Engaging Reluctant Staff in Mental Health Training

The hard work of getting these sorts of sessions into rooms full of tired, cynical staff is often way harder than actually booking the course to deliver. How you frame, plan and deliver the session to engage reluctant staff in the room prior to delivery is key.

Understand Why People Resist

You can bet there is a reason for their reluctance to engage in mental health training even if no one explicitly states their reasons for resistiveness. They may fear that discussing their own mental health problems will mean that all of their colleagues know that they are the office’s unofficial counsellor and that they will be bombarded with their colleagues’ problems long after the training session has finished. Others are worried that discussing their own mental health problems will mean that their colleagues will judge them poorly because of their admission of weakness. And, of course, there are those who are simply not convinced that this sort of training is needed and that management will simply forget that this was ever intended to be more than a box-ticking exercise.

Frame The Invite Properly

When sending out invitations for sessions it is also very important to frame the session in the best possible way from the outset. This means avoiding framing the session in terms of ‘wellbeing’ or ‘looking after yourself’. A brief email that explains the purpose of the session (i.e. how the session will help staff deal with situations such as a colleague struggling, spotting the signs of stress before it becomes a problem, knowing how to respond in difficult situations etc.) will get so much more buy-in than an email that sets out to describe a series of sessions on ‘wellbeing’ or ‘looking after yourself’ in the workplace.

Have Managers Attend First

Leadership modelling of training is critical. So, in order to get your staff to commit to training, leadership must first demonstrate their commitment to training. In other words, if all you ever talk about in terms of training is the fact that you are going to send staff on training and then they will come back and you won’t do anything with them, then staff will respond to training in that same way. But, if leadership models what is expected of staff in terms of training, then staff will be more likely to take training seriously. According to CIPD guidance on improving employee engagement with workplace training, staff take greater account of training and development provided to them by their employer if they see their leaders are also taking part in training and development activities and deriving benefit from them.

Choose A Format That Suits Sceptics

Don’t book a day of lectures for your reluctant staff. Instead spread shorter sessions over a week or so, using a mix of on-line modules and discussions in shorter, informal sessions. Using scenarios in the training is particularly good as it keeps their hands busy and focuses their attention on what you’re trying to get across rather than just talking at them for hours on end. See also Mental Health Training Courses.

Build In Anonymous Participation

Most staff are not going to want to contribute in a large group discussion. So consider alternatives such as written reflections, collecting staff’s thoughts and feelings on sticky notes around the room, anonymous polls, or even small discussion groups of three or four people. There is HSE guidance on managing work-related stress and mental health at work. A key point is that staff need to feel safe to be honest in their contribution and so to engage fully with the training. Written reflections such as completing a short note of what they have learned from a session are a good way to get staff to contribute honestly.

Answer What’s In It For Me

Many staff are skeptical as to why they need to attend a session of mental health training as they believe that it will not apply to them and will only serve to add to their workload. They need to be told what skills they will acquire from the session and how these will be of use to them. If the training is framed in terms of real world scenarios (e.g. dealing with an awkward customer complaint, attempting to resolve a difficult situation with a colleague, knowing how to deal with a teammate who is struggling) then the courses are far less likely to encounter resistance from staff who are skeptical about the value of the training.

Follow Up Without Pressure

After the session has finished it is very easy for everything to fade quickly. A simple check list on a notice board, a 5 minute discussion in the following week’s team meeting, or even a simple question such as ‘What is one thing you could use from the session above?’ will help to keep the content alive without adding to the already overflowing mountain of extra meetings that people are worried will be brought in as part of the training.

Pick A Sensible Time And Room

Timing matters and if you are scheduling a short session at the end of a long shift then anticipate resistance. Likewise, a cramped, noisy room with insufficient chairs, and scheduled in a corridor, ensures that the session is regarded as having been thought about in terms of the bare minimum. Schedule sufficient time, hold the session in a quiet, private room and ensure that there is sufficient space for all participants. Reference to support for people in mental health crisis or evidence-based mental health awareness resources, in sessions about personal, emotional topics, are far better received in a calm, considered environment than in a informal corridor conversation.

Getting these basics right ensures that the content delivered actually sticks.