University of Leeds Guidance for Staff

 

Mental health and wellbeing at work

The University is committed to providing an environment that supports staff and students' mental health. Our approach aligns with national health priorities which reflect increasing social awareness of, and support for, issues around mental health. We aim to create a culture of openness and honesty around stress and mental health issues in the workplace and everyone has a role to play in achieving that.

Guidance documents for individual staff and for managers are available to download from the HR website. They include:

Guidance for individual staff

‘Employee Guidance’ discusses the importance of taking care of our mental health at work and outlines options for getting support when things are difficult. It also covers the importance of discussing any issues at work that affect your mental health with your manager.

Guidance and support for managers

As a manager you should familiarise yourself with the ‘Employee Guidance’ and ‘Services for staff’.

The ‘Managers’ guide to supporting individuals experiencing stress and/ or mental health issues’ outlines your role in supporting positive mental health at work, with specific advice on how to support individuals experiencing difficulties. This resource includes steps for addressing mental health concerns and guidance on responding to staff who express suicidal feelings.

The University also delivers a Managing stress and mental health workshop to help managers: understand their roles and responsibilities in this area; become familiar with University guidance; and consider the reactions, needs and dynamics of staff experiencing distress.

We recognise that this aspect of your role may be challenging and we encourage any manager to arrange a role-based professional consultation should they need further support.

Crisis Support Information: Dealing with traumatic and distressing events

Traumatic events include a wide variety of incidents that you may experience, or witness, that cause an acute stress response either because they are unexpected or extreme. This guidance provides information and advice about the impact of crises and traumatic events and suggestions of what you can do to help and/or where to get professional support.