Even the most cohesive and supportive workplace isn’t stress-free. Most roles come with challenges, some of which can be hard for employees to shoulder. As stress builds, mental health can often suffer. In many cases, once that starts, it spreads with surprising speed.
Fortunately, companies have the opportunity to intervene. By using the proper strategy, you can improve your employees’ mental health, keeping your workplace positive and culture strong. Along with supporting the well-being of your staff, this leads to additional benefits, including improved retention, increased productivity, and more innovation.
If you’re wondering how you can support your employees’ mental health, here are some straightforward approaches to try.
Train Managers to Spot – and Properly Respond to – Signs of Distress
Team supervisors, department managers, and similar members of the leadership team are critical assets when it comes to identifying struggling employees. They interact and engage with the teams regularly. Plus, they assess output quality and quantity, making it easier for them to spot indicators that something has changed.
Along with training managers to identify warning signs of an employee in trouble, make sure they’re trained in how to respond to the situation.
For example, diminishing work quality from a previous top performer could indicate a mental health problem. If a manager chastises that worker for their declining performance, that could make the situation worse, not better. However, by approaching the employee with compassion and looking for the “why” behind the work quality change, they could find opportunities to offer support, allowing them to address the core issue.
Essentially, without proper training, managers may not see the connection between mental health and certain happenings. Additionally, they may choose the incorrect route to handle the situation.
Provide Quick and Easy Access to Mental Health Resources
Mental health resources like employee assistance programs (EAPs) and counseling benefits through health insurance are often a critical part of the equation. Make sure your company not only offers those benefits but makes them highly accessible and easy to use.
Openly share overviews of the available resources in places employees frequent, like intranet homepages and main discussion areas in collaboration solutions. Also, create simple mechanisms to request appointments and – if necessary – secure proper leave or work schedule flexibility. By ensuring getting help is easy, more employees will use the service, leading to better overall mental health.
Celebrate Self-Care and Healthy Choices to Ingrain Them in Your Culture
By openly and frequently celebrating self-care and good mental health practices, you create a culture that supports those notions. Whether it’s excitedly discussing wellness benefits, encouraging managers to conduct walking or outdoor meetings, actively ensuring employees disconnect after work hours, or anything else, you’re creating a landscape where caring for oneself is viewed as a positive.
In turn, employees will feel like self-care isn’t just important, but actively supported. That increases the likelihood that they’ll engage, allowing them to take steps that ensure their mental health.
Contact Us to Learn More
Ultimately, all of the tips above can help you support your employees’ mental health. If you’d like to learn more, the staff at Selectek wants to hear from you. Contact us today.
