(BQ) Part 2 book “Innovations in stress and health” has contents: The whole is greater than the sum of the parts - developing a systems approach to tackling mental health in the workplace; promoting emotional wellbeing through social prescribing, and other contents. | CHAPTER 5 THE WHOLE IS GREATER THAN THE SUM OF THE PARTS: DEVELOPING A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO TACKLING MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE Su Wang, Andrew Kinder and Richard Park INTRODUCTION Organizations can struggle to develop a coordinated response to the challenge of mental health issues in the Occupational health services can seem remote to line managers who need quick advice on their people with stress-related absence. Employees can feel skeptical of the intentions behind wellbeing initiatives. This chapter follows a case study format and explores the challenges that organizations face in managing psychological and mental health in the workplace. It looks at the history of innovation in service provision, and highlights some of the innovative solutions that have supported the psychological health of the Royal Mail Group (RMG). The case study outlines a systemic approach and the role of partnerships with occupational health providers and others to tackle workrelated stress through a multi-disciplinary and stepped-care approach. It considers the value of preventative measures, including using stress assessments and education with 75 T H E W H O L E I S G R E AT E R T H A N T H E S U M O F T H E PA R T S employees and managers, rehabilitation of stress-related absence cases with cognitive behavioral therapy approaches and physical exercise, and the management of traumatic stress within the workplace. Examples are included demonstrating how these have been shown to benefit the organization and employee including cost–benefit evaluations. Case study – Setting the scene Royal Mail Group plc. is a communications business in the UK which operates as three well-known and trusted businesses: Post Office Ltd, Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide. Established more than 350 years ago, the organization has consistently been one of the largest employers in the UK. As a service organization, the health and welfare of its employees has necessarily been a key priority
