Managers play a key role in the mental health and wellbeing of the staff they supervise in the workplace. They have direct influence over the working conditions and requirements which can impact on the mental health and wellbeing outcomes of the workers they supervise. Research has demonstrated an association between supportive supervisory behavior and lower levels of psychological distress in employees and positive workplace wellbeing. In partnership with high-risk industries including frontline workers, healthcare personnel and construction workers, researchers at the Black Dog Institute have conducted world first evaluations of tailored skills-based mental health training for managers. Such manager training has been shown to be effective in increasing managers’ confidence to better support mental health needs within their teams, and the implementation of both responsive and preventive behaviours towards achieving this increased support for their staff. Recent global guidelines on mental health at work published by the World Health Organisation highlight the utility of such evidence-based manager training to address and prevent mental ill-health in the workplace. This presentation will discuss the key findings from the trials that have informed these global recommendations.

Three Key Learnings:
1. One of the key steps to creating a mentally healthy workplace is empowering managers to support the mental health of staff
2. Skills-based manager mental health training can enhance managers confidence and increase their implementation of recommended managerial behaviours to support worker mental health.
3. Both managers and workers value the outcomes that skills-based manager training for workplace mental health seeks to achieve.