Workplace mental health basics: To begin it does not have to be hard

As I write and contribute to workplace mental health one basic is to ensure both employers and employees understand to impact workplace mental health does not need to be hard. Workplace mental health impact can be influenced by programs and policies to create the desirable habits that prevent mental harm and promote mental health.

In a recent book Stop Hiding and Start Living I share my personal story of how I moved from fear to flourishing. Living a good life is the end goal of mental health. The focus on good mental health must be on spending time on creating pleasant emotions (i.e., positive emotions) verse looking for symptom relief from unpleasant emotions. We can learn to live well when even on days we are not feeling well. The workplace can play a major role in helping employees learn how to develop the skills that promote mental fitenss.

Employers and employees are still learning how to talk about mental health in a way all parties feel comfortable. This will become more important as the month's pass. Why? COVID-19 continues to strain mental health in the Canadian workforce at levels not yet fully understood.

Employers can help a great deal by supporting their leaders to become psychologically-safe leaders. Talking about mental health and providing programs to prevent mental illness can help eliminate stigma in the workplace.

Feeling safe to access mental health supports is a critical coping skill. Employees are more likely to ask for help when they understand the difference between mental health and mental illness as well as the value of talking to a mental health professional or a peer support person when needed.

Employers and employees can help flip the switch from worry and waiting to be mindful of what’s happening and what’s within their control. Positive experiences help to promote mental health that can help insulate employees from worry.

Promoting mental health doesn’t need to be hard

Mental health is impacted by what employees do and experience in their workplace environment. Employers and employees can explore the benefits of facilitating positive chargers — healthy behaviours that create positive sources of energy or positive emotions that promote mental health. What impact employees’ mental health most are their daily behaviours and experience in the workplace.

Employers can discover what they’re doing that’s charging or draining employees’ batteries by engaging and listening to them. Engaging employees remove assumptions and demonstrate inclusion as well as humility and vulnerability that build trust and confidence that employers care. Words matter but actions matter more.

A couple of personal examples of a positive employee and an employer charger.

·???????Employee: I recently got a new English bulldog puppy. Being a pet lover, this new addition to my family provides a source of positive energy every time I see him.

·???????Employer: Feeling welcomed and appreciated for the work I’ve done charges my battery at work.

We all have things we can directly control that positively impact our mental health and happiness. Employers who are interested in supporting employees’ mental health don’t need to always be thinking about programs or policies to have an impact. Often, it’s the little things such as saying thank you or expressing gratitude for the effort they’re putting forth for the organization.

Actions employers can take to create positive chargers:

·???????Take inventory — Use listening tours or surveys to ask employees what things are draining and charging them.

·???????Analyze data — Be critical and objective of data. Carefully determine the top three chargers and drainers.

·???????Report back to employees — Quickly report to employees what you discover and ask them to validate the findings as an additional step to get their buy-in that what you learned makes sense and that most of them believe you have the right data and findings.

·???????Decide on actions and commit to employees — Once you’ve validated findings with employees, decide what will be done and make a commitment to charge their batteries such as by offering flexible work schedules and reducing negative drains by monitoring work demand.

·???????Monitor impact — Conduct a short, bi-weekly pulse check on how well you’re doing to create positive chargers and reduce drains. This provides evidence of what’s working and not working. It also demonstrates follow-through and commitment.??