Everyone is concerned about mental health at work. It’s important to understand the basics of mental health in the workplace. While our knowledge is evolving about mental health, and poor mental health is affecting employees and organisations negatively. It is not a luxury to support mental health at work, but a necessity. First, create wellness solutions that help employees thrive. Employees can encourage their employers to offer mental wellness programs at work.
WHO Statistics
Over half of the world’s workforce is currently employed. 15% of adults working age have a mental disorder. Mental disorders and other mental illnesses can impact a person’s ability to work productively, their confidence, identity, and ability to gain or retain work. Anxiety and depression alone account for 12 billion lost working days each year. People with severe mental illness are often excluded from work, despite the fact this is essential for recovery. Mental health conditions can have a negative impact on families, caregivers, colleagues, communities, as well as society in general. The global economy is losing US$ 1 trillion annually to depression and anxiety, primarily due to lower productivity.
Everybody has the right and obligation to work in a safe and healthy environment. While work can be beneficial for your mental health, it can also lead to an increase in mental illness. It is possible to prevent work-related mental health problems. There are many things that can be done to promote and protect mental health at work, and to support those with mental illness to fully participate in work. To learn more, seek Marriage Counselling from the best counselor at TalktoAngel.
How to improve your mental health
Here are eight ways employers could improve their mental well-being at work.
Discuss it openly
Employee mental wellness can be improved by encouraging employees to talk about their mental health. Employees can make progress by identifying the problem and making it a topic of conversation. Employees should be encouraged to take breaks. Employees can take a short walk outside, stretch, or eat a healthy snack to help them feel refreshed and ready for work. Employees can also take breaks from their desks to relax and spend some time with their coworkers.
Encourage positive habits
It is a great way to ensure employees are well-informed about stress management. For example, proper sleep and healthy eating habits are essential to managing stress. Therefore, it is important that employees have access to fresh fruits and snacks in the break room so they don’t fuel their stress with sugary sweetened products. Meditation and mindfulness are proven methods to help employees sleep better. A seminar hosted by a mindfulness coach is one way to ensure that your employees get eight hours of sleep and reduce stress.
You can reduce stress among your employees by recognizing their achievements and praising them when they are successful.
Work-life balance
To increase productivity and wellness, it is important that your employees make the most of their lunch breaks and leave on time. Long hours without breaks can lead to exhaustion and stress. However, breaks will refresh your mind, replenish mental resources, and encourage creativity.
Encourage employees to turn off email notifications during holidays to promote relaxation. It is not the point of holiday if you feel anxious about missing work when you should be enjoying your vacation. This issue can be addressed by leaving an out-of-office message with instructions on what to do in the event of an urgent email.
Talk to your co-workers
Realize that many of your colleagues are in the exact same boat. Discussing stressful issues with them can help you get through your problems and provide clarity. What their daily commutes to work, health questions, and mental stress from leaving loved ones alone at home daily are some of the topics they discuss.
Socialise:
Get to know your colleagues, have tea breaks, walk with them, and socialize often. It’s a great way to relieve stress by catching up with your colleagues and empathising. You will be able to quickly and easily adjust by being with people you feel comfortable with.
Establish a routine.
Before the pandemic, most of us followed a particular routine. Make sure to review the routines before you return to work. Get up at 5:45 am, dress in your best, and get ready for work. Get into the groove of things. Set realistic goals and celebrate your wins and successes. Learn from your mistakes and don’t let them affect your mental health.
Be kind:
Be kind not only to yourself, but also to others, as all of us are in the same boat. Some people enjoy the smooth ride while others experience rapids. There will be mistakes, people may get offended, and failures will happen. But what is important is to not let it stop you from moving on to your bigger goals.
Employee assistance program:
The first step companies take to improve their corporate well-being is to offer EAPs counseling and support. EAPs are now offered by 97% of large corporations. These companies have placed more emphasis on programs that address chronic stress, anxiety and depression in their workplaces.
Online Counselling
Online Counselling has proven to be more successful than face-to-face counselling for workplace stress. Online counselling is preferred by working individuals due to its convenience and points of interest. Clients can connect with counsellors from any part of the world or country by simply being comfortable in their connectivity and reach. You can even get a voice session online while driving to work. Online counselling offers affordable, confidential therapy options. You can easily reach out to the top therapists for guidance and help, regardless of distance.