situations are separate from our work. But this mindset can be harmful. Instead, successful businesses know that helping their staff thrive translates into a thriving business. Staff that are well looked after are more resilient to challenges, changing circumstances and more engaged in their work. 

Not knowing that a service exists can hinder access, as well as financial barriers; we are offering workplace mental health and wellbeing coaching at a discounted rate, to make this expert support as accessible as possible. Get in touch via workplace@diversityandability.com to take advantage of this offer.

More information

This video discussion between Emma Turner and Adam Hyland explains what our mental health and wellbeing coaching is and why it’s so relevant and useful right now.

visit our one-to-one support page