With the country now opening up, and many employees being asked to return to the office gradually, it’s more important now than ever before to ensure your team’s mental health and wellbeing are supported. Emma Ellis (Redwood Ellis) considers Wellness Action Plans (WAPs) and how they can help both individuals and teams.
The Wellness Action Plan, introduced by the mental health charity MIND, was inspired by Mary Ellen Copeland’s Wellness Recovery Action Plan® (WRAP®): an evidence-based system used worldwide by people to manage their mental health.
The WAP’s are a personalised, practical tool we can use in the workplace – whether we have a mental health problem or not – to help us identify what keeps us well at work, what causes us to become unwell, and how to address a mental health problem at work should you be experiencing one now or in the future.
WAP’s open a dialogue between the manager and their team; helping them to understand their needs and ultimately better support their mental health and wellbeing. WAP’s are designed to support us to manage our mental health because we all have mental health – just as we all have physical health.
WAP’s help a manager:
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Structure and start conversations about mental health with their teams’.
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Help them understand their teams’ experiences and needs.
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Help identify and consider reasonable adjustments the team may need to make.
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Help ensure the person returning to work are appropriately supported
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Show new starters that they are committed to their wellbeing
WAP’s help the team:
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Think about and share what supports their mental health at work
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Think about a what makes them unwell at work
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Think about things that can help keep them well
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Talk about what support their need
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Review their experience and approach regularly and make sure the support they receive is the best for them right now
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Feel empowered and in control
How do Redwood Ellis use WAP’s?
We introduce WAP’s in the 1:1 sessions with the team. There are two simple forms; one for WFH and one for the office. Once completed and signed off they should be placed in the teams file and reviewed regularly. A WAP should be a dynamic and flexible tool.
To reiterate; everyone can complete a Wellness Action Plan; they don’t need to have a mental health problem in order to feel the benefits. It just means that they already have practical steps in place to ensure they are supported if they aren’t feeling great.
If a team member doesn’t feel comfortable talking to their manager about their mental health we are a great bridge for this process. To chat further about how to introduce WAP’s to your team contact Emma Ellis emma@redwoodellis.co.uk