Making it Work: How to Talk about Your Mental Health with Your Boss

The demands of work can sometimes place us at odds with what we need for our personal health. As awareness and recognition of mental health continue to increase, it is important to know how to communicate your mental health needs in the workplace.

Bringing your personal issues into the workplace can be tricky, whether they are related to physical health, family needs, or mental health.  While some office cultures openly promote work-life balance, others take an explicit “work first” approach that can make it difficult to have these conversations.

More workplaces are recognising the need to actively promote mental health, and there is growing acceptance of this as an essential reason for time off work or a restructuring of your schedule. If you are living with a mental health issue, or going through a challenging period of life, being able to take time to relax and recharge is critical to your overall wellbeing, not to mention your productivity in the workplace. Considering how and when to raise this with your boss is a good first step towards protecting your mental health.

Is This the Right Time to Talk?

The first thing to remember when you are considering talking about your mental health is that you don’t have to disclose anything until you are ready to do so. If you feel like you are managing well with your current workload and schedule, then you don’t necessarily have to talk about your mental health unless you want to.

However, if you are feeling overwhelmed at work and are concerned that it could affect your performance, or that by keeping up your expected pace it could create negative mental health outcomes, this is probably the right time to have a conversation about your health needs.

Key Questions to Factor into Your Decision

In order to help you assess if this is the appropriate time to start talking about your mental health, you may want to ask yourself a few questions like:

• Is your mental health impacting your ability to be safe at work?
• Is your mental health negatively affecting your workplace achievements or long-term goals?
• Do you feel like you are hiding your mental health condition? If so, does this feeling create additional stress?
• Is your workplace culture receptive and open about issues of mental health?
• Do you think your boss will be supportive of your needs?
• Are there ways that you could adjust your schedule or workload without having to discuss your mental health?
• Do you have strong support networks outside of work that can help give advice or validate your decision?
• Is there anyone else in your workplace that has raised their mental health issues? If so, could you ask them for advice?

Working through a few of these questions mentally will help give you a better sense of an effective strategy based on the culture of your workplace and your immediate needs. If you decided that this conversation is needed, being well prepared and aware of what you are comfortable discussing will help make it as productive as possible.

Who to Talk to First: Your Boss or Human Resources?

If you and your boss have a good rapport and a strong working relationship, then it makes sense to approach them first regarding your mental health. Having a discussion about what your needs are and how this can help improve your work in the long-term can give your boss a sense of how to structure your work in a way that will ultimately positively impact both your overall health and your productivity. Sitting down with your boss may also give you a sense of relief if you’ve been feeling like you have been hiding something.

However, if you don’t have a close working relationship with your boss, or you feel that the conversation could result in further stress or problems at work, another option is to discuss your issues with the human resources department. This team is familiar with the legal requirements of workplaces in respecting their employees’ health needs, and will know what accommodations your office should provide.