Managing Minds at Work: Development of a Digital Line Manager Training Program

Holly Blake; Benjamin Vaughan; Craig Bartle; Jo Yarker; Fehmidah Munir; Steven Marwaha; Guy Daly; Sean Russell; Caroline Meyer; Juliet Hassard; Louise Thomson

doi:10.3390/ijerph19138006

Managing Minds at Work: Development of a Digital Line Manager Training Program

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jun 29;19(13):8006. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19138006.

Authors

Holly Blake^{1

2}, Benjamin Vaughan³, Craig Bartle³, Jo Yarker⁴, Fehmidah Munir⁵, Steven Marwaha⁶, Guy Daly^{7

8}, Sean Russell⁹, Caroline Meyer¹⁰, Juliet Hassard¹¹, Louise Thomson^{3

11}

Affiliations

¹ School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2HA, UK.
² NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.
³ Institute of Mental Health, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Nottingham NG3 6AA, UK.
⁴ Birkbeck, University of London, London WC1H 0PD, UK.
⁵ School of Sport, Exercise & Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK.
⁶ Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
⁷ Office of the Provost, The British University in Egypt, El Sherouk City 11837, Cairo, Egypt.
⁸ Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Coventry University, Coventry CV1 5FB, UK.
⁹ Thrive at Work, West Midlands Combined Authority, Birmingham B19 3SD, UK.
¹⁰ Executive Office, Warwick University, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
¹¹ School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Jubilee Campus, Nottingham NG8 1BB, UK.

Abstract

Mental ill-health is the leading cause of sickness absence, creating a high economic burden. Workplace interventions aimed at supporting employers in the prevention of mental ill-health in the workforce are urgently required. Managing Minds at Work is a digital intervention aimed at supporting line managers in promoting better mental health at work through a preventative approach. This intervention was developed as part of the Mental Health and Productivity Pilot, a wider initiative aimed at supporting employers across the Midlands region of the United Kingdom to improve the future of workplace mental health and wellbeing. The aim of the study is to describe the design and development of the Managing Minds at Work digital training program, prior to feasibility testing. We adopted a collaborative participatory design involving co-design (users as partners) and principles of user-centred design (pilot and usability testing). An agile methodology was used to co-create intervention content with a stakeholder virtual community of practice. Development processes were mapped to core elements of the Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions. The program covers five broad areas: (i) promoting self-care techniques among line managers; (ii) designing work to prevent work-related stress; (iii) management competencies to prevent and reduce stress; (iv) having conversations with employees about mental health; (v) building a psychologically safe work environment. It was considered by stakeholders to be appropriate for any type of organization, irrespective of their size or resources. Pilot and usability testing (n = 37 surveys) aligned with the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) demonstrated that the program was perceived to be useful, relevant, and easy to use by managers across sectors, organization types, and sizes. We identified positive impacts on manager attitudes and behavioral intentions related to preventing mental ill-health and promoting good mental wellbeing at work. The next step is to explore the feasibility and acceptability of Managing Minds at Work with line managers in diverse employment settings.

Keywords: digital; intervention; line managers; mental health; occupational; stress; training; workforce; workplace.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Humans
Mental Health*
Organizations
Self Care
Surveys and Questionnaires
Workplace* / psychology

Grants and funding

The study is part of the Mental Health and Productivity Pilot, which is funded by Employers, Health and Inclusive Employment (EHIE). The EHIE had no role in the design of the Managing Minds at Work study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.