What do we mean by "employee mental health is HRM’s business"? Should employers become responsible for employees' mental health? Should HR hire people with mental health issues to be inclusive? How should HRMs manage employees’ mental health issues as their business? These are the likely questions on your mind when you clicked to view this article and we address each one below.
- We mean the negative stigma surrounding employee mental health among HR managers should be reduced.
- HR managers should regard mental health with the same priority as physical health. One is not more important than the other. If an employer makes arrangements for the physical wellness of employees with HMOs, for example, they should also make arrangements for employees’ mental healthiness.
- Employers should view prioritising employee mental health not as merely 'a nice thing to do' but as an essential duty.
- HRMs have a duty to safeguard employees from mental health issues that may arise from work-related factors, not necessarily other aspects of the employee's life. For instance, while an employer may not be able to prevent an employee from abusing hard drugs that can affect their mental health, they can protect the employee from work situations that might lead them to depend on drugs.
- Each employee consists of both a body and a mind. In fact, the mind contributes more to the business than the body. While the employer sees the body working, it is the brain that controls it. Essentially, the employer is hiring the brain/mind of the employee. Employers hire the mind and get the body for free.
- According to The Workplace Health Report, 76% of professionals are experiencing moderate to high levels of stress, and 35% of employees report that the stress they experience at work negatively impacts them. Ensuring that employees are not mentally affected by workplace practices is the responsibility of the employer and the HRMs
- "Happy employees are 13% more productive, on average (Spill, 2024)." Healthy, happy employees are more productive and engaged, leading to better business outcomes. If the goal is business success, employee mental health significantly impacts it.
HRMs already hire people with mental health issues. At least 1 in 4 workers express feeling down, depressed, or hopeless from work – not sometimes, but often (World Health Organisation. Just as HR managers hire people with a range of physical health issues, they also hire individuals with varying degrees of mental wellness. As long as HR managers are hiring people with brains, there’s more than a 20% chance they are hiring someone with a mental health issue.
- ?High Workload and Pressure
- ?Lack of Work-Life Balance
- ?Poor Managerial Support
- ?Workplace Culture and Relationships
- Toxic Workplace Environment
- Job Insecurity
- Workplace Harassment and Bullying
- The HRMs must survey the workplace to identify and seek to eliminate factors that are causing tensions for employees. Sometimes, HRMs turn a blind eye to these factors, either because they are more on the business side or because they have not considered the mental health of employees business enough for them.
- They should be accessible. It’s a must to have conversations with the employees and not assume that they are fine. Employers/HRs can provide an open platform for employees to talk about their days, problems, and concerns.
- They should recognize that the workspace environment is never automatically mentally safe until deliberate measures are put in place.
- They should ensure it's clear to the employees that the company cares about their mental health and it's their right to be mentally safe.
- Establish an employee assistance program (EAP).
- You can also read WHO’s Guidelines on Mental Health at work.
Beyond reading this newsletter, we encourage HR Managers and employers to find out what level of mental support they can provide to their employees.
