Building A Supportive Workplace: Proactive Steps To Address Common Mental Health Red Flags

More often than not, an individual’s well-being can impact how well they can perform at work. From my experience, it is easier to bounce back mentally when employees have a supportive workplace with pro-employee policies. For example, the banking industry allows high-performance employees to take breaks when needed — and many other sectors occasionally conduct motivational seminars to improve employee morale and foster motivation. Doing things that can boost your employees’ mental health is crucial, and maintaining a supportive workplace environment can help.

This article will discuss how to build an effective workplace that can improve employees’ mental well-being.?

How To Build A Supportive Workplace?

A supportive workplace is where employers value job performance and the employees’ emotional, physical, and mental well-being. Leaders believe in and invest in their teammates’ potential in a supportive workplace, including prioritising mental health.?

One way they usually show this is to invest in motivational seminars and workshops. Another is having a keynote speaker who can provide uplifting insights to improve workplace performance. These can provide employees with valuable tools and strategies to enhance their health and happiness, fostering a supportive work culture and environment.

Possible Mental Health Red Flags To Lookout For

While a supportive work environment is vital, there are red flags you need to look out for. Red flags are usually warning signs. They can also be subtle messages or habits that you must look closely at.?

Here are some possible red flags:

• Information about resources isn’t accessible – Lack of access to information results in poor output. For example, the workplace has no coherent foundation for the organisation’s policies and procedures without a company handbook. Common information should be readily available to any employee or employer.??
• Celebration, praise, and recognition are too few – Feedback is vital for employees. By depriving feedback, they will not know how to improve their skills. As a result, their talents become stagnant.
• Lack of communication between employees and employers – Lack of communication is a bad sign for any workplace. It shows no transparency between departments, affecting the company’s productivity.
• No concrete plan for creating a functional workplace – A plan must be set for a workplace to function. A typical red flag is when the workplace is floundering, with no proper processes set in stone.
• Little to no presence of leaders or managers – Employees need guidance from leaders or managers. Without a person of authority, no order is in place.?

How To Create A Supportive Work Environment

Employers must have a work culture that allows them to empathise with their employees. The more relatable you are to your employees, the more supportive the workplace will be.?

Consider these steps to build an effective workplace.??

• Acknowledge and address your employees’ concerns – This is the first step in building a supportive workplace. If your employees have problems, you must preempt them by establishing an open-door policy. By enforcing an open-door policy, you send out a message to your employees that indicates to employees that you are open to an employee’s questions, complaints, suggestions, and challenges.?
• Put yourself in their shoes – Listening is an essential aspect of communication. By listening to the employee’s side, you get context on their experience. According to HR Reporter, there is a stigma for not letting employees admit their feelings. Because of mental health stigma, some employees avoid talking about their experiences. Therefore, employers should be open to allowing employees to speak about their sides.?

As an employer, you need to understand their point of view. Employees have different responsibilities and tasks that require them to look at things from a particular perspective. Furthermore, it is also important to empathise with them.?

• Do check-ins – Check-ins are an excellent way for managers to check on employees and their well-being. You can do this weekly or monthly, depending on your employees’ preference.?

Build An Effective Workplace With The Mental Rockstar Program!

Building a supportive workplace is a big responsibility. You must communicate with your employees and see how they are doing. Try reaching out to them once you notice something is off and understand where your employees are coming from. Ultimately, apart from the motivational seminars and plans to build a supportive work culture, employers should also empathise with their employees to create a supportive work environment in the long run.?

The Mental Rockstar Program aims to foster a healthy, supportive workplace environment for your organisation. Led by YuJin, an award-winning mental toughness coach, former lawyer, and investment banker, he provides motivational seminars, inspirational keynote speeches, and employee workshops to unleash peak performance. Contact Mental Rockstar now!