The crisis of 2020 made everyone realize just how important mental health is, especially in the workplace. Be it physical problems from being in the office to mental stress from unmanaged workplace processes; a lot can affect your employees’ mental well-being, leading to hazardous consequences.
Let’s Paint The Picture 🖼️
Mental Health Awareness is the need of the hour at workspaces. Increasing workload, unjust workplace practices, inadequate compensation, workplace harassment, and absence of inclusive practices in the office—a lot can lead to employees feeling stressed and concerned, often pushing them to quit. Here are some stats that best describe just how much stress leads to the loss of talent to companies in the US.
➡️ A whopping 94% of professional workers have reported feeling unusually high-stress levels.
➡️ And this has only increased as generations move on; 3/4th of corporate workers today believe so.
➡️ Anger, resentment, and worry are the common emotions most 15 to 50-year-olds feel in the US at the moment.
➡️ Owing to this, 16% of the corporate workforce is forced to quit their jobs.
Mental Health at the workplace is serious business. And the quicker companies are to address this issue, the faster they can equip themselves to take better care of their employees, leading to higher success rates.
But how can you integrate menthol health awareness and enhancement practices into your existing business process cycle? We’ve got you (just like always).
We’ve put together some business practices that one can implement in their organization, from small to large-scale businesses.
🤝🏻 Act As You Say
Instead of simply stating that you support mental health, act accordingly too. Start by setting work boundaries and prioritizing breaks to set an example for your teammates. This will also help avoid burnout while you, as a manager or representative, take care of them.
📞 Ensure Check-Ins
Often, companies don’t have the financial resources to help employees get insurance or aid to cover therapy. If you’re a business of the like, ensure you routinely check in with your team. If you notice someone struggling mentally, make sure to take time out to speak to them, let them know that you’re there to help, relieve them of some responsibilities, and provide support.
Even if you’re not a financially pressed company, routine check-ins are necessary.
📋 Include Mental Health Care In Your Company Care Plans
If your employees aren’t aware of mental health resources being a part of the organization’s health care plan, they’ll simply skip it. Ditch the fine print and communicate with them effectively. Let them know of the extra days off, mental health coverage, regular assessment, etc.
🌱 You Can Provide The Resources
If you’re not able to help your employees with financial aid, invest in an in-house counselor. You can hire a trained professional to help your employees feel better in the workplace and effectively manage their stress levels.
Another way you could help your employees (that isn’t monetary aid) is through effective research. Create an organized bank of resources that contains links to nearby mental healthcare centers, local service providers, insurance agents with flexible or low-cost plans, etc.
📝 Change Policies
There is no harm in changing your organization’s policies a few times if it helps your employees’ mental health. Moreover, it’ll only build trust, empathy, and loyalty. Ensure you’re inclusive in your new policies and cover all of your employees’ needs and requirements while ensuring the business processes don’t take a hit.
➕ Be Inclusive At The Office
It’s the little things that count. Something as simple as gender-neutral bathrooms and wheelchair assistance built into the office space’s design is a great addition to the workplace that makes your employees feel welcomed; a break room designed to relax your employees makes them feel better during their work break. Small steps to being an inclusive space can bring about a lot of change.
The fight against mental illnesses is challenging and alarming in every instance. That’s one more reason why organizations must work closely with their employees to tackle the problem together.
