Supporting Return-to-Work Planning After Mental Health Treatment: A Plan for Success

Employers and managers can make this process smooth and supportive by taking the following steps:

1. Make a Plan for Their Return

The first way you can be supportive is to explore the return-to-work accommodations that you’re able to provide and those that the employee would like. Scheduling a private meeting with them before their return is a good opportunity to talk through their options.² 

For example, mental health return-to-work accommodations could include things like modifying their responsibilities, remote working, and phased returning.² 

These options provide a more gradual return instead of a sudden dive back into work. They can support mental health by giving someone the opportunity to adjust.

2. Establish Their Preferences for What’s Shared With the Team

Employer support after psychiatric treatment requires sensitive communication. In your private meeting, ask the employee what information they want their colleagues to know. Some people want as much privacy as possible, while others might want their team to know certain select details.² 

Giving the employee the freedom to choose what’s disclosed is a powerful way to help them feel supported and respected in their return to work. 

Coming back to work after a period of leave for depression or another mental health condition might feel incredibly exposing. Communicating how much you care about an employee’s privacy and autonomy can go some way to alleviate this.

3. Plan Ongoing Support

Workplace reintegration after a mental health break isn’t a quick process. It might take weeks or months for someone to feel comfortably settled into their role. Providing ongoing support is an essential way to support this long-term process and may involve a combination of collaborative decisions and policies. 

On one hand, your company might have an HR return-to-work mental health policy. This might dictate regular check-ins, an Employee Assistant Program (EAP), and assigning a trusted point of contact. At the same time, it’s important to ask the employee what ongoing support they feel they need.² 

For instance, they might ask for a more flexible work schedule that allows remote working or a longer lunch break once a week to attend therapy sessions. Your initial meeting with them will be a good time to establish an ongoing support plan and explore what’s possible.² 

4. Promote a Supportive Work Culture

One potentially anxiety-inducing aspect of transitioning back into a job after therapy treatment revolves around team culture. What one’s colleagues might think or say about the break can be a concern and add to nerves about returning. 

To help mitigate this, managers can take steps to promote a supportive social environment. This kind of workplace support is especially important after inpatient mental health care, which can carry a greater stigma.

First, ask the employee how they would like to interact with their colleagues about their mental health. Their preferences should dictate how you handle the return. Next, encourage team members to be welcoming. It might be necessary to warn them not to pressure the employee to talk about what happened.²  

You can also promote an inclusive work culture by openly talking and asking about mental health, as this establishes that it isn’t taboo.³  

5. Understand Common Workplace Stressors

Many things can trigger mental health difficulties. While some will be outside of your control, such as an employee’s marriage ending or an illness in the family, some risks lie in the workplace.

For example, the following are common workplace stressors that could contribute to poor mental health:^{2, 3} 

• Overwork and burnout
• Organizational changes
• Bullying and discrimination
• Insecure or inflexible working conditions
• Lack of support or micromanaging from superiors

Understanding how working conditions might impact mental health will be important in welcoming back employees who have taken a break for treatment. Knowing the sorts of things that create extra strain can help you mitigate them and make necessary changes for a smooth return.