The Policy Audit
Five Tests to Transform Your Mental Health Strategy
Is Your Mental Health Policy a Strategic Asset?
Every responsible organisation has a mental health policy, but the truth is, most only serve the purpose of compliance. They satisfy a legal checklist, but fail to serve your people, give managers confidence, or reduce your escalating sickness costs.
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An ineffective policy is often rigid, overly legalistic, and difficult for an average manager to interpret or act upon during a crisis.
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A truly effective mental health policy is a dynamic document that gives managers certainty and employees confidence. It should be the foundation that guides your entire support mental health strategy.
The Five Pieces of an Impactful Policy
A policy must be a living blueprint for action. We assess effectiveness based on these five critical, high-impact pieces:
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1. Rooted in Context, Not Assumption
A good policy is not generic; it's rooted in the unique pressures of your business. It must acknowledge specific industry and company stressors, ensuring employees trust the document because it reflects the reality of their work.
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2. Prioritises Proactive Intervention
A great policy is not just reactive (explaining what happens after sickness); its primary focus is prevention. It should establish clear expectations for early warning sign training, define the accountability of preventative resources, and guide managers on initial response.
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3. Demonstrates Robust Response Plans
When intervention is required, managers and employees need a clear, reliable roadmap. The policy must detail specific protocols for: immediate crisis response, confidential disclosure management, and a structured process for return to work, linking managers directly to clinical support.
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4. Zero-Friction Resource Access
One of the biggest failures of corporate wellness is the friction involved in getting help. A strong policy centralises and clarifies all available support: who to contact, how to access them, and explicit confidentiality guarantees.
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5. Mandates Continuous Improvement
A resilient policy is data-driven and subject to continuous improvement. It must mandate a review cycle that uses data—such as anonymized OH reports and sickness statistics—to adapt, improve, and remain relevant to your evolving workforce.
From Audit to Alignment: How It Could Be Better Can Help
If your policy fails any of the five tests above, it is costing your business through unnecessary manager friction, extended absence duration, and increased legal exposure.
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You've successfully identified the gaps—now let us help you close them.
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At It Could Be Better, we don't just recommend changes; we build the structure required to make your policies a reality. Our consultancy service ensures your policies are perfectly aligned with your training and clinical services to create a zero-friction system.
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We help you transform your policy from a mandatory document into the foundation of your mental health strategy.
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Ready to turn your policy audit into an action plan?