First aid courses for the psyche
Psychological problems increasingly lead to sickness absences. Some companies therefore rely on mental health training for their employees. What is happening there?
How do you react if employees are not feeling well mentally? First aid courses can help.
Photo: Getty Images, iStockphoto
“Have you ever thought about… taking… your own life?” The woman clearly finds it difficult to voice this question. She is a participant in a mental health first aid course run by the Pro Mente Sana Foundation. In a role play, she is asked to gently talk to her neighbor, who has become very withdrawn after a painful separation, about her psychological well-being. Not an easy conversation.
Anyone who acquires a driving license must complete an emergency aid course. This is standard. However, first aid courses for mental health are not yet standard. In everyday life, we are surrounded by many more people with psychological problems than by accident victims. According to Pro Mente Sana, every second person is affected by a mental illness at some point in their life.
“ROGER” helps with psychological crises
The courses last twelve hours, divided over two days or four half days/evenings. Since the Corona pandemic, the courses have also been available in online format. They are aimed at interested private individuals, companies and people who work with young people. Participants are informed about the most common mental illnesses and how to approach people about them. In role-playing games, they practice how to react if someone shows symptoms of depression, an addiction or a panic attack, for example.
Similar to emergency responder courses, Pro Mente Sana courses also have an easy-to-remember acronym: “ROGER”. “R” stands for react, which means assessing and addressing the problem and supporting the person; “O” for listening and communicating openly and unbiasedly. “G” means “Provide support and information”; “E” means “Encourage professional help,” and the second “R” stands for (re)activating your own resources.
In many Swiss companies The average sickness absence among employees increases from year to year. Stress or conflict at work often reinforces or triggers psychological problems. While purely physical illnesses are usually overcome after a few days, mental illnesses often lead to months of absence from work and thus high costs for employers. This shows one Study by Work Med and Swica from March 2022.
Mental health in the workplace
Anglo-American countries began raising awareness of mental health in the workplace 15 to 20 years ago, explains Jean-Marc Thorens from Pro Mente Sana. That’s why there are international companies in this country that have been familiar with such programs for a long time and are also rolling them out at their Swiss locations.
One of these companies is the consulting firm PWC, which has around 4,000 employees in Switzerland. As part of the global “Be Well, Work Well” program, around 60 employees have been trained as first responders since autumn 2022, and more are to follow gradually. This is not just about early intervention, but also about prevention. This includes, in particular, open conversations about mental health: those who can talk to someone easily when things aren’t going well often find that they are not alone with their problems.
“It is very important to look at a problem and act. Not reacting is the biggest mistake. If someone comes to the office with a cast on their leg, we ask them what happened,” says Miriam Baumgärtner, Head of Wellbeing and Sustainable Performance. What she likes about the Pro Mente Sana courses is that they also include important leadership skills: active listening, showing empathy and trust.
At PWC, the first aiders are identified as such on the intranet and are available to lend an open ear to colleagues in crises. They are well connected within the company, receive regular training and exchange their experiences.
What employers shouldn’t do
It is difficult to quantify the influence the training of these first aiders has on the company culture. This would require longer-term evaluations, for example as part of employee surveys. Here, too, it is worth taking a look abroad: A Canadian study by the consulting firm Deloitte finds a positive return on investment when companies take measures to improve mental health in the workplace. The “return” becomes measurable through consistently decreasing sickness absences, fewer case management costs and lower employee fluctuation.
Jean-Marc Thorens emphasizes: “Awareness of mental health must be cultivated. Supervisors who have insufficient skills in dealing with psychological stress, or a company culture that views burnout as a sign of achievement, are not helpful.”
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