One study found that one in every five people in your visual field experiences mental health issues. Is it a big number for you? Problems with mental health are quite real. They are not to be ashamed of, as they affect countless individuals worldwide.
Bringing up concerns about anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues in the workplace has been frowned upon for decades. Fortunately, it is shifting even as we watch, albeit not without many difficulties and inconveniences. Many leaders intend to offer assistance but don’t know how to get started.
Eliminating mental health stigmas in the workplace is the first step in supporting the mental health of your employees. To show appreciation for the people who work for you, you need to imagine a different performance management system.
What Is Employee Mental Health?
The term “employee mental health” is used by the World Health Organization to refer to the whole mental, social, and emotional health of workers. The notion aids in defining how an individual evaluates their surroundings, handles stress and other external influences, and succeeds or fails in the workplace.
The World Health Organization explains that while working can benefit one’s mental health, several circumstances in the workplace might reverse this effect. There should be a concerted effort on the part of employers to create a setting that is beneficial to their workers’ emotional and psychological well-being.
How Does Disregarding Workers’ Mental Health Impact The Business?
Sadly, mental health problems are routinely disregarded on the job. Many businesses are reluctant to pry into their workers’ private lives in this way. Also, many individuals are reluctant to talk openly about their issues, even if they are harming their performance management on the job or are making their condition worse due to stress.
“If an employee can’t talk openly about problems with their mental health and well-being, it can lead to a cycle of mistrust and fear in which neither the employer nor the employee wants to talk about mental health issues. Neglecting the mental health of your employees can lead to issues for you and your staff, so you must do what you can to break this pattern.
How To Support The Mental Health Of Employees
To help ensure the emotional well-being of your staff, you and your HR department play a crucial role. You should make the office welcoming to all employees and offer them the help they need to succeed. We consulted professionals to learn the best ways to show your appreciation for your staff.
1. Educate Your Staff
It’s up to you, as the boss, to create a welcoming atmosphere at your company. Hold a company-wide meeting to discuss the pandemic’s potential effects on employees’ mental health if you haven’t already. Instruct your staff on how to boost self-care, lessen stress in the office, and prevent burnout. It may be helpful to have a medical expert come in and speak to employees about these issues and answer any questions they may have.
Employees can take charge of their mental health by hearing from a hired mental health professional who can outline activities that promote good mental health and point out indicators that it may be time to seek professional help.
2. Host Regular Check-In Meetings
It’s crucial to keep tabs on your staff members’ mental health frequently because of how rapidly it can shift. Following a company-wide meeting, we suggest that managers should have individual meetings with their staff. In this meeting, the supervisor can answer the worker’s follow-up questions on the company’s mental health benefits and explain them in further depth. Sometimes people are scared to speak up during huge team events and are more willing to confide in a one-on-one scenario. The stigma around mental health issues can be reduced if people are encouraged to discuss it openly and regularly at check-ins.
3. Prompt Healthy Self-Care Practices
Employees may be reluctant to request time off or disclose personal difficulties. Emphasize the value of self-care and set a good example for your staff to follow. To help your staff recharge their minds, you may want to institute paid mental health days or set aside time for regular team breaks. Setting aside time each week for a company-wide “walk,” during which workers would be expected to get up and move around if they were physically able and the weather was agreeable. “This guarantees that we all take a 30-minute vacation from work without worrying about the 10 emails or Slack messages accumulated in our absence.
4. You Should Talk More Than You Think You Need To
One study found that workers who reported poor communication from their bosses were 23% more likely to report mental health declines after the pandemic. Don’t forget to inform your team on recent changes at the company, such as the implementation of an OKR software or performance management system. Please explain any new or altered work policies and hours. Setting task expectations, prioritizing what is most important, and acknowledging what can be put off if necessary can all help to reduce stress.
Help your team learn about and make use of local mental health services by spreading the word. Nearly half of the employees in the study reported that their firm had not aggressively shared those. Whether or not you’ve already shared them, do so again. Also, many workers don’t use their mental health benefits because they’re too embarrassed to ask for help, so it’s important to normalize talking about mental health issues in the workplace. Even though managers will be on the front lines of tackling mental health concerns, it is also on the most senior executives in your company to take action.
5. Make Use Of Workplace Mental Health Policies And Resources
You may provide your staff with access to various mental health resources. You may help your employees cope with loss by providing them with an employee assistance program (EAP), grief counseling, bereavement leave, and referrals to psychiatrists, therapists, and mental health clinics that accept your insurance.
One vital benefit is an EAP,” which provides “professional, confidential assistance for difficulties like substance misuse, interpersonal problems, money concerns, and mental health conditions. A third-party vendor provides these services to help staff members contact the right people and organizations. In this way, businesses can help their workers without compromising their right to privacy on the job
For more assistance regarding employee engagement and management, reach out to us here.
Originally published at https://www.getjop.com on September 3, 2022.