Improving mental health in the workplace

Recently, we were fortunate enough to meet Alistair Mitchell , the Program Co-ordinator at LIVIN .?This Australian service delivers mental health awareness and stigma reduction presentations all over Australia, to businesses and organisations, with Al himself having presented at over 7,000 people.?

Statistics show that 50 per cent of Australians will suffer mental illness in their lifetime, and of that amount, only 54 per cent will seek help.?Sadly, the suicide rate is also – and still - increasing.

Encouraging and teaching people not just about understanding the warning signs and symptoms for themselves but being able to spot those in their friends and colleagues in the workplace are as important as each other. Being there as part of the support network, even with a limited or basic understanding of what mental health and mental ill-health looks like, can only benefit the organisation and its people.

Speak Up

It’s OK to not feel ok.?This conversation has been welcomed for a while now, but what about in the workplace?

There are many demographics that make up employees in the workplace, such as religion, ethnicity, financial status, and with these comes many different triggers. Older schools of belief would state that you turn up and do your job, and “leave your personal worries at home”. That you are there to do your job so you can provide for yourself or your family, nothing else. This increases the often very valid concern for some of risking losing their job, or being relegated to undesirable tasks, roles, or accounts, if they speak up vulnerably about their personal worries. Herein lies the challenge many have at taking care of their mental wellbeing when, for a majority of their day, they are told to pretend it doesn’t exist.

To counteract some of this, many organisations now have a HR and Wellbeing Manager instead of just the head-hunter role of HR Manager. This role and person is in place to create and encourage practices from the top level down that support staff and organisational wellbeing, mitigating the fallout from stress and overwhelm. But companies only know when it’s a problem when it’s spoken about.

Self-Care and Care for Others

Providing employees with some ideas around self-care strategies might encourage them to practice self-care in and outside of the workplace. Practicing self-care can put people in a better position to be able to help someone else, much like aircraft safety that requires you “please fit your mask first before helping others”. You’re in and create far more danger to yourself and others if you ignore your own needs in an attempt to help someone else. You can’t help anyone if you’re passed out and lacking oxygen to do so.

Organisations with a mentally healthy workforce have spent time focussing on the well-being of their employees. In some cases this looks like providing daily, or regular, tasks or events where they talk and connect their people. The people-first companies who practice what they preach by ensuring they’re not just looking at a number, but instead looking at and connecting with a person individually. The benefit of this is when businesses focus on individuals and individual needs, outcomes are improved and increased.

When there is appreciation in all directions in a workplace, between employer, team, and the people around them, the more productivity and fulfilment everyone enjoys. A win-win for all!

There are many ways and resources available to create a more psychologically safe workplace. Not only will it benefit your team individually, but it helps to create a more robust, enriched workplace that operates far more sustainably.

We have a 2 Recruiters 1 Mic podcast episode on this very topic that you can listen to here.

For more information about LIVINWell in Work programs, reach out to LIVIN at https://www.livin.org/

Source Junction is a part of the Talent United group of companies.