With a little help from my boss: The impact of workplace mental health training on leader behaviors and employee resource utilization.

Abstract

Mental health problems are among the costliest issues facing organizations in the developed world. In response to the mounting burdens surrounding poor employee mental health, many organizations have introduced mental health promotion programs and resources (e.g., employee assistance programs). Despite the rise in available options, very few employees use these resources to their full potential. Using a wait-list control design with random assignment, we evaluate the impact of a leader-focused mental health training on employees' ( = 82; 51.25% response rate) resource use and leaders' ( = 37; 56.92% response rate) communication about mental health and mental health resources. Based on other-report data from employees, leaders who received training shared more information about mental health and mental health resources, were more supportive of employees' mental health issues, and actively encouraged employees to use available resources. Employees whose leaders attended the training also reported increased willingness to seek out and use available resources. For leaders who attend training and complete three waves of data collection, results suggest that a 3-hr mental health training may lead to significant behavioral change up to 3 months posttraining. (PsycINFO Database Record

Coworker health awareness training: An evaluation

“…Yet, the findings from our study suggest that the training had no effect on the stigma surrounding mental illness. This null effect is worth careful consideration, considering its deviation from most prior research (e.g., Dimoff et al., ; Kitchener & Jorm, ), with only one known exception (Dimoff & Kelloway, ). In general, participants provided low endorsement of the stigma items at both Time 1 and Time 2, regardless of whether they were in the control group or the training group.…”

“…Due to high levels of stigma surrounding mental illness, many people suffer in silence and do not receive the necessary help to recover (MHCC, ,b; WHO, ). This training is based on the success of its parent program, the Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) for leaders, which saw a host of organizational benefits in large organizations (Dimoff & Kelloway, ; Dimoff, Kelloway, & Burnstein, ). Both the CHAT and the MHAT programs were developed by Dimoff et al.…”

“…It is not enough that these resources are merely available. Rather, employee must also be aware of these resources and begin to utilize them more often; otherwise, their initial symptoms may perpetuate and grow into a more serious mental illness, which may cause the employee to have to leave the workplace (Dimoff & Kelloway, , ; Dimoff et al., ). Willingness to use resources at work is particularly important, as researchers have found that when employees take advantage of resources provided by their organization, they experience lower levels of strain, burnout, and severe mental illnesses (Hobfoll, ; Sonnentag, ).…”

“…Managers and coworkers can aid the resource‐use process by (a) providing support directly or (b) improving awareness of available resources. For instance, Dimoff and Kelloway () found that manager training can facilitate this process. Leaders who received training were better able to recognize potential warning signs exhibited by subordinates, and in turn, were better able to increase their subordinate's willingness to use resources, such as EAPs.…”

“…The CHAT provides a training‐based approach to reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness within a workplace context. Previous research has demonstrated that manager‐focused training is capable of significantly increasing knowledge, reducing stigmatizing beliefs, improving self‐efficacy with regard to mental health promotion, and increasing willingness to seek out and use available resources (Dimoff & Kelloway, ; Dimoff et al., ; Ellis et al., ; Kitchener & Jorm, , , ). Like prior mental health awareness training programs, the CHAT focuses on these aforementioned outcomes.…”