Support Employee Mental Health by Doing These 6 Things

Employee mental health is now more important than ever in maintaining a productive and resilient workforce. With stress, burnout and mental health issues on the rise, it’s essential for businesses to take proactive steps to support employee wellbeing. Not only is this a legal responsibility of employers, but it will also help to create a more engaged and high-performing team.

As we prepare to launch the Dharma Academy for Workplace Wellbeing, we want to share six necessary actions that every business should take to support employee mental health.

1. Create a supportive work environment

Today, 20% of of UK workers report feeling overloaded and stressed at work, and 70% of managers feel that there are organisational barriers to supporting staff wellbeing. We know that building a supportive work environment is the foundation of good mental health at work, and this includes creating a culture where employees feel valued, respected and heard.

Encourage open communication and ensure that employees know they can speak up about their mental health without fear or workplace repercussions by:

• Scheduling regular check-ins with your team members, and engage in real, genuine conversations around work, health and lifestyle.?
• Creating a safe environment where all employees can speak up about their mental health.?
• Ensuring every leader has extra training on active listening, as well as recognising the signs of mental illness and emotional distress, so that they can better support their employees and create psychological safety at work.

2. Promote work-life balance

Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential for preventing burnout, supporting the mental wellbeing of employees, and ensuring long-term productivity from your team.?

Encourage employees to take regular breaks, use their holiday allowance,? and disconnect from work outside of office hours. Flexible working arrangements, such as remote work or flexible hours, can also help employees manage their personal and professional responsibilities more effectively.

• Consider implementing new policies to support a healthy work-life balance. Some common examples include:

• Think about whether your organisation may accidentally be celebrating or expecting unhealthy work-life balances, such as admiring overworking, missing out on sleep or guilting staff to work when they’re sick. Listen our podcast episode on presenteeism to learn more about its impact on health and productivity.

3. Provide mental health resources

There are a huge array of options, and everyday opportunities for employers to equip their employees with the tools and resources they need to manage their mental health effectively at work, and to develop skills to support healthier lifestyles outside of work too.?

This can include access to free or discounted counselling services or employee assistance programs (EAPs). EAPs offer a range of services including short-term counselling, referrals to specialised professionals, and resources for managing issues such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, family conflicts, financial difficulties, and legal concerns.

Additionally, employers can offer educational resources led by HR or workplace wellbeing champions, in workshops, webinars,? lunch-and-learn sessions or online courses on topics like stress management, mindfulness, and resilience.

4. Encourage Physical Activity

Physical health is closely linked to mental wellbeing and it’s easy to forget to stay active during long days in the office. Encouraging employees to stay active can help reduce stress, improve mood, and boost overall mental and physical health.?

You could also combine team-building initiatives, or charitable causes, with your encouragement of increasing physical activity amongst employees. Creating team sports groups, signing up to a charity fun-run, or embracing volunteer work as a team that includes incidental physical activity, like litter picking or gardening, are create ideas to keep active together.

Whether you’re offering a subsidised gym membership, organising fitness challenges, or simply promoting walking meetings, integrating physical activity into the workday can have a significant positive impact.

5. Recognise and reward

Recognition and rewards go a long way in boosting employee morale, motivation and mental health. When employees feel appreciated for their work, they are more likely to stay motivated and engaged. Regularly acknowledge individual and team achievements, whether through formal awards, public recognition in a dedicated slack channel or an in-office poster board, or simple, personalised, hand-written thank-you notes.

Acknowledging both individual and team accomplishments, whether large or small, helps reinforce a positive work culture and shows that every effort is noticed. Employees who consistently feel appreciated are more engaged, motivated, and better equipped to handle set-backs, which helps reduce the chances of burnout and promotes a positive work-life balance too.

The key is to make the recognition sincere and consistent, ensuring that all employees, regardless of their role, are given opportunities to be celebrated.

6. Offer professional development opportunities

Supporting employee growth and development can enhance their mental wellbeing. Providing opportunities for skill-building, career advancement, additional income and professional growth shows employees that you are invested in their future. This not only boosts their confidence and job satisfaction but also reduces anxiety related to career stagnation too.

There are many ways to offer development opportunities to employees:

• Mentorship programmes:

Pair employees with experienced mentors in the business who can guide their career growth, offer advice, and provide valuable feedback on skills and goals.

• Career coaching

Provide access to external career or leadership coaches who can help employees identify strengths, set goals, and develop key skills for advancement.

• Job shadowing and collaboration

Allow employees to observe colleagues or leaders in different roles to gain insights into various functions within the organisation and broaden their skill set.

• Workshops and training

Offer regular workshops, webinars, or training programs on both hard and soft skills that are relevant to employees' career development.

• Sponsorship to continue with education

Provide financial support for employees to pursue formal education such as degrees, apprenticeships, certifications, or specialised courses.

Supporting employee mental health is an employer’s legal duty of care

By creating a supportive environment, promoting work-life balance, providing mental health resources, encouraging physical activity, recognising efforts, and offering professional development, you can make a significant impact on your team’s wellbeing which will ultimately have a positive effect on team morale, productivity and success.

At the Dharma Academy for Workplace Wellbeing, we’re committed to helping businesses like yours take the necessary steps to support employee mental health. Our academy, launching on September 16th, will provide you with a comprehensive suite of resources—from policy templates and guides to live Q&A sessions and virtual community support—all designed to help you build a healthier, more resilient workplace.

Pre-order your membership today and join us in making workplace wellbeing a priority.