In the past, it was common for most business leaders to believe that their employees’ mental health is the least of their concerns. Many thought that they should not meddle with it as this is something personal. However, this mindset is gradually changing. More and more employers now focus on having a mental health-friendly environment for their workers since this significantly impacts their work.
Despite having that initial initiative, a lot of these people do not know where to begin. With this in mind, here are some ways to take care of their employees’ overall well-being.
Promote Work-Life Balance
Many employers praise their employees for working from home beyond working hours or those who go to the office early and late. Believe it or not, having this kind of mindset will only hurt your business in the long run. Without a balanced life, employees’ drive will eventually die down, which may result in burnout. Once this happens, employee productivity and employee engagement will decline.
Open Your Office To Pets
Various studies, backed up by scientific evidence, show that pets, especially dogs, improve every aspect of mental health. Whether someone is experiencing PTSD, depression, or anxiety, this animal is the simplest and best option. Some facilities employ the help of therapy dogs. The bond between humans and dogs can be beneficial in alleviating the stress in the body.
Brief Your Employees Regarding Mental Health
Mental health is still a taboo for many people. A lot are still afraid to show their vulnerability by talking about depression, stress, anxiety, and other mental disorders. Therefore, it is instrumental in briefing your employees on the ins and outs of mental health. Send a message that mental illnesses are normal by starting a conversation about it.
The best way to start this initiative is to educate the managers about the topic. Give them a series of lectures that will make them understand the usual signs and causes of mental health. Then, equip them on how they can respond to these problems as the leaders of the company.
Once the business leaders have understood the details on mental health, touch others’ lives by supporting them. Conduct seminars on this topic and incorporate it with how your employees run their lives. Normalize talking about it in the office so that your workers can open up comfortably as possible.
Offer Free Screening Services And Tools
Most mental health problems are left unanswered since employees are unfamiliar with their signs and symptoms. Most often than not, they shrug this off because they tend to correlate it with just stress. At the same time, they believe that this will go away as time passes by. Little do they know that there is a proper way to handle these situations.
As an employer, you can offer free screening services and tools. Encourage them to answer the tools you provide them to be fully aware of their condition. Let them know how important these are, so both of you will know the next steps in addressing their mental health problems.
If they do not understand what their result entails, remind them that they have their Employee Assistance Program (EAP). EAP does not only revolve around physical and dental check-ups, but it also allows them to have several therapy sessions. Those couple of bookings with the therapists might be enough for them to be enlightened on what they are going through.
Keep Social Events Healthy
Studies have proven that there is a significant link between mental health issues and alcohol. To keep work gatherings as healthy as possible, more and more employers are looking for healthier and safer ways to socialize. Instead of having free-flowing alcoholic drinks in these gatherings, employers are now putting a limit on consumption.
The reason behind this is that they want parties to be as inclusive as possible. They want other people who do not drink to feel as welcome as possible. Given this issue, recent social levels have included other unique activities as parts of their night, such as bubble football or watercolor classes. Some even incorporate a buffet to make up for the absence of alcohol.
Engage With Wellness Activities
There are several ways to go about wellness activities. For one, you may promote healthy eating in the workplace. Besides giving out flyers or providing several lectures on this topic, make sure to incorporate it with your everyday work lives. Make sure to implement a healthy menu in your cafeteria as a way to promote this cause. Avoid putting junk foods in the pantry.
Another way to build mental strength is through exercise. It’s your choice on how you’ll execute this, but some companies have at least one exercise a day to cap off their stressful workday. For instance, you may implement Wellness Wednesdays and undergo various exercise activities after work, including but not limited to yoga, Zumba, and aerobics.
Do not expect that we’ll start treating mental illness the way we address physical conditions. Given that this topic is still a taboo, it’s pretty hard to achieve that big step yet. Until then, your job as an employer is to give your employees a mental-health friendly environment as much as possible. Do it one step at a time.