The importance of team support

How team members can support stay at work or return to work 

Ways team members can influence an individual staying at or returning to work may include:

• Providing emotional and practical support to the individual experiencing mental ill-health.
• Covering workloads or swapping tasks or duties as part of making reasonable adjustments.
• Providing either a supportive or unsupportive environment for someone to return to.
• Accepting a person’s experience of mental ill-health or making them feel judged or stigmatised.

Supporting teams in the return-to-work process

If people have time away from work for mental ill-health, it may be natural for members of their team to feel concern. If this leave is unplanned, or little is communicated about the reasons for leave, team members may be curious and ask questions. It is important to respect an individual’s privacy in communicating with teams about their leave and when they plan to return.

Tension can emerge in teams if people feel they are being unfairly assigned someone’s workload or they feel someone is getting unfair treatment as part of their return to work. It is important for managers and supervisors to check in with team members as part of monitoring return-to-work plans to make sure they are working for everyone involved.

Proactively building capacity and processes for managing and resolving conflict may be useful to help managers and team members navigate any challenges.

Tips for team members

People returning to work following periods of mental ill-health can be concerned about the reactions of their colleagues and team members. Sometimes people can appear like they do not care, when really, they are not sure what to say or do. Here are some suggestions for supporting someone to return to work: 

• Reach out while someone is on leave to check in. It can be a simple “I’m thinking of you” message to show support and the offer to talk. If your team is large, consider planning for how you reach out to provide support so the person is not overwhelmed or feels this is too intrusive. If they are not ready to connect, respect their need for space.
• Welcome people back after leave. A simple “It’s good to see you back” can be very helpful.
• Do not avoid talking to someone for fear of saying the wrong thing. It is okay to ask, “How are you going?” or “Can I do anything to help?”
• Try to think about and talk about mental ill-health in an honest, matter-of-fact way. As much as possible, try and treat time away for mental ill-health in a similar way to how you would for a physical health concern or injury.
• Be respectful of people’s privacy. Do not pry for details if they are not ready or do not want to share.

Supporting a person returning to work can be as simple as giving a friendly smile, asking them how they are or offering to help.

Tips for team leaders

• Check in with both individuals and team members about how the return-to-work plan is working and any areas for improvement. 
• Be ready to address any issues related to team morale and concerns about workload. It is important that any interpersonal issues or conflict within the team are addressed as part of return-to-work planning. 
• Do not allow the individual’s absence or health to become a source of gossip. Be clear and consistent in your expectations for respect.
• Watch out for hostile reactions or stigmatising behaviour within the team, such as bullying, harassment or inappropriate jokes or comments. These behaviours are unacceptable, are likely to be unlawful, and may impact people even more during periods of mental ill-health.
• Consider whether training to improve mental health literacy or how to have a conversation about mental health is useful for the team.
• Get some professional help on how to manage return to work or stay at work generally, if it is needed, such as from a human resources professional or Employee Assistance Program. If you plan on speaking about a specific worker or return-to-work situation, it is important to seek permission from the worker and ensure they are comfortable with you speaking about their situation with another party (e.g. human resources manager). For instance, the manager can ask the worker who they would prefer they speak with.
• Some colleagues might want to send flowers, cards or even visit an individual on leave. If this is the case, ask the person what they would prefer and pass on their wishes to colleagues.

Knowing how much to tell people

Once someone has disclosed a mental illness or experience of mental ill-health, discuss and agree with the individual who else might need to know, and what they need to know. How much information people are comfortable sharing will vary. Some people are more open than others and some workplaces are more accepting of mental ill-health than others. 

There are rules about how much information you can share and with whom. But the best place to start is to ask the person involved what they want others to know. The answer might be nothing. 

What you can do

• Be guided by the individual’s wishes. Ask “How much do you want to tell others in the team?” Don’t pressure them to disclose more than they feel comfortable with. 
• Discuss and agree with the individual about who is to be told and what they will be told.
• If they do not want to share any information, you may just want to say they are having time off for personal reasons. 
• Remind individuals that anything you discuss about their mental health will be kept private, unless they or others are in immediate danger. 
• Make it clear why you need information about an individual’s mental health condition.
• Be upfront with individuals about what information you believe is important to share with the team. It does not mean that they need to share this information, but it can help them choose what to share.