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Mental Health in the Workplace
Demanding workloads a “hustle” mindset, and dragging hours have agitated the whirlpool of a mental health crisis in corporate culture. We’ve read of several cases that bring workplace mental health back into the spotlight.
As almost half the workforce struggles with stress, burnout, and other mental health issues, job seekers now prioritise companies that support mental health.
And it’s not just the employee who suffers. Businesses also experience losses with a dip in employees’ morale and productivity. Unfortunately, not a lot of them have direction on how to improve mental health in the workplace.
Fortunately, we have ten actionable strategies that can help!
Mental Health and Organisational Success
Companies that prioritise mental well-being allow productivity, creativity, innovation, and success to thrive.
Here’s how:
Why Should Employees Care About Their Mental Health at Work?
- Employees with good mental health are more immune to burnout since they can handle stress and challenges effectively.
- Healthy minds are more focused and motivated, so they achieve their daily goals.
- Employees who are well-adjusted stay strong during tough times. This makes them more resilient and the work more enjoyable despite hardship.
- Workplaces that prioritise mental health nurture healthy relationships between employer-employee and team members.
- A sound mind gives leads to a sound body. So, care for your mental health to achieve happiness and fulfilment in life.
Also read: Employer Employee Insurance
Why Should Businesses Care about Their Employees’ Mental Health?
- Mental health influences physical health. Thus, employees with mental health issues will take sick leave and stay absent more frequently.
- Focusing on your employees’ mental health enhances engagement, productivity, and helps achieve business goals faster.
- Given that employees value mental health, companies that care about it also notice higher talent retention rates and save costs on recruitment.
- A supportive environment helps employees feel connected with their team. This sense of belonging increases collaboration and creativity.
- Catering to your employees’ mental health may be mandated by local labour laws and regulations since they require companies to set up a safe and healthy environment for employees
What Are Common Mental Health Issues Faced by Employees?
Employees commonly face the following mental health issues at work:
- Stress: Caused by heavy workloads, tight deadlines, poor work-life balance, or unclear expectations.
- Burnout: Physical and emotional fatigue resulting from overwork, chronic stress, or lack of managerial support leads to general dissatisfaction, disengagement, and lower productivity.
- Depression: Prolonged exposure to workplace stress or criticism can contribute to depression and negatively affect mood, motivation, energy, and focus.
- Anxiety: Feeling of unease and fear due to bad work environment, stress, and personal struggles.
Quick read: Why Companies Should Offer Health Insurance To Employees?
10 Strategies for Improving Mental Health in the Workplace
1. Promote Transparency in Communication
A culture with open communication lets you express your thoughts, feelings, and views without worrying about judgment or ridicule. Feeling heard and understood lessens the feeling of isolation, distance, and stress. This gives a sense of belonging and emotional wellness.
Tips to Promote Transparency in Communication
Tip 1: Encourage managers to host regular check-ins with employees to discuss physical and mental well-being.
Tip 2: Have a culture of support to discuss and address mental health challenges before they worsen.
Tip 3: Train leaders to listen actively and respond empathetically.
Tip 4: Implement anonymous feedback channels for sharing personal experiences on how to improve the work culture around mental health.
2. Share Mental Health Resources and Counselling
All the banter about employee mental health would be pointless if you fail to back it up with the necessary tools and resources. Grant employees access to professional mental health services like counselling, therapy, and helplines, along with DIY resources and worksheets.
Such a dynamic and static approach ensures that employees receive expert help and advice instantly when needed while also caring for their mental health at their own pace when situations are de-escalated.
Tips to Share Mental Health Resources at Work
Tip 1: Create employee assistance programs (EAPs) and back them up by partnering with leading mental health service providers.
Tip 2: Share mental health resources regularly and have an operational hotline for immediate support.
Tip 3: Offer subscriptions for mental health applications or platforms like meditation apps.
Tip 4: Offer confidential counselling sessions or invest in an employee insurance policy that covers mental health.
3. Encourage Regular Time Offs and Breaks
Intersperse your day with regular breaks and time-offs to recharge. This prevents burnouts and even revitalises your ability to think outside the box. Regular rest or breaks can help you stay focused, manage stress, and resume work while feeling refreshed and more productive.
