Mental health in the workplace is a topic on everyone's agenda these days. As our understanding of mental health in the workplace is changing and how pervasive mental health is, it's worth taking a look at the basics. Supporting mental health in the workplace is no longer a pleasant thing, it is a necessity. Creating wellness solutions to help your employees thrive is the first step.
Similarly, employees can encourage their employers to offer workplace mental health programs. But before we dive into workplace suggestions for combating these factors, let's explore the full meaning of mental health. Positive mental health in the workplace helps teams stay agile as they change roles and responsibilities. It is essential to create a safe space where employees at all levels can communicate openly without discrimination. Without it, you risk losing feedback that can help you retain valuable talent.
Inadequate Health and Safety Policies
Workplace health and safety policies aim to protect the well-being of employees, visitors and customers. For example, a general policy might include consulting employees on daily health issues or showing a commitment to safe working conditions. Do employees work with hazardous materials or poorly maintained equipment? Is the workplace overcrowded, poorly lit, ventilated, or unhygienic? Are occupational accidents common? Employee safety complaints or concerns left unanswered? Workplaces with weak health and safety policies can reduce employee mental health, lose staff, prosecute risks and reduce profitability.
Bad Communication and Management Practices
Gentle and engaging communication and management practices are the hallmark of a good manager-employee relationship. Poor communication and practices create tension in the relationship, affect mental health and increase workplace stress.
Performance
Employees' expectations of consistently performing at the highest level put a strain on them. It leads to increased workload and working hours, increased stress and emotional exhaustion.
The same is true for employees at all levels. And the results can be bad for organizations.
Here are the Five Negative Effects of Poor Mental Health at Work:
1. Not Interested in One's Job
Poor mental health leads to loss of motivation and lack of focus. When we have mental health issues at work, our minds get stuck on our problems and make it difficult to organize our thoughts and emotions.
2. Productivity and Business Performance
High performance is mental power in action. Poor mental health can reduce job performance as it makes accessing behavioral skills that increase creativity and flexibility more difficult. Without these skills, we wouldn't have the psychological resources to perform well in our job.
3. Reduced Physical Ability and Daily Functioning
From social anxiety to decreased cognitive performance and working memory, it has a huge impact on your daily life and physical capacity.
4. Miscommunication
It is difficult to communicate well when we are not feeling well emotionally. Low mental health can lead to misinterpretation of events and people or to overreacting. Speaking in a passive-aggressive tone can come across as being a poor listener or displaying a negative attitude.
5. Bad Decision Making
Poor mental health can lead to a lack of impulse control, unhealthy thoughts and poor decision making. Poor decision-making can result in missed meetings, late arrivals, withdrawal of commitments, or non-compliance with company policies.
Ways to Improve Mental Health at Work
When it comes to promoting well-being in the workplace, creating proactive options that help people improve and maintain their mental health day in and day out is key to helping employees thrive. Here are some proactive options for promoting mental health as both employer and employee.
As an employer:
The most vital action an employer can take is to offer resources for those who need both broader mental health and clinical services. Making clinical services accessible is critical for workers with mental health disorders. However, the majority of workers do not need clinical care – they need mental health support. Employees need help with coping skills, stress management and building resilience.
Below are six strategies employers can use to promote mental health in the workplace:
1. Employee Assistance Program
It has traditionally been a work-based program that assists employees with personal or work-related problems that may be detrimental to their job performance or well-being. Employees are provided with free therapy support and relationship difficulties, traumatic events (e.g. workplace).Workforce violence), legal issues, health issues, and a wide variety of other issues.
Employees can access services online, by phone, video, or face-to-face.
2. Recreation Areas
Quiet areas reserved for recreational activities give employees the opportunity to take mid-day breaks to unwind and de-stress. Equally important is to make it culturally acceptable to take breaks and use these spaces. Leaders and managers can set the tone.
3. Mental Health Self-Assessment Tools Available to All Employees
Self-assessment tools provide questionnaires and tools to assess mental health issues.
These tools do not provide a diagnosis, but rather help discover whether further evaluation or resources would be beneficial to the employee.
For example, tools may include:
-Mood assessment checklist
-Work-life balance survey
-Assess your current status survey
-Online alcohol and drug help center
-Online mental health check
4. Free Scans for Depression
Clinical screenings should be obtained from mental health professionals who provide feedback and clinical referrals when appropriate. Otherwise, the effort to evaluate and seek treatment may become a barrier.
As an employee:
To promote mental well-being in the workplace, employees should encourage employers to offer stress management training and mental health programs that meet their needs and interests.
Additionally, here are six strategies employees can use to improve mental health:
1. Participate in Employer-Supported Programs and Activities
Employees should take advantage of employer programs to learn skills and get the support they need.
2. Share the Ups and Downs with Others
To help reduce stigma around mental health, employees can share more of their own experiences with other co-workers when appropriate. If you don't feel very confident, it's more about sharing your humanity than going into details – coworkers can't replace mental health professionals.
3. Practice Coping Skills Throughout the Day
To cope with daily work stresses, employees can apply skills that promote healthier mindsets, relationships, and self-image.
Coping tools may include:
-Deep breath
-Healthy communication
-Prioritize and focus on one task at a time to avoid being overwhelmed
-Using positive self-talk
4. Practice Self-Care During Lunch Breaks
Daily lunch breaks are more than just an opportunity to eat – they're also the perfect time to practice self-care.
Practicing self-care during lunch breaks may include:
-Listen to inspiring podcasts
-Meditation
-Deep breath
- Going for a short hike
5. Nurture Relationships
Nurturing social connections at work is key to preventing social isolation and loneliness at work.
Why Should Companies Worry About Mental Health?
Poor mental health at work can cause:
-Unaffiliated employees
-Poor communication
-High turnover
-Safety obligations
-Poor job performance
-Low efficiency
-Bad decision making
Companies can lead by stigmatizing mental health as an issue and taking a broader view of the company's role. We can redefine mental health by focusing on solutions that help employees develop personally and professionally, as well as providing support and access to clinical care for those who need it most. With understanding, creativity and support, companies can provide the best mental health programs for their employees, with both personal and corporate agreements, the Tappy Online therapy platform is always by your side!
