Kind Regards

Letters to our bosses about how to help with mental health

At A Lust for Life we are inundated with requests from companies and managers about how to help talk about mental health in the workplace, and how to support a colleague who may have mental health issues. We asked people who have had mental health problems to write anonymously to their bosses to tell them what good support looks like.

If you’d like to help improve workplace responses to mental health, please write an anonymous letter to your boss by emailing editor@alustforlife.com. You don’t need any identifying information, just tell your boss what they did well (if anything) and what they should try to do in future.

Here’s the first letter in the series, from a young woman who has just recently returned to work after a period of being unwell. She noted that if it weren’t for the kindness of her boss, she may have been too worried to return to work.

Dear Boss,

Thank you.

Thank you for being so understanding. Thank you for giving me the support I required during this particularly difficult time. Thank you for remembering all the great work I had done for you before I got sick. Thank you for being able to see past my current illness. Thank you for giving me the care and encouragement I needed to come back to work.

Thank you for taking the time out of hours to call me and have a proper chat person to person not boss to employee. Thank you for not making me feel guilty for crying to you on the phone as you know this was embarrassing for me. I am always happy and positive every time we speak. I know it was a shock for you to hear that I was suffering with anxiety and depression. You had no idea- How could you? I am a professional at putting on a brave face. Thank you for understanding how difficult this was to admit to the person who is ultimately in charge of how I will progress in my career.

Thank you for not judging me or questioning my capabilities to return to my job. Thank you for seeing the potential in me at a time where I could not. Thank you for texting me to see how my first day in the office went. Thank you for continuing to check in with me and see how I am settling back in. Thank you for telling me the reason you made such an effort with me was because I was a valued employee and you wanted me back on your team.

Thank you for believing in me. Without this- I’m not sure if I would have been able to return.

Now, being back to work your kindness and support has just made me want to be more successful. It has given me back my motivation to work hard with you and help you be successful because without you I may not work here anymore.

Kindest Regards
One very grateful employee