One in four people experience a mental health problem of some kind every year in the UK, according to mental health charity Mind.
Physical health, diet, sleep and personal relationships can all impact a person’s state of mind.
If you’re someone who runs an organisation, leads a team, or heads up any sort of people-powered initiative, you’ll want your own well-being and that of your team members and peers to be as positive as it can be.
Because looking after mental health in the workplace can not only benefit you, but your business’s bottom line, too.
So, in this article, we delve deeper into the importance of workplace well-being and what you can do to ensure it’s always a priority.
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Mental health in the workplace: 5 key takeaways
From the pandemic to the general election, the past few years have been tumultuous, making it easy for people to become overwhelmed.
Let’s take stock.
1. The UK’s current level of work stress
Before looking toward what business leaders should do to focus on mental health and wellness in the workplace, it’s important to have a sense of where we’re coming from and how things stand right now in terms of work stress in our country.
That might seem like a big, insurmountable ask — undertaking a nationwide assessment on the mental health of Brits coast-to-coast-to-coast. However, the stats do exist.
According to a recent Ipsos poll, mental health has overtaken cancer and obesity as Britons’ biggest health worry.
In fact, 12% of all sickness absence days in the UK are attributed to mental health conditions.
Yikes – sounds like a focus on mental health certainly wouldn’t go remiss in the current state of British wellness, that’s for sure.
2. Why mental health matters in the workplace
So, Brits are going through a bit of a rough patch right now. But why should that matter to business leaders?
It’s a question that gets tossed around with fair frequency as conversations around mental wellness and work stress have become less taboo in recent years and more widespread.
The fact of the matter is, it’s difficult to imagine a reason the mental health of Brits wouldn’t matter to business leaders.
As findings have come to showcase, mental health issues can have a profound effect on not just the employees who might be experiencing them, but on businesses and the economy as a whole.
Poor mental health can impact employee job performance, productivity, creativity, and more.
Work stress affects a worker’s ability to:
- Engage in their work
- Effectively communicate with their coworkers
- Function physically
Add to that the fact that the overall costs of mental ill health equate to double the NHS’s entire budget in England in 2022 (£153bn) and suddenly, it becomes clear that mental illness is more than worth addressing.
All that said, though: what can thoughtful leaders do to make a real, marked impact on work stress?
You’re in luck — I’ve got some thoughts on just that subject to share.
3. Make a difference by talking the talk AND walking the walk
When it comes to employers and business leaders having a real impact on the mental health of working Brits, the single biggest thing they can do is to create an environment that values mental wellness.
You need to follow through on honouring the commitments made.
That last bit is honestly the most important part of this whole article.
Simply saying it’s important to you and your business doesn’t cut it.
You can’t just talk the talk — you have to walk the walk, too.
Decreasing work stress involves:
- Fostering open lines of communication and reinforcing positive behaviours that destigmatise mental illness and conversations around mental health.
- Making mental health assessment tools available to all team members and building social support networks for people to lean on.
- Periodically reminding workers where mental health resources can be found.
- Creating dedicated quiet spaces for employees to retreat to without need for justification.
- Giving team members the opportunity to provide input and participate in decision-making on issues that could impact on-the-job stress.
These thoughts are just the tip of the iceberg, of course. Checking in regularly (monthly at the least) and following up on any thoughts or concerns that result will help ensure your team members feel seen, heard, and valued.
Start by instituting a no-check-in policy during vacations and off-hours.
This will help employees disconnect and recharge on their downtime.
It will also set them up for continued success when they’re back on the clock again.
Flexible work schedules: the secret productivity booster
Flexible work schedules can play a key role in building a culture that prioritises mental wellness.
When employees are given the time to manage life as it comes at them, they can then focus their efforts 100% when they’re on the job.
Flexibility will keep them from lapsing into stressful presenteeism by trying to juggle the demands of both work and life at once.
Additional wellness-boosters like these also help:
- Team outings
- Shutting down the office for family-friendly events
- Allowing employees to accrue additional time off as incentive for a job well-done
4. What can small business leaders do about work stress?
While small businesses might lack the structure and formal HR policies of large organisations, mental wellness is perhaps more important here than ever. After all, in small shops, key team members can carry heavy loads.
In addition to the above practices, be sure to put a marked focus on recognising that your employees are people, too. Even though the demands of a small business can seem never-ending, it’s important to treat your team like the people they are.
Respect their family commitments, off-time, weekends, and evenings.
Your business’s success depends on their ongoing commitment, after all.
So, you’ll want to be sure your workers are consistently feeling mentally well and like their most capable, creative, productive selves. Only then can they help you achieve all those lofty goals and ambitions you’re pursuing together.
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5. Good mental health is good business
Prioritising mental health in the workplace isn’t just good policy; it’s good business, too.
Team members who are mentally well are more creative and productive — and more successful in their roles as a result.
That success means they’ll likely stick with your company longer, too, growing into star players on their teams and within the industry.