Roughly 1 out of 5 adults in the United States have a mental health disorder. As America is refocusing its approach towards health-related disorders and encouraging those who want help to seek treatment. As most of us spend roughly one-third of our lives at work, there is a significant amount of importance for employers to help to support mental health in the workplace.
There are many issues contributing to poor mental health in the workplace, such as job insecurity, work overload, rocky company culture, and instability of a safe and productive atmosphere. Due to this, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that mental health issues cost the global economy $1 trillion per year in productivity loss.
As the push to improve all aspects of your employees’ health can help solve the wider mental health issue on hand, it can also spark happiness and productivity throughout the office. The following list and infographic at the end show 7 influential ways to support mental health as an employer.
How to raise awareness and support mental health in the workplace:
1. Implement an employee assistance program
An employee assistance program (EAP) is a voluntary benefits program that offers screenings, assessments, and counseling for personal and work-related problems that affect their mental health and work performance.
2. Optimize workloads
A recent study showed over 70% of workers felt they were being held to unrealistic workload expectations leading to unhealthy behaviors, such as drinking or crying regularly.
Cutting out unnecessary meetings and balancing workloads that meet company and employee goals can benefit in the long run. Do your best to make the the change management process as smooth as possible.
3. Create a stable and supportive company culture
Disjointed workplace cultures can leave employees feeling unsupported or uncertain of expectations. Those who receive clear expectations and feel support mental health wise are happier, healthier, and more productive.
4. Cultivate inclusion and connection
An Oxford Economics study found that 63% of employees don’t have a quiet area to work. That loud environment can have anegative impact on productivity, as well as personal well-being.
Businesses can avoid these situations by training managers to recognize when team members are feeling uncomfortable and encourage effective collaboration.
5. Host seminars or workshops to support mental health
Company-wide mental health education can assist your team in easily understanding how best to support mental health and improve awareness about the issues. Training can also prove you care about employees’ overall health and happiness.
6. Create a safe and productive atmosphere
Eliminating negativity, respecting all ideas, and even changing the lighting and noise levels throughout the office can make a huge impact on mental health. Offering quiet areas, well-lit work stations, and access to nature can drive workplace happiness and support mental health in the workplace.
7. Conduct anonymous surveys
Finally, get to know the concerns of staff and how well managers are performing. Do so by giving your team the chance to provide anonymous feedback in the form of surveys or open-ended questionnaires. This process can present business leaders‘ advice to identify patterns of abusive or lack of knowledge on mental health concerns.
This must be the generation X employees. The millennial don’t seem to have these sorts of problems as they put themselves and their rights before there work. I am not saying this is wrong, btw, just a fact.
I totally get what you’re saying, Robbie. And you’re always welcome to share opinions that differ from what’s posted here on the blog – Starting conversations is what it’s all about!
This is such a pretty Infographic! I’m studying business administration at uni and this post pretty much sums up two lectures’ worth of Management Sociology hahah! Thanks for the insight :)
Aw, glad you got value out of this one. Wishing you all the best with your business degree!