Supporting The Mental Wellbeing Of Your Employees
If you have high levels of mental ill-health amongst your employees, it can significantly impact your business. Lack of productivity and motivation, increased absences and high levels of staff turnover can all be linked to poor mental health in the workplace. According to the Mental Health Foundation, studies demonstrate that businesses with high levels of positive mental wellbeing experience higher levels of productivity.
If you have high levels of mental ill-health amongst your employees, it can significantly impact your business. Lack of productivity and motivation, increased absences and high levels of staff turnover can all be linked to poor mental health in the workplace.
According to the Mental Health Foundation, studies demonstrate that businesses with high levels of positive mental wellbeing experience higher levels of productivity.
Studies carried out by mental health charity Mind found that one in five employees have called in sick due to work-related stress and 42% of employees surveyed had considered resigning due to workplace stress.
Poor mental wellbeing in the workplace can be costly for your business. Unfortunately, many business owners and employers aren’t sure how to support the mental wellbeing of their employees.
In this blog, we’re sharing our top 5 tips for supporting the mental wellbeing of your employees.
1. Educate Yourself
Before you can provide mental wellbeing support, you must first understand how mental ill-health can impact your employees. Educating yourself is the first step in supporting the mental wellbeing of your employees.
Mental health training can equip you with the knowledge to better understand mental health conditions and recognise signs and symptoms. It can also provide you with the tools you need to support your team.
You should also offer mental health training to all managers and leaders within your company, particularly if your business has several departments. A culture of understanding and support should start at the very top and be demonstrated throughout the company.
2. Remove Workplace Stigma And Increase Awareness
Is mental health a taboo subject within your business? Would your employees feel comfortable enough to tell you that they are struggling with their mental health?
To support the mental wellbeing of your employees, you need to create a workplace that is open and honest about mental health. Leading by example, yourself and your management team should encourage honest conversations about mental ill-health and the impact it can have on an individual’s overall wellbeing.
Perhaps have a team meeting to discuss mental health and encourage your team to help you change the stigma surrounding mental health.
You could even get your team together to raise money for mental health charities. Whether it’s a fun run, sports challenge, casino night or fancy dress lunch, fundraising can increase mental health awareness and allow your team to bond.
3. Provide Employees With Wellbeing Tools
Wellbeing tools are designed to help your employees priorities their wellbeing. An employee wellbeing app, for example, allows your team to track their sleep, physical activity and mood.
It helps them recognise stressors and provides employees with wellbeing support, tips and advice tailored to them.
As an employer, you also have access to the data collected by the wellbeing app, giving you an indication of which employees may need additional mental wellbeing support.
Aside from a wellbeing app, you could also provide team training and workshops. These workshops will educate your team on how to look after their mental wellbeing.
4. Create A Mental Health Policy & Toolkit
Every business should have a mental health policy for its staff. This policy should clearly outline the support available to employees and should explain how staff can access this support.
Having an external mental health professional is also important as some employees may need professional support. The company mental health policy will also provide information on mental health-related sick leave and returning to work after time off.
A mental health toolkit provides resources to help your employees understand and improve their mental ill-health. Mind and Mental Health At Work are among many websites offering resources and tips on how to create an effective mental health toolkit.
5. Check In Regularly
Depending on the size of your team, you should aim to check in with each team member regularly. An informal one-to-one meeting allows you to see how your employee is coping with their workload/projects.
It provides an opportunity for your employees to raise any concerns or stressors they have and talk openly in a private setting. Perhaps it’s an unhealthy work-life balance or an unmanageable workload that is causing stress in the workplace.
If you have a large business with several departments, each department manager should be encouraged to check in with their employees regularly.
One to one chats allow you to better understand the problems your team is facing both in and out of the workplace.
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