Mental health has now become a key major concern in workplaces, while the increase of awareness on mental health is a reflection of the growing trend from society of the significance of mental health issues. With the change of working patterns caused by checking in over the weekend, flexi time and remote working, we often spend more than 8 hours a day at work or thinking about work. This altogether has a great effect on our physical and mental health. Consequently, it is crucial to understand mental health in the workplace to create a supportive environment that boosts employee wellbeing and productivity.
In this article, Interlink HR looks at why mental health is important in the workplace and how to develop a positive wellbeing culture with tools available on the Isle of Man.
The Importance of Mental Health in the Workplace
Mental health can have an impact on all these areas of someone’s life and an employee’s mental health can affect their performance in a job, their relationship with the people they work with and their overall job satisfaction. Poor mental health can produce a reduction in productivity and greater absenteeism and turnover. An encouraging work environment, on the other hand, might result in greater employee engagement, loyalty and efficiency.
Businesses are seeing that looking after mental health isn’t just the right thing to do, but makes sound economic sense. The World Health Organisation estimates that depression and anxiety costs the global economy $1 trillion a year in lost productivity. Data from a Deloitte survey saw 61 per cent of employees cite poor mental health as a reason they would leave a job, with 20 per cent doing so in reality due to mental health reasons.
Consequently, addressing mental health at work can have considerable economic benefits and make a more supportive and enjoyable work culture.
Factors Affecting Mental Health in the Workplace
Several factors can influence mental health in the workplace, including:
Manageable Workload
High workloads, long hours, maximal deadlines, and the near-impossibility of getting everything done can lead to chronic stress, and eventually to a burnout. Practical steps that employers could take to address this include monitoring workloads, especially during peak periods, and providing support so that acute stress doesn’t lead to burnout.
Work-Life Balance
An imbalance between work and personal life can lead to mental health issues. Flexible working hours and remote work options can help employees achieve a better work-life balance.
Job security
Feeling unsure about job stability leads to anxiety and stress; communicating about job expectations and organisational change reduces these fears.
Work relationships
Having good relationships with your work colleagues, including good relations with your supervisor, is important for a good work environment. Being the target of bullying, harassment, or passivity (lack of support) can have a significant negative impact on mental health.
Recognition and reward
This includes simply feeling valued by your organisation and customers and having a sense of esteem for the work you do. People are most likely to believe that they make a difference when they gain recognition for good performance and are fairly compensated.
Creating a Mentally Healthy Workplace
A healthy workplace is one that invests in developing policies, practices and a culture that promote mental wellbeing.
Here are some suggestions
Foster education and awareness: Regular mental health training and workshops and sessions can help eliminate the stigma associated with mental health, and foster supportive conversations. Employees can be trained on spotting signs of mental ill health, and how to offer help.
Make support services accessible: Employee Assistance Programmes; counselling services, if not provided by the EAP; and other mental health services should be made available, and employees should know how to access these services.
Facilitate work-life balance: having policies that promote work-life balance such as flexible hours, remote working, and paid leave helps employees reduce their level of stress and avoid negative mental health issues.
Encourage a Healthy Culture: Leaders and managers set the culture of a workplace. They need to model healthy behaviours, be sympathetic to what others are going through, and create a safe place for others to air their concerns.
Regular check-ins and feedback: One-on-one meetings between staff and managers can be used to discuss issues around workload, pitfalls and wellbeing. Feedback should be constructive and managers should listen actively.
The Role of Leadership
Second, there needs to be organisational commitment to mental health. Commitment signals that mental health is a core organisational strategy and that resources for mental health will be provided in the organisaion. It’s essential that leadership communicate about its commitment to mental heath so that this mindset is reflected throughout the organisation.
But leaders also need training in having good antennae to make early diagnoses on the ground – to recognise when someone is suffering from a mental-health condition – and what to do: they can be present and approachable; they can listen and support those who come to them; and above all they must be willing to refer when someone is unwell.
Measuring and Improving Mental Health Initiatives
It is important that mental health initiatives are measured regularly in order to keep programmes as effective as possible. This can be done through employee surveys, feedback, and mental health stakeholder assessments to determine the efficacy of current policy and identify opportunities for improvement.
Organisations, in many cases, will then need to plan accordingly and adjust their actions plans in response to the feedback and changing requirements that they receive. Continuous improvement is a good, healthy policy that will help to keep
people supported.
Mental Health Matters on the Isle of Man
It's important to note and make the most of tools and resources we have available on the Isle of Man. Did you know that Isle of Man government secured investment for enhanced mental health services, in particular, for children and adults? This investment alone brings more than £4 million to expand the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAHMS), reduce waiting lists and provide better and more timely support.
These are indicative of a strong framework to the social structure which prioritises early intervention, wellbeing support and meaningful inclusion, as well as mental health services that are integrated into the mainstream and carefully tailored to the Isle of Man community. You can learn more about the work of Isle Listen at islelisten.com and about Minds Matter at mindsmatter.im.
Isle Listen is a local charity with a focus on mental health in the workplace. They are known to provide mental health and wellbeing training to the broader community and local businesses in order to equip them with the skills, knowledge, and tools to recognise the early signs that someone might be struggling.
Final Thoughts
It's crucial for workplaces to prioritise understanding and addressing mental health. Employers should consider options for promoting mental wellbeing, reducing stress, and supporting those with mental health challenges. Investing in mental health can lead to more committed, loyal, and productive staff.
A mentally healthy workplace benefits both employees and the organisation by maximising the talents and abilities of the workforce. This fosters high productivity and good morale among employees, ultimately contributing to the organisation's success in the global business landscape. Ultimately, a focus on mental health can create a positive, creative, resilient, and productive workplace.
In addition, we provide mental health and wellbeing training to the broader community and local businesses in order to equip them with the skills, knowledge, and tools to recognize the early signs that someone might be struggling.
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