I was recently at a client’s premises to help them with the implementation of their wellbeing strategy.. I got talking to Laura (a manager) about managing mental health. She told me a story about a staff member called Phil, that she inherited from another manager. Phil had a mental health condition, which the previous manager was aware of and had subsequently allowed Phil to come into work at his discretion. In addition, he did not worry or say anything, if Phil did not complete his work or if Phil missed deadlines.
The Situation Did Not Improve
If this had been a very short- term response to retain Phil in the workplace, as opposed to him going off sick, it may have worked. Unfortunately, this situation continued for 18 months so that when Laura took over as manager, she was the first manager to try and address this situation effectively. Read here to find out why managers can be the weakest link when it comes to managing mental health: Managers and mental health3 or Watch the video here:
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