A lot of employers assume that the mental health of their employees is none of their business. The way an employee behaves will impact the employee’s communication and productivity. Some signs of mental health issues in the workplace may include reduced productivity, frequent absenteeism, and increased health issues.
One of the main steps that an employer can use to improve the employees’ productivity is to help them check and improve their mental health. A healthy workplace won’t be able to prevent all mental health problems because other life experiences and genetics also play a role.
Employers should always take steps to improve their employees’ mental strength. There are several ways employers can use to take care of the employees’ mental health:
1. Encourage a Work/Life Balance
It is wrong to congratulate those employees who arrive early and work till late or sometimes expect them to continue working even at night. This is because congratulating them will only hurt your company in the long run. The productivity of the employees will most likely decline without a healthy balance.
Encourage them to go on vacations during their off days to help them develop a healthy life even outside the office. They can also spend time with their family, engage in their hobbies, and create time to take care of themselves.
2. Talk About Mental Health in the Workplace
Discuss it in the workplace because sometimes everyone struggles to have good mental health. Don’t be afraid to discuss the issues related to depression, stress, anxiety, or other forms of mental illness. Get a professional to educate the managers about the signs of mental illness and how they can respond.
Mental health talk should be a priority in every workplace even if you choose to give incentives to those who engage in wellness programs.
3. Offer Free Screening Services and Therapy Sessions for Your Employees
Employees do not recognize the signs of mental illness and that is why most issues are never treated. Most times people term their mental issues as stress or sometimes they convince themselves that it will go away on their own.
All organizations should offer free screening services that will help employees assess the risk factors associated with mental health. Those employees who know they’re at risk, are more likely to seek treatment.
4. Reduce the Stigma
Talking about self-care and mental health in meetings or in emails can help reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. Employees are more likely to seek treatment when the employers won’t call them crazy in times when they are struggling with depression or stress.
5. Mental Health Toolkit
Organizations should have a mental health toolkit to help their employees learn about coping mechanisms. This mental health toolkit should for example include;
- Employee’s wellness surveys
- Room to relax away from their screens.
- Create Jigsaw puzzles, have books with inspirational stories, magazines, and adult coloring books.
6. Regularly Check in With Your Employees
Regular meetings with your employees are important because they will help increase trust, build a culture of openness and it is easy for the managers to determine an employee who is mentally ill. Watch out for any employee’s decrease in productivity or sometimes their personality changes. In case you notice an employee who is struggling, it is important to talk to them.