Tips for Encouraging Regular Time Offs and Breaks
Tip 1: Explore flexible work hours as they help you create your own schedule and follow it.
Tip 2: Plan out your day in advance and schedule clear break sessions, especially after deep work. Ensure that you adhere to this schedule.
Tip 3: Have a strict time-off policy when managers and leaders avoid contacting employees for work after hours or during vacation.
Tip 4: Introduce mental health days into the leave policy and encourage their use.
4. Push for a Healthy Work-Life Balance
A balanced professional and personal life improves your mental health. Employees who find this perfect work-life balance may not feel as stressed, anxious, overworked, exhausted, and burnt out. They also don’t feel pressured by work demands. In response, their productivity and job satisfaction increase.
Tips to Boost Your Work-Life Balance
Tip 1: Request flexible hours or remote working options. However, be sure to meet your professional commitments and OKRs.
Tip 2: Steer clear of any after-hours calls or messages unless very urgent.
Tip 3: Separate work and personal hours to feel more in charge of your time.
Tip 4: Try using tools and apps to manage your own work schedule and daily tasks.
Suggested read: Employee Health Benefits
5. Establish a Comfortable Work Environment
Your external environment has a strong influence on your mental health. So, businesses must build well-designed physical workspaces that prioritises comfort.
Comfortable, ergonomically designed workspaces are known to reduce stress, help you focus, and stay productive. Plus, it will make working from the office more fun and convenient! Think of it as an investment that will attract multi-fold results!
Tips to Improve Your Workspace for Comfort
Tip 1: Invest in ergonomic chairs and desks. Let workers decorate their seating area to suit their style and creativity.
Tip 2: Ensure adequate lighting and ventilation.
Tip 3: Provide areas for employees to relax, such as break rooms, cafeterias, quiet zones, reading nooks, office pods, game rooms, nap rooms, etc.
Tip 4: Introduce plants to create a cosy and supportive environment.
6. Conduct Wellness Programs and Workshops
Wellness programs and workshops guide employees in bettering their lifestyle, mental state, and bodily health. Such a multi-faceted approach to wellness not only lowers stress but also teaches employees to deal with mental health troubles more easily.
Tips to Incorporate Wellness Programs at Work
Tip 1: If you have the funds, think of outings to peaceful wellness retreats and meditation centres for your team.
Tip 2: Conduct wellness challenges that cover a host of topics, such as healthy eating and X number of step goals.
Tip 3: Allow access to health checks and wellness classes.
Tip 4: Set aside an hour weekly for mindfulness and guided meditation exercises.
Quick read: 8 Ways to Practice Self Improvement Techniques at Work
7. Recognise and Reward Employees
Acknowledge every worker’s hard work and reward their successes. This gives the employees a sense of purpose and belonging. It helps them feel valued and appreciated, which boosts morale, eases stress and anxiety, and increases job satisfaction.
Tips to Recognise and Reward Your Employees
Tip 1: Craft, document, and implement an employee recognition program.
Tip 2: Big or small; personal or professional – celebrate each milestone.
Tip 3: Present tangible rewards such as wellness packages, paid time off, gift vouchers, etc.
Tip 4: Encourage positive behaviour by sharing appreciation and celebrating achievements openly and regularly.
8. Promote Physical Activity and Well-Being
We know by now that physical and mental health are interconnected. So, encourage physical movement and exercise during workdays.
Doing so can help you gain mental clarity, reduce stress and anxiety, and feel energised. Moreover, the endorphin rush works wonders for your mental well-being!
Tips to Boost Physical Health to Improve Mental Health
Tip 1: Opt for standing desks or host walking meetings.
Tip 2: Provide access to on-site gyms or offer subsidised fitness membership passes.
Tip 3: Try to host fitness challenges or group workout sessions to get teams moving.
Tip 4: Schedule an annual sports day or more regular sporting activities to improve physical health.
Also read: Importance of Nurturing the Mind at Work
9. Sensitise Managers on Employee Mental Health Issues
Managers impact 70% of employees’ mental health – way more than their therapist or doctor and at par with their partner! So, train your managers to help with your commitment to improving mental health at work. These managers can help you recognise early signs of mental health struggles and plan an intervention or offer support to employees.
