Mental Health and Wellness: How it Plays a Role in the Workplace
When the World Health Organization (WHO) first declared Covid-19 as a pandemic, the entire word was immediately plagued with the worst kind of fear; the fear of the unknown. No one knew how long the disease was going to stay and how terrible it could be. Economy throughout the globe declined and many businesses closed down, leaving their employees jobless—at least 81 million had lost their jobs in Asia alone. Job insecurity combined with financial issues became the main concerns of almost every employee.
That specific time of depression, however, might have passed, but the virus is actually still hurting us—physically and especially mentally. In fact, according to the latest State of HR report by HR Exchange Network, the majority of HR leaders agree that one of their current biggest problems is the deteriorating mental health and wellbeing of their employees caused by the many consequences of the pandemic. Those surveyed claim that burnout is one of the top consequences of the pandemic which directly affects not only their working performance but their mental state.
Mental wellness plays a big role in one's physical health; having great mental health can surely benefit your physical well-being while poor mental health can result in life-endangering diseases, habits, and behaviours. Heart attacks, strokes, and respiratory diseases are some of the worst effects caused by poor mental health. Over 50% of people with serious mental conditions also reported their troubles when it comes to sleeping—insomnia and sleep apnea are common among them.
Because of this, employees are beginning to expect their HR to pay more attention to their mental wellness. In this new normal, HR leaders must provide the ultimate support and guidance to those in need as their mental state can clearly affect their performance and productivity. But, before HR can start doing anything, they must first understand what exactly is mental health and its correlation with mental wellness.
According to the WHO, mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. In much simpler words, mental wellness is related to the health and functioning of our minds. It is also important to acknowledge that the absence of mental illness does not guarantee mental wellness; you might not have been diagnosed with anxiety and depression disorder, but that does not mean your mental state is at a hundred percent.
Employees whose mental health is deteriorating will begin to see some tremendous changes in their work performances in no time. Battling with anxiety, for instance, can lead to a chain of negative outcomes. The most common result of anxiety is losing concentration thus slowing you down from completing even the simplest task of the day. Reasonable deadlines will now be seen as nearly impossible and multi-tasking will be more difficult than ever before. Anxiety can also take a toll on a person’s emotional reaction. Employees with poor mental health prefer to avoid direct communication with their co-workers. If they do somehow communicate, they will tend to take professional criticism and comments personally thus causing them to doubt their own capabilities. In the end, this will affect their confidence and will only heighten their anxiety level.
Neglecting the early signs of poor mental health of the employees can negatively impact an organization’s employee engagement. So, what can HR do in order to minimize this issue? First things first: identify the key stressors at the workplace that could possibly contribute to your employees’ mental state.
Although WFH surely can provide you with more flexible hours, it can also disrupt your work-life balance. Remote meetings and video conferences are not so common pre-covid, but things have changed these days. Employees are expected to be available for a call no matter the time—some calls last even after working hours. Long working hours along with extended screen time can easily add to the stress among employees. Heavy workload, as well as unrealistic demands and deadlines, often go hand in hand with the contribution of mental distress among employees. While the excessive workload is responsible for over-tired workers, unrealistic demands and deadlines can cause absolute frustration and sometimes, anger which in turn can be clearly seen in their work quality. Employees will tend to not put their best work on the table, completely miss their deadlines, and lose respect towards their employers and superiors.
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Although change is not at all unusual in business, not everyone can easily deal with it at all times. In fact, frequent changes in an organization can not only cause stress, but also anxiety which can directly lead to a declining work performance and engagement level—a study conducted by the American Psychological Association said that at least 55% of employees who faced organizational change showed signs of chronic stress with 35% of them reported some health problems occurred due to the constant stress. Salary cuts, position downgrades, the loss of benefits, and relocation to another city, state, or even country are some of the major devastating organizational changes that are responsible for the employees’ crumbling mental health.
Poor interpersonal communication and relationships can also contribute to stress. No matter how independent you are, it is nearly impossible for us humans to work alone all the time. At some point, we need at least one person whom we can share thoughts, ideas, opinions, and even feelings with. Interpersonal communication is not only limited to words, but also facial expressions, body language, gestures, and tonal variation. However, it is pretty common for employees to not see each other eye to eye—sometimes, you are left with no choice, but to work with a co-worker you’re not so fond of. Aside from your mental state, this active dislike and negative energy can also affect productivity and work efficiency.
Whether you truly love your job or not, recognition at a workplace is definitely what makes you feel extra motivated. Imagine pouring your heart out to a specific task and spending hours after another completing it, but none mentions even the slightest appreciation and recognition that you deserve. This will not only cause stress and frustration but also demotivate you from working hard on the next task or project.
Discrimination, bullying, and sexual harassment in a workplace have been discussed by many for as long as one can remember, but unfortunately, these issues still exist all around the globe and are considered some of the top problems that can drag down a business's efficiency and reputation. These harassments can no doubt lead to an increased risk of anxiety and depression. Some might even get their self-esteem seriously diminished while others who have it worse can even get to a point where they are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
So, what can HR professionals do to ensure their employees are protected from mental health issues and maintain their organization’s productivity?
The very first step is to promote mental health awareness in the office and work on destigmatizing mental illness. HR can start providing more resources and information about mental health or illness to the employees and open their doors to those who may have been struggling all these while. Start talking more openly about mental health and encourage employees to open up to their colleagues should they ever be in the midst of a certain struggle. Some employees may also not be so comfortable with sharing their problems, so HR can solve this by setting up an anonymous portal where employees can reach out without revealing their identities. Regular support groups, problem-solving, and mental health training for managers can also be useful.
HR professionals are also more than welcome to make use of various assessment tools to conduct quick health checks on both their employees and the organisation. An employee’s mental wellness is closely related to their level of engagement at the workplace; a healthy mental state can lead to high engagement thus allowing them to perform better. To measure the employees’ motivation and engagement level, HR can opt to use these two assessment tools by Thomas: Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue) and Thomas Engage. With these tools, you can better understand the different levels of engagement within a company and get reliable suggestions on how to enhance employee wellbeing, motivation, and productivity.
Eliminating stress entirely in a workplace is almost impossible, but reducing it is not an unrealistic dream. To do so, HR must oversee the overall situation at their workplace. Ensure workloads passed from managers to their co-workers are not excessive and keep an eye out for any sort of negative actions taking place—take matters such as bullying, discrimination, racism, harassment, and others seriously. Any kinds of success and goals achieved by employees should also not be ignored. Try to celebrate and acknowledge their success no matter how small it is as even a short complimentary email or encouraging remarks can boost their confidence and morale.
Last but not least, HR must evaluate their organization’s benefit offerings. Take a look at the company’s health plans and see if it covers mental health services. If it doesn’t, then it is high time for you to suggest a change in the benefit plans which support mental well-being. Employees will be grateful even with simple offering perks like discounted gym memberships and stress-reducing massages along with access to both counselling and therapy sessions.
These days, supporting mental health is considered a necessity in the workplace—a majority of employees expect their employers to tend to their mental health and wellness as along with physical well-being, mental health is also an essential component of overall health. HR professionals no doubt carry a huge responsibility on their shoulders to ensure the employees are doing well thus maintaining their organization’s productivity. There are, of course, many other ways for HR to support their employees’ mental health, but many might agree that creating a workplace that is highly supportive of mental health and illness is not at all an easy task. But, with better understanding, creativity, and support, a healthier working environment can definitely be established.