For a business to run smoothly, employee mental and physical wellness is equally important. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased mental health issues in the workplace. Employee performance is hampered by mental health conditions like stress, anxiety, and depression, which has a detrimental effect on the organization. Therefore, for the sake of the company as a whole, it is time for businesses to give employee mental health more attention than ever.
What is employee mental health?
Employee mental health is the psychological, emotional, and social well-being in a work environment. Every employee must be in a condition of sound mental health to realize their full potential, handle everyday challenges, be productive at work, and contribute to the overall growth of the organization.
Why is employee mental health important?
Paying close attention to the mental wellbeing of your employees is important for both their welfare and your company. The following justifications support the importance of employee mental health:
Employees with poor mental health wind up costing businesses more than just money. When employees who are feeling squeezed start looking for another employment with a more supportive atmosphere and culture, which might cause staffing concerns.
Mental health issues like stress, anxiety, and depression lead to many workers leave their jobs which effects the company.
Companies are impacted by employee mental health issues through increased absenteeism which negatively impacts production and revenues.
Stress at work is a significant contributor to occupational illness, low productivity, and mistakes by employees.
Ways to ensure sound employee mental health
Small businesses have a lot of options for helping their employees maintain their mental health. Here are some strategies for supporting the mental health of your employees.
- Provide a safe and accepting company culture
Research shows that stress is a leading cause of mental and physical health problems. Corporate culture plays a big role into it. Every small business is different, and there are many ways that company culture can affect employee stress. When it comes to company culture, there are a handful of strategic solutions you can take. As a leader, starting the conversation about mental health (be it through personal stories or articles about mental health) with your employees can be a big help. Make sure you’ve clear methods in place to identify and address misconduct, such as when leaders lose their cool, ridicule their teams, use pressure as a leadership tool, and the like. If your organization is deficient in some of these areas, now is the time to invest in change. - Make mental health resources available to your employees
The simplest thing you can do to promote mental health in your organisation is to provide mental health resources. Whether it’s making sure your company’s insurance covers mental illness or giving your employees time off to deal with mental illness, there are a variety of ways to provide mental health resources to your employees. People have likely found coping mechanisms that work best for them. The best things you can do as an employer is give them the opportunity to help themselves with days off facility. - Develop and implement mental health policies
You can develop and implement mental health policies depending on the style of your business. It could be:
• Adhering to the policy of not sending work emails on weekends.
• Offering classes on stress management
• Encouraging your employees to eat lunch away from their desks
• Discussing the benefits of getting adequate quality sleep
• Encourage your employees to take classes to learn a new skillset
• Install on-site facilities such as a space for exercising, yoga room etc.
• Ensure your employees enjoy their off days fully without any disturbance. - Provide flexible schedule options
For many employees, especially remote workers, and mothers, they may face scheduling challenges that might increase stress. Offering your employees the flexibility in scheduling and the options to make their own schedules will not only ease their stress but will also result in better productivity of their work. They can work at a time when they are comfortable. Flexibility in scheduling your work time does not mean decreasing your standards. Allowing your employer to set their own work schedule will probably help them in finding ways to work in a more efficient manner. Offering flexible schedule options proves that you trust your employees and will let them be more sincere and confident in their work. - Evaluate the workloads of your employee
Every employer must evaluate the workloads of their employee. You can evaluate your employee’s workload through an audit hat you conduct yourself or through self-reporting from your workers. It is necessary that you recognize overworked employees and find ways to quickly solve the problem. Also, find methods to compensate or at least exhibit your appreciation for the workers in your company. So, for better work performance, always try to evaluate the workloads of your employee. - Mandate holiday time
Every company must mandate a vacation time for their employee. Taking mandatory vacations allows employees to return to work with an improved sense of purpose. Many employees have a hard time taking an off from work because many jobs can be done from phones even when they are physically not present at the office. This leads to stress and many other health problems. Employees can take a real break to recharge their energy, with mandatory vacation time. Companies can enforce paid leaves for employees at specific times in order to guarantee that they are there during the busiest times and away for the slowest times. Having mandatory vacation time for employees will decrease stress and increase productivity at work.
It demonstrates how you care about your employees when you endeavor to ensure their good mental health. Taking care of your employees’ mental health as a business ensure that you have a dedicated and motivated workforce that works toward the organization’s maximum efficiency.
