Vanessa Latham, partner at BLM law, said any employee ought to be able to contact HR for support, "irrespective of whether their line manager is supportive or not".
When contacting HR, the employee should be clear about what information can be shared with others and manage their expectations accordingly.
For example, if an employee doesn’t want HR to share information about a mental health problem with their line manager, they should make that clear to HR. However, the employee should also understand that withholding information will restrict what HR can do.
Latham added: "It is unlikely HR would be able to change working practises if they cannot explain to the line manager why the change is required.”
Their comments came after Generali UK Employee Benefits hosted a webinar in February, in partnership with Vitality360, on Time to Talk day.
The seminar - part of a series of workplace wellness webinars scheduled for 2021 - aimed to highlight common difficulties or misunderstandings which may occur in workplaces and deliver strategies that will be useful to employers.
Generali has created a package that includes funding support for their business clients and the employees. Its HR meditation service can help provide a suitable return-to-work solution or help the employee move on in a way that benefits both parties.
simoney.kyriakou@ft.com
