How peer support workers promote mental health in the workplace

Peer support workers can offer a unique form of assistance and guidance to employees who are facing personal difficulties and mental health struggles. Through their lived experiences, these specialists can connect with others in meaningful ways. They can provide emotional support, foster a sense of belonging, and promote mental well-being in the workplace.

In today’s fast-paced work environment, peer support workers play an important role in helping employers establish a healthier and more inclusive work culture. 

In this article, Benefits and Pensions Monitor discusses how peer support specialists can make a difference in your organization. We also talked to an industry expert who explained the benefits of a having a sound peer support program and what to look for when searching for a peer support worker for your team.

If you’re working out strategies to strengthen your workplace’s support systems, this guide can help. Read on and find out how peer support workers can transform the way your employees handle stress and mental health challenges.

What does a peer support worker do?

Peer support workers draw on their personal experiences with mental health issues to assist others in navigating similar challenges. Unlike traditional counselors or therapists, these specialists offer guidance born out of shared understanding, making them uniquely equipped to establish connections with people.

Peer support workers play a multifaceted role that allows them to promote mental health, reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues, and foster a supportive work environment.

“Peer support workers are key elements of mental health support in the workplace,” said mental health advocate Jessica Ward-King. “They offer a type of support that complements – but does not replace – more formal care.  

“Peer support tends to be viewed as a more informal way to access help for mental health concerns that is less stigmatized than traditional and formal mental health support services, such as the employee assistance program, or insured health care. It can be a ‘soft landing’ for employees who need support, but are reluctant to engage therapists, counsellors, or psychologists.” 

She added that peer support workers often serve as a first point of contact for employees seeking support. They can also offer referrals to other workplace mental health programs that they deem appropriate.

Learn the different types of mental health workers in Canada and what can they help to improve workplace wellness.

How do peer support workers help promote mental health and well-being in the workplace?

Peer support workers are key in helping employers cultivate a positive and supportive work environment. Because they have experienced mental health or personal issues themselves, peer supporters are well-equipped to guide and assist others who may be going through similar struggles.

Here are some of the key responsibilities of peer support specialists that make them a valuable part of every workplace:

Provide emotional support

Peer support workers engage with others by offering empathy and understanding. Their personal experiences enable them to establish deeper connections, providing people with a safe space to discuss mental health challenges without fear of judgment.

Facilitate open communication

Peer supporters help foster open dialogue around mental health and personal struggles. By sharing their own stories, they can break down barriers to create a workplace culture where employees feel comfortable discussing mental health concerns.

Cultivate workplace inclusivity

Peer support specialists foster a sense of belonging among employees by offering support arising from shared experience. Having them in the workplace helps create an environment where staff feel valued and supported. This, in turn, helps boost overall morale within the organization.

Advocate for mental health awareness

Peer support workers often take the lead in promoting mental health awareness within the workplace. Through advocacy, they help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues and encourage a culture of openness and understanding.

Promote self-management strategies

Peer support specialists empower employees to take charge of their mental health by promoting self-care. These professionals have access to tools and resources that they can share with employees to help them manage stress, build resilience, and cope with challenges both in their professional and personal lives.

Assist in accessing resources

Peer supporters guide employees in getting the appropriate support services. These professionals assist workers in navigating mental health services, employee assistance programs (EAP), and external support systems to ensure that they can access the help they need.

“Peer support is rooted in recovery, focusing on how a person can live well and thrive,” said Ward-King, who also runs her own mental health advocacy website Stigma Crusher. “It promotes self-determination and self-efficacy, empowering peers to take control of their own outcomes. It is not based on diagnosis or labels and is a non-judgmental and confidential way for any employee to access support.

“Given their role in supporting colleagues, peer supporters are everyday champions of psychological health and safety in the workplace. Through courageous self-identification as someone with lived experience of a mental health concern, they help to normalize conversations about mental health in the workplace, which in turn breaks down discrimination and stigma surrounding mental health concerns.” 

She added that a peer support program can have a direct impact on policies and leadership strategies. This is often done “by feeding up high-level observations and identifying gaps about the kinds of challenges employees are facing within the organization.”

Find out more about how organizations can promote mental health strategies in the workplace in this guide.

What are the benefits of having peer support workers in an organization?

Having peer support workers accessible to employees whenever the need arises provides several benefits in the workplace. Here are some of them, according to Ward-King:

• Reduces the stigma around mental health and mental illness: Peer support specialists demonstrate through their practice that people with lived experience of mental illness can and do live well in recovery with mental health concerns. 
• Increases mental health literacy among the workforce: Peer supporters help facilitate conversations around mental health in the workplace and connect employees to the appropriate resources.
• Reduces the burden on more formalized mental health support services: Peer support workers provide an informal and accessible entry point to mental health support that reduces stigma around those who are seeking support. Often, that listening ear and understanding support are all that employees need to look after their mental health in the workplace.
• Provides tailored mental health support: Peer supporters offer employees an unspoken understanding of workplace culture and dynamics that traditional mental health services do not.
• Offers insights to senior leaders: Peer support professionals collect high-level data about the program’s services (that of course protects the privacy and confidentiality of program users). They also report issues and trends that they see in the program. Peer support programs, meanwhile, can provide a valuable ‘pulse check’ on the needs and concerns of employees.

“Ultimately, the impacts of a good peer support program reach as far as reducing harassment and violence, absenteeism and presenteeism in the workplace, and creating a culture where mental health and employee wellness are valued and prioritized,” Ward-King said. “It is a resource-effective way of supporting psychological health and safety in the workplace.”

Another key player that helps workplaces address mental health concerns are licensed clinical social workers. Find out the benefits of having these professionals in your organization in this guide. 

What should companies look for in a peer support worker?

When searching for the right peer support specialist for their team, companies should look for several important attributes. Here’s a checklist from Ward-King:

☐ Peer support workers must have lived experience of common mental health concerns in the workplace. These include:

• anxiety
• depression
• stress
• burnout
• high workload
• toxic workplaces
• work-life imbalance
• unclear leadership and expectations

☐ They must be living well in recovery with their mental health illness or concern.

☐ They must be in a position to offer support to others.

☐ Peer support workers must be excellent communicators who are empathetic, self-aware, and respectful of differences.

☐ They must have lived experience of the workplace context. Peer support is most powerful when peers share an unspoken understanding of the cultural context in which they are offering support.

☐ They must be representative of the intersectional identities of the workforce, including gender, race, ethnicity, language, and sexual orientation. This attribute enables them to provide culturally competent support to employees beyond the workplace context.

“It is not necessary for peer supporters to have precisely the same experiences in order to be effective,” Ward-King said. “In fact, diversity of experience can encourage very effective peer relationships.

“Companies may wish to employ peer supporters from outside of the organization, who have more formally developed their peer support skills. It is, however, important that these peer supporters have an understanding of the workplace context to be able to provide optimal support to employees.”

Where can you find the best peer support workers in Canada?

Our Best in Pensions and Benefits Special Reports page is the place to go if you’re looking for the top peer support workers in the country. The professionals featured in our special reports have been nominated by their peers and vetted by our panel of experts as trusted and dependable industry leaders.

By partnering with these highly trained specialists, you can be sure that your employees are getting the best counselling and care when the need arises.

Have you experienced getting the services of a peer support worker for your organization? How did it go? Let us know in the comments.