What is a company's role in the employee's mental health?
Mental Health First Aid INDIA (#MHFAIndia)
MENTAL WELLBEING COURSES FOR CORPORATES | MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID INDIA | TRAINING FOR LEADERS HR & MANAGERS
The pandemic hedged people inside their homes for the last two years and shifted the work culture drastically in a short span of time. While many lost their jobs or had to switch careers completely, others had to adjust to working from home or remote locations. This shift blurred the lines between work and home and continues to do so even today.
The prolonged uncertainty has disrupted the social fabric. Individuals have been overwhelmed with job insecurities, financial crises, loneliness, panic and fear of infection, ill-health, comorbidities, death, and bereavement.
Increasingly demanding schedules and high-stress levels are leading to depression or general anxiety in individual lives and have wide-ranging effects like daytime fatigue, physical discomfort, psychological stress, performance deterioration, low pain threshold and increased absenteeism.
Nearly 38.5% of corporate employees sleep less than 6 hours a day due to high-stress levels which cause diseases like depression, hypertension, diabetes etc. As employees cope with changing work environments, how companies respond to their mental well-being is more crucial than ever before.??
Why should organizations have a deep understanding of mental health?
Employee mental health was a major concern well before the pandemic, affecting almost everyone. A study conducted in 2015 shows that nearly 42.5% of corporate employees suffered from depression and nearly 48% experienced fatigue due to general anxiety.
The pandemic, however, has intensified the difficulties many already faced.
The pandemic has also had an impact on drivers of workplace well-being. With constant uncertainties, people are prioritizing financial security over job meaning or purpose. Apart from financial security, supportive management, flexible work hours, and hybrid working conditions are the new drivers of the workplace well-being index.
How employers respond to the changing requirements of the employees and protect their mental well-being is crucial now more than ever.
Due to the stigma attached to mental health, the conversation around the topic is often subdued among peers. Harvard business research report indicated nearly 60% of employees have never spoken about their mental health status to anyone at work.
Mental well-being is still not a topic of discussion at workplaces even though over 200 million workdays are lost due to poor mental health which amounts to a $16.8 billion loss.
Apart from economic gains, for innovation to blossom employers must create environments where people feel valued and can have open conversations. For this purpose, employers must have a deep understanding of mental health and be well equipped to manage the mental health concerns of their employees.
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How can employers facilitate the learning process on Mental Health Awareness??
The workplace is an optimal setting to create a culture of health as communication structures and social support networks are already available.
Here are some actions employers can take:
Conclusion
Mentally healthy workplaces promote education and adopt policies and practices to create an inclusive culture where employees feel safe and are encouraged to talk about mental health.
A mentally healthy workplace understands that work can play a huge role in an individual’s mental health which can have a negative or a positive impact on their mental well-being.
Mental Health First Aid India offers early-intervention education courses for workplaces that increase mental health literacy and teach the practical skills needed to support a co-worker experiencing a mental health problem.
MHFA training is known to lessen the impact of mental health problems on productivity. You can use our 12-hour MHFA training course as a foundation for your organisation’s mental health strategy.
To know more, you can reach us at +91 7807383004 or write to us at [email protected]
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