Why I Believe It's So Important To Care For Your Employees' Mental Wellbeing

We measure success in a lot of ways. For some it's hitting productivity goals at work and completing projects bang on time whilst for some it's about accomplishing financial gains or buying a brand new home or swanky car.

In the rat race we all are in, we often forget or in fact choose to ignore two very crucial cornerstones of our wellbeing - physical wellness and mental wellbeing - that not just push us in the right direction, but also keep us motivated to do better for ourselves and our loved ones.

Mental health issues in the workplace have been an area of concern for some time and with the COVID-19 crisis, the emotional challenges employees are confronting have only spiked.

As a matter of fact, in May 2021, Gartner had reported that more than half of employees around the world have suffered or are suffering significant damage to their health as a result of Covid-19 .?Additionally, mental health is a growing workplace concern, with the related indirect impact to businesses estimated at $79 billion lost to poor productivity and absent employees.

It's but human and natural to feel overwhelmed right now with shoddy work/life balance concerns, rapid shift to remote working, care giving issues, COVID-19 diagnoses, medical problems, isolation and so much more.

As an entrepreneur, business leader and healthcare champion, I am a staunch advocate of yes taking care of your physical health, but importantly your mental wellbeing. For a person who has first-hand witnessed and gone through lots of territories in life, focussing on your mental health should be one's top priority.

While the stigma associated with mental health continues to be a pervasive trend in the workplace and in general, as leaders we should accommodate discussions on mental health and take necessary actions to improve the wellbeing stamina of our workforce as we navigate a course through this extraordinary global challenge.

Supporting wellbeing effectively requires a holistic approach that addresses mental health and engagement with the psychosocial considerations in this new working environment.

Let's Talk

Tearing down stigmas is arguably the most important thing any leader can do to promote mental health. We often encourage physical health with our teams, broadly letting people know it is okay to take care of illnesses and needs as they arise. We should equally not be afraid to do the same with mental health.

Regular one-on-one meetings with employee-driven agendas are invaluable tools to that end. Rather than simply going through a checklist of projects, managers should encourage discussion of work-life balance and higher-level concerns. This will also let managers share personal experiences and strategies for managing stress and caring for mental health.

Let's Help Them Out With Relevant Benefits

According to World Bank, today, nearly 1 billion people live with a mental disorder and about 50% of mental health disorders start by the age of 14. Thus, virtually every company across sectors is impacted by some sort of mental health concern. As more companies become attuned to the needs and benefits of employee mental health, more benefits plans are including mental health services as an option for their employees. Managers should promote and discuss these employee assistance programs with their team members.

Where larger companies have opportunity and resources, they should consider an onsite clinic with mental health counsellors.

Let's De-Stress Together

I was reading an article on Scientific American on how even our brains need a downturn and could not agree with the author more. After a relaxing break off-work, we all return to work with a lot more power and productivity, don't we?

As leaders, we should encourage employees to take their earned vacation or paid time off and create an environment where there is no guilt associated with requests for time off. In addition, managers could also consider organizing recreational team events for employees to connect outside of the office environment. Volunteer time off is another increasingly popular option that is allowing employers and employees get away from work and give back to their communities in areas where they are interested and passionate.

Let's Create A Positive Environment

Expectations are part of any job, but few things will relieve day-to-day stress in employees more than knowing it is okay for them to fail. Managers who welcome the opportunity to help employees learn from failures will encourage people to be open about areas where they feel uncertain, rather than pretending they can do everything.

Managers focused on mental health will put team members in positions that utilize each employee's unique strengths. This doesn't mean people can't learn and accomplish the main tasks of a job, but it does mean that leaders should help employees be successful within their strengths. For example, giving an extrovert a team development presentation may energize and engage the employee, while providing the same assignment to an introvert could increase their stress dramatically.

Final Thoughts...

After all, the bottom line remains, when employees are healthy and engaged, they are more likely to be satisfied and productive at work. By making employee mental health a priority, managers create a supportive environment where people are able to bring their best selves to work.

A strong culture and mental health focus also helps decrease employee turnover. This increase in retention saves money in onboarding costs and also adds the benefits of maintaining customer relationships and preserving institutional knowledge so corporate and industry experience is not lost because employees are unhappy with their current jobs.