Tips to Notify Managers on Employee Mental Health
Tip 1: Encourage managers to schedule regular emotional check-ins with employees—this could even be in informal settings, such as over a cup of coffee in the cafeteria.
Tip 2: Organise regular mental health awareness workshops and incentivise participation by the managerial suite.
Tip 3: Provide training on identifying warning signs associated with poor mental health.
Tip 4: Offer tools, resources, and professional support when dealing with struggling employees, especially when their situation affects their performance.
10. Normalise Conversations around Mental Health
Even with progress in mental health issues, it continues to be a taboo topic – especially at work. To break this stigma, try including mental health topics in regular work talks. This will also encourage employees to seek help when needed and feel supported during tough times.
Tips to Normalise Mental Health Discussions
Tip 1: Mention topics surrounding mental health in business newsletters or team meetings.
Tip 2: Invite mental health professionals for Q&A sessions, seminars/webinars, or workshops.
Tip 3: Celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month in May by scheduling company-wide activities.
Tip 4: Connect empathetically by sharing your struggles or welcoming other employees to share their stories.
Also read: 15 Top Fun Friday Games and Activities for Employees in Office
The Role of Employers in Improving Mental Health
From the above strategies, it is evident that the onus for creating and maintaining a mental health policy lies with the employers. After all, it benefits businesses as much as it helps employees. Here’s how to achieve this:
1. Set clear goals for a mental health policy to put your company’s commitments into action
2. Engage mental health professionals and seek feedback from them on your mental health policy
3. Share the policy with all employees and nominate mental health advocates to ensure policy implementation at the grassroots level
4. Foster a culture of open communication where employees can share their mental health struggles and seek support without the fear of judgement
5. Introduce a flexible-work policy to improve work-life balance and reduce stress and burnout
6. Offer access to mental health services like counselling, EAPs, wellness programs, and more
7. Train managers to spot signs of stress, burnout, overwork, and depression for timely intervention
8. Ensure that employees get sufficient managerial support and that workloads are manageable
9. Accept feedback through anonymous surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of your mental health initiatives
10. Review, adapt, and upgrade the mental health policy based on employee needs and feedback
Recommended read: The Health Challenges of India’s Tech Professionals
How Can Onsurity Help Improve Mental Health at the Workplace?
Onsurity follows a holistic approach to healthcare that extends beyond physical well-being and covers the mental health needs of employees. We help you develop healthy employee-employer relationships to improve your mental wellness in the following ways:
- The Onsurity App offers instant access to mental health resources and support. Employees can avail free consultations with doctors and healthcare professionals, such as therapists, psychiatrists, etc. to address their mental health concerns. It makes it easier for them to get help whenever they feel stressed, anxious or burnt out.
- Onsurity’s wellness membership offers coverage for various fitness and mental health initiatives. From gym memberships to other physical activities, you can choose what meets your fitness goals depending on your fitness levels and availability, which may help you feel more in control.
- We offer preventive care through routine, discounted health checkups that can help you identify early signs of mental health issues. This foresight could help you proactively manage employee well-being before the issues worsen.
- Onsurity’s Good Doctors team helps you manage complex medical issues with continuous guidance during hospitalisation and post-care support. This can be great for your employees as their mental health concerns are treated as a priority rather than an afterthought.
- Our simple, digital onboarding and claims process reduces the burden of managing healthcare. This policyholder-centric, paperless approach not only makes it easier to get help when required but also eases the stress for employers and employees alike.
Conclusion
To reiterate, maintaining mental health at the workplace is critical not just for employees but also for businesses. As such, companies, leaders, and HR professionals should strive to nurture an environment that prioritises mental well-being as it drives results, reduces churn, and increases overall morale.
Commit to small yet actionable changes. For example, pushing for a healthy work-life balance, offering access to mental health resources, and boosting a supportive culture. These are just some of the things you can do to make a change – the list is virtually endless. In response to these things you do, you’ll gain a healthier, more resilient workforce that puts your company on the track for long-term success!
Explore how Onsurity can enhance your team’s mental health and wellness by scheduling a demo today.
FAQs:
1. What do employees face common mental health issues?
2. What are some signs that an employee may be struggling with their mental health?
- A loss in productivity
- Frequent absenteeism
- Emotional dysregulation
- Social withdrawal
- Fatigue and irritability