Ways to Support Employee Mental Health
Increasing numbers of people are experiencing stress, anxiety and depression, so it’s never been more important for businesses to monitor and support the wellbeing of their staff. There are multiple ways to help your employees to maintain positive mental health, many of which will also have benefits outside of the workplace and enable your employees to live happier lives. Below are a few examples.
Understand their needs
Every employee will know what their role entails however, that doesn’t necessarily mean they have everything in place to get it done effectively. When an individual finds they lack time, training or support to complete a task, they can quickly become stressed. Many people won’t come to you with a problem, instead they’ll carry on as best they can until they reach a tipping point.
Rather than leaving stressful situations to escalate, your business should proactively monitor employee needs. Whilst team update meetings can achieve this to an extent, one-to-one sessions are a far more powerful means of gathering clear information regarding how your staff are feeling. You could very well discover that one or two of them require additional resources in order to fulfil their duties.
Stay connected
Whether your business is operating as normal from its commercial premises or your staff are working from home, it’s easy for some employees to become disconnected from their co-workers and especially the management team. The social aspect of a workplace plays a major role in maintaining high levels of productivity and mental wellbeing, so have a think about how you can further strengthen internal communications.
This doesn’t necessarily have to be in person, as many people find that any form of communication helps them to stay in control of their workload. Popular examples are Microsoft Teams, which comes with video calls and instant messaging, and project management software such as Slack, Monday.com and Basecamp. However, you also need to keep these platforms to a minimum to avoid confusion, so do some research and decide which systems will work best across your business and then stick to them.
Mental health training
Investing in professional mental health training is an excellent move that shows how serious your business is about employee wellbeing. Organisations can provide mental health training in multiple formats, allowing you to choose a system that works to your specific requirements. Mind has a particularly versatile offering, as its teams can deliver mental health training through an e-learning package for individuals, as Zoom training sessions for teams, and also in person at your work premises.
Enjoy activities together
It’s amazing how many employers forget about the power of being social. Simple actions and activities can make an enormous difference to the mental health of your employees, especially if you create a variety of options that they can choose to get involved in. The format this takes is entirely up to you but here are a few suggestions:
- Board games in the staff room
- A lunchtime fitness club (jogging and yoga are popular options)
- Virtual coffee breaks with staff who are working remotely
- Regular team building events that involve fun activities, such as footgolf and go-karting
- Regular get-togethers after work, whether it’s a pub quiz, a team meal, or a visit to the theatre or cinema
Lead by example
One of the most essential actions to put in place is to be the leader you always wanted when you began your career. Let staff know that they can come to you with problems, make sure to focus on initiating conversations rather than waiting to join them, and remember that stress and depression are often invisible to the naked eye.
By asking yourself how you personally can make a positive difference to the wellbeing of your workforce, your approach will become more creative. It may start with regular catch-ups with individual team members and swiftly evolve into a far more comprehensive wellbeing strategy.
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