The relationship between line manager training in mental health and organisational outcomes

by Juliet Hassard, Teixiera Dulal-Arthur, Jane Bourke, Maria Wishart, Stephen Roper, Vicki Belt, Stavroula Leka, Nick Pahl, Craig Bartle, Louise Thomson, Holly Blake

Line manager (LM) training in mental health is gaining recognition as an effective method for improving the mental health and wellbeing of workers. However, research predominantly focuses on the impacts of training at the employee-level, often neglecting the broader organisational-level outcomes. Most studies derive insights from LMs using self-reported data, with very few studies examining impacts on organisational-level outcomes.

To explore the relationship between LM training in mental health and organisational-level outcomes using company-level data from a diverse range of organisations.

This study is a secondary analysis of anonymised panel survey data from firms in England, with data derived from computer-assisted telephone surveys over four waves (2020, 1899 firms; 2021, 1551; 2022, 1904; and 2023, 1902). The analysis merged the four datasets to control for temporal variations. Probit regression was conducted including controls for age of organisation, sector, size, and wave to isolate specific relationships of interest.

We found that LM training in mental health is significantly associated with several organisational-level outcomes, including: improved staff recruitment (β = .317, p < .001) and retention (β = .453, p < .001), customer service (β = .453, p < .001), business performance (β = .349, p < .001), and lower long-term sickness absence due to mental ill-health (β = -.132, p < .05).

This is the first study to explore the organisational-level outcomes of LM training in mental health in a large sample of organisations of different types, sizes, and sectors. Training LM in mental health is directly related to diverse aspects of an organisations’ functioning and, therefore, has strategic business value for organisations. This knowledge has international relevance for policy and practice in workforce health and business performance.