Do you know that about 37% of workers claimed that their work environment contributed to adverse mental health issues? The pandemic upended life at the workplace as we know it. Though people typically resent change, the past few years have been fraught with dynamic changes and challenges that were certainly unavoidable. The only silver lining was the normalization of mental health issues. Mental health at work became a subject of debate, and corporate wellness became a preached and practiced concept.
Around 45% of employees complained of anxiety and depression, and 61% of workers claimed that mental health affected their productivity, prioritizing mental health at work became indispensable.
Why promoting mental health at work is the need of the hour?
Facilitating a better mental health-oriented environment and supporting employees with mental health issues is crucial because mental health has a considerably massive impact on an employee’s work performance and job satisfaction. The past few years have represented a remarkably uncertain work environment for employees. While some were working from the comfort of their homes, others still had to live in the dilemma of 9-5.
Adjusting to a disrupted lifestyle can be overwhelming at times, which can lead to a sunken employee performance chart. Employees are one of the most vital assets of an organization, and if you want to leverage the full potential of your workforce, then promoting mental wellness isn’t an option; it is a necessity.
What can leaders do?
Leaders can play a huge role in promoting mental wellness for their employees as they are the spine of the company culture. Several stages can be inculcated with the existing work culture to promote better mental health for employees. Some of these steps are listed as follows:
- Offer support to your employees. Create clear workplace guidelines for mental health. Develop processes to address early identification, prevention, support, and rehabilitation for mental health conditions.
- Establish an employee assistance program and lay rules for prohibiting bullying and harassment in the workplace. Strategize a process for investigating consequences for violations as well.
- Train your employees with different team coaching programs to keep communication open. So that chances of grudges or conflicts become minimal, and everyone takes accountability for their actions. In addition, you can also start mental wellness days like some companies that have started allowing employees to take or unpaid mental health leaves from work.
- Lastly, monitor your employees to ensure that they are happy and healthy. You can also introduce different screening resources such as surveys and questionnaires to find out how your employees feel during different times of the month.
Conclusion
If you feel that your employees are experiencing job burnout or any sort of mental health issues, ensure to invest in corporate wellness programs. By promoting mental health at work, you can increase your enterprise’s overall productivity and decrease absenteeism. However, there’s still a stigma surrounding mental health, and people fear becoming isolated or viewed as abnormal when they reveal mental health issues. Having a mentally sound workforce that shows up to work in a good frame of mind benefits everyone. So, start now with mental wellness programs and show your employees that you care.
Team Transformation offers customized coaching solutions for organizations interested in supporting mental health at work. Book a discovery call today to get started.
