Helping a colleague who suffers with anxiety

Suffering with anxiety is not uncommon. However, knowing what signs to look for, and ways you can help a colleague who suffers with anxiety can be difficult.

Understanding the signs means you’ll be better equipped in supporting your friend or colleague and creating an action plan.

Things to look out for when it comes to anxiety (or other mental health issues) include increased absence, poor performance, lack of decision-making skills, smoking or drinking more and changes to eating habits.

If you think a colleague may be suffering with mental health issues, knowing what to do can be a challenge. Initially, adopting an open-door policy can be helpful as this creates a warm, welcoming and friendly culture, which means colleagues are more likely to speak up about any anxiety they may be feeling. This can also prevent anxiety, as stress levels may be lower throughout your workplace and staff may feel happier overall.

Being flexible is another way you can support a colleague with anxiety. For example, allowing them to attend counselling sessions or temporarily amending their work hours to give them headspace and time to reflect when times are hard.

Communication is also important. When you become aware that someone is suffering with anxiety, a private and confidential chat can be helpful to understand ways that you can help and to put a plan in place to offer support going forward. Checking in regularly is also important so they feel supported.

It’s also a good idea to get training in mental health. If you are concerned about how you would handle any aspect of an anxiety or other mental health issues within your workplace, we offer courses that can help and support you with this.

If you’d like to discuss mental health in your workplace call us on 07584125665 or email info@bnshe.co.uk as we would love to help.

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