Version No: 1 Last Amended: October 2021 (Review Date: February 2022)

Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy

Positive Organisation

Our vision is that RCSI can be a Positive Organisation within which principles of
positive organisational psychology are practically applied in the workplace to allow our
people and their performance to not only survive but also thrive. We are committed to
executing a range of targeted activities and interventions aligned with the 4 pillars of
positive leadership to help embed a workplace culture that is characterised by strong
relationships, authentic communication, meaning and a sense of purpose.

Positive climate -Fostering an emotional climate where positive emotions dominate

over negative emotions inside and outside the workplace.

Positive communication -Engaging in positive communication where affirmative,

supportive and inclusive language replaces negative and critical language.

Positive relationships -Building positive relationships that enhance trust and are a
source of enrichment to the individual, their team and throughout the organisation.

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Positive meaning -Reinforcing positive meaning where people feel like they are
engaging in purposeful work and positive outcomes that bring value to the
organisation.

This Mental Health and Wellbeing policy forms part of our Positive Organisation
commitment to support our staff and create a healthy and positive work
environment. Our aim is to ensure everyone working at RCSI feels safe, valued,
and is treated fairly.

Policy Purpose

RCSI prioritises the health and wellbeing of our staff and is committed to creating a
supportive and psychologically safe environment where our staff can flourish.

This Mental Health and Wellbeing policy outlines our provisions to prevent and
address mental health issues among our staff. Mental health is just as important as
physical health. Mental illness may be detrimental to a person, which can impact
our happiness, productivity, and collaboration.

Scope
This policy applies to all staff members of RCSI.

Statement of Commitment

We understand that mental health is impacted on by a range of individual factors, and

factors including the working environment, and our workplace relationships with
others.

As such we are committed to:

 Actively promoting positive mental health.
 Enabling individuals to develop and manage their own mental health.
 Helping those experiencing mental health difficulties, as far as possible, to
recover.
 Building and maintaining organisational systems that impact positively on
mental health, promote equality and reduce stigma around mental health.

Values

The values that inform our behaviour in relation to mental health mirror our
organisational values of respect, underpinned by our equality, diversity, and inclusion
commitments.

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Policy Objectives

The objectives of this policy are to outline how RCSI complies with legal obligations
contained in the:
 Employment Equality Acts 1998–2011 and the Safety, Health and Welfare at
Work Act 2005.
 Raise awareness across the organisation and at all levels about the importance
of promoting mental health in the workplace.
 Help each individual learn how to take responsibility for managing their own
mental health effectively, and learn how they can enable/support the mental
health of others.
 Eliminate or reduce organisational risk factors in relation to mental health (e.g.
bullying, stress, discrimination or harassment), wherever possible.
 Enable positive mental health and equality in practice through the provision of
timely and appropriate reasonable accommodation and supports for
individuals who are experiencing mental health difficulties or mental illness.

Policy Definitions
Mental Health
The World Health Organisation defines mental health as:
A state of well-being in which the individual realises their own abilities,
can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully
and is able to make a contribution to their community.

Legal Responsibilities
We are fully committed to complying with our responsibilities under the Employment
Equality Acts 1998–2011.

We recognise that mental health difficulties (e.g. stress, anxiety, and depression) are
covered by the Disability ground under the Employment Equality Acts, and we are
committed to the provision of reasonable accommodation, where appropriate and
necessary.

We are also committed to our legal responsibilities under the Safety, Health and
Welfare at Work Act, 2005, including identifying and assessing psychosocial risk (e.g.
stress or bullying), and reducing such risks.

In the event that we are aware of individual employees with mental health
difficulties we will work with them to identify particular risks and seek to implement
measures to reduce those risks.

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Disclosure

There is no obligation on any staff member to disclose that they have a mental
health difficulty. A mental health difficulty may not impact on a person’s capability
to carry out the demands of their job and in this case, they may feel there is no
reason to disclose.

However, it is difficult for us to support appropriately a staff member if we are

unaware of any difficulties they are experiencing. We are committed to working
positively with anyone disclosing information about their mental health difficulties,
so that we can identify what may help them to function productively in work.

A disclosure will usually take place between a staff member and their line manager
in the first instance; however, a staff member may choose to speak directly to their
HR Partner.

In the case of a disclosure that has arisen due to a mental health difficulty
interfering with the individual’s ability to do their job, we will adopt a partnership
approach with the individual to explore and clarify the following:

1. What difficulties is the person experiencing, and how is this

stopping/hampering the person doing their job?
2. What supports (reasonable accommodations) would be needed to “close
the gap” and enable the person to be fully capable to carry out the demands
of their job?
3. How do we make a decision about reasonable accommodation, and how do
we effectively and sensitively communicate that decision?
4. How do we effectively and sensitively implement a reasonable
accommodation?

In order for this partnership approach to be successful, it is necessary for the

individual to be open to disclosing their current difficulties and to exploring options
through conversation. The aim of this supportive conversation is to explore and
identify how we can work together in order for them to be able to carry out their
work in a safe and supported way. It is difficult to help a staff member if they are
unwilling to engage with the supports and resources that are available to them, or
talk through how solutions can be found.

We are committed to respect for individual privacy and confidentiality. Information

that is disclosed to us will be treated sensitively and will be stored in accordance
with our legal responsibilities under the Data Protection legislation.

