Taking care of employees’ mental health is very crucial for businesses these days because good mental health means more productive in the workplace. Poor mental health is one of the biggest issues with employees around the world. Because of this, a whopping 70 million working days are lost each year. Modern lifestyle and changing work requirements have caused millions of people to develop stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder etc.
According to a report published by National Institute of Mental Health, 18% people in the United States have an anxiety disorder, 9.5% have depression, 4% have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, 2.6% have bipolar disorder, and 1% of people have schizophrenia. The study further reveals 18% of workers in the U.S. report having a mental health condition in any given month. People having these problems are finding it really hard to bring balance in their personal and professional lives.
Just as poor mental health has enormous impacts on employees; it equally has severe repercussions for employers, including increased staff turnover, sickness absence due to debilitating depression, burnout and exhaustion, decreased motivation and lost productivity. Therefore, businesses have started to understand the importance of good mental health of their staff.
The following hacks could be extremely helpful for you in the workplace:
1. Create a healthy work environment
The overall environment prevalent at the workplace plays a key role in nourishing mental health. So employees working in a positive atmosphere are more likely to feel healthy and happy, which is very important for good mental health. A positive and healthy work environment goes a long way in preventing stress-related issues from emanating. A negative environment, on the other hand, causes stress levels of employees to increase dramatically, which can exacerbate their existing mental health problems. You need to make sure stress-related issues are tackled first. Don’t put unnecessary pressure on them, keep their working hour duration intact, and allow them to take regular breaks. By doing this, you will notice a significant drop in their stress and tension levels. You can encourage them to bring a health balance between their work and personal life.
2. Promote a culture of open communication
Another thing you can do is meet regularly with your employees and maintain open communication channel. You can encourage a positive rhetoric by allowing your employees to openly talk about their experiences about mental health. Your workplace culture should be such people can talk freely about issues and problems, not hide them. Encourage your staff to connect with each other by sharing their stories or anecdotes regarding their mental health. Mental illness generally tends to isolate people, and this loneliness can heighten their illness even further. So just make sure your employees are sharing their concerns. Let mental illness not be a stigma anymore; therefore, talk about the resources, talk about the impact, talk about the benefits of getting mental illness intervention treatment.
3. Incorporate employee assistance programs.
Employee assistance programs (EAPs) are specially designed strategies that help companies in addressing productivity issues and employees in identifying and resolving personal concerns. Under EAP programs, you can incorporate regular checkups and screening of your staff by expert medical professionals. Mental illness is completely treatable just as other illnesses, so you should support and look after such employees who immediately need treatment. You can provide free trauma treatment to your employees by allowing them weekly therapy appointments during working hours if needed. Many EAPs are actively helping various organizations prevent and cope with workplace violence, trauma, and other emergency response situations, thereby effectively reducing the possibility of mental health risks among employees.
4. Appreciate their efforts
A person’s mental health depends upon many factors like happiness, motivation level, inspiration and confidence. So keeping your employees happy and motivated will boost their good mental health, and they will less likely to experience any stress-related issues. Therefore a gesture of appreciation will really make them feel special. When you recognize their efforts and praise them, their enthusiasm and positivity also get increased, which are again key ingredients for good state of mind. You should often celebrate their success by throwing surprise office parties, or giving gifts like hot cocoa party favors to make them feel motivated. It is often said that happy and healthy employees are the most productive employees, so recognizing their hard work will surely make them feel satisfied.
5. Help them identify mental health risks and address them
Not every time a person suffering from mental illness reflects it. Many times mental health issues aren’t visible, rather remain lateral and passive. In such a situation, the person can’t figure out whether to visit a therapist or utilize healing techniques on his own. Some of your employees might be going through similar problems wherein they have no idea what exactly should they do. Just at this time, you need to prevent your condition from becoming worse by identifying their mental health risks and address them. The early signs of a typical mental illness are: problem while concentrating, uncharacteristic behaviour, difficulty in performing familiar tasks, mood swings, social withdrawals, loss of interest in different activities, nervousness, isolation etc.
Your employees are your most important asset. However, they too are humans and can sometimes get serious mental health issues. Not addressing them properly can be detrimental to the employees’ health as well as your business. So it is also your responsibility to take care of your employees and create an environment where everyone thrives.
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Author: Smith Willas
Smith Willas is a freelance writer, blogger, and digital media journalist. He has a management degree in Supply Chain & Operations Management and Marketing and boasts a wide-ranging background in digital media.