Case by Case Basis

No two people will experience a mental health difficulty the same way. Each person
will be supported on a case-by-case basis. We will adopt a partnership approach,
through conversation, working with each individual to explore what support options
are most suitable for them.

In some cases, this may be to signpost counselling supports; reorganise workload;

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an individual may require some leave on compassion grounds; or they may be

referred (with explicit consent) to our Occupational Health provider who will
perform a health assessment and map out how best to support the individual.

Manager Guidance

We ask Managers to stay connected to their team and remain vigilant in relation to
the wellbeing of team members. We advise all people managers to familiarise
themselves with our ‘talking about wellbeing with your team’ conversation guide.
Discussing wellbeing with your team members should form part of your regular
conversations, and could form part of your formal Professional Development
Planning (PDP) conversations. This guidance document will help you prepare for
the conversation, what you can expect and how to signpost to different support
resources.

If a staff member makes a mental health difficulty or illness disclosure to you

Discuss together with the individual the questions as set out in the ‘Disclosure’ part
of this policy adopting a partnership approach.
Work through the supports and resources available to the individual and explore
options that may help such as the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), Staff
Wellbeing Resources and Social pages of the staff portal, HR Partner or
Occupational Health, or their own GP/counselling service who may be aware of
their difficulty.
Where you have agreed on any reasonable accommodations that could be
introduced to help support the staff member at this time, develop an action plan
and agree to check in regularly to ensure the current arrangements are working for
everyone.

You HR partner is available to support you during this time.

If a staff member has not made a disclosure to you but you are concerned
about their mental health

If you perceive that a staff member is in a state of emotional or psychological

distress due to observed behaviours (conflicts with colleagues, erratic behaviour,
absences, struggling to carry out duties) as a first step, reach out to them.

If a Manager has tried to engage with the team member on multiple occasions with
no response to discuss their observations and genuine concerns, and there is a
continued concern for their welfare, managers are advised to contact their HR
partner. Where HR are made aware of, and are concerned about a team member’s
health and safety, HR will reach out to meet with the team member, possibly
leading to advice to speak to our occupational health provider.

Occupational Health
Where an individual agrees to be referred to Occupation Health, a referral form is

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filled in in partnership with the individual and their HR Partner. Occupational Health
will carry out an assessment and provide a recommendation report on how best to
support the individual.

RCSI will follow all reasonable recommendations set out in the assessment report.
This report is shared with the individual and will map out the partnership approach
to be taken by RCSI and the individual to best support the staff member to be able
to carry out their role, where it is deemed safe to do so, and with any required
reasonable accommodations in place. This will be on on-going conversation and
partnership and can be revisited as often as required.

If an absence from work is recommended by Occupational Health, the Absence

and Sick Leave policy will apply.

Related Policies
Sick Leave
Dignity at Work
Grievance Procedure
Compassionate Leave
Supporting Staff with Disabilities
Right to Disconnect
Equal Opportunities Policy
Health and Safety Policies & Procedures

This list is not exhaustive. All of these policies aim to preserve a harmonious
workplace and promote our positive culture where staff can flourish and balance
their jobs with their personal lives.

Additional Resources for Individuals

For information on health and wellbeing supports available to you visit the
‘Supporting your Wellbeing’ staff portal pages.

Our Employee Assistance Programme provides free professional counselling and

information services, available to you and your family (16 years old+) 24 hours a day,
365 days a year.

Additional Resources for Managers

The EAP phone service is also available for our people managers to speak to an
advisor on a range of topics such as coaching, performance management, time
management and conflict resolution. More information can be found in the EAP
Manager’s Guide.

We have created a guide on Talking about Wellbeing on your Team to help support
managers in initiating a conversation.

You HR partner is available to speak to if you have concerns about a member of your
team's mental health or performance where if could be related to a mental health issue.
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Mental Health Awareness

To raise mental health awareness and combat the stigmas associated with them,
we have committed to:

 Providing Mental Health Awareness Training. These workshops are

being scheduled bi-annual through Irish Life, our sick leave insurers, for
both managers and employees explaining important elements of mental
health. Suicide Awareness Training is also available and promoted
throughout the year.
 Promoting Mental Health Awareness initiatives such as See Change
Green Ribbon month and World Mental Health Day
 Proactively support staff wellbeing. Through periods of change such as
Maternity Matters workshop for staff returning from maternity leave,
individual retirement support; and through peer-to-peer social support
forums through the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Staff Networks.
 Keep employees informed. This policy will be reviewed and updated as
required annually by the HR Policy Review Group. Any changes will be
communicated to staff.
 Continue to create resources to support our health and wellbeing.
Through our Centre for Positive Psychology and Health, Equality, Diversity
& Inclusion, Staff Learning and Development, Human Resources, Health &
Safety and RCSI Inspire teams.
 Resources can be found in the Staff Wellbeing section of the staff portal.

Getting Further Help

The Human Resources Department is available to support any member of staff in

understanding the content of this policy and procedure.

HR Partners

 Cathy Buffini [email protected] or via MS Teams

 Maire Ryan [email protected] or via MS Teams
 Mark O’Dea [email protected] or via MS Teams
 Rachel Hipwell [email protected] or via MS Teams

Policy Review

The Human Resources Department will ensure that this policy will be monitored
and kept under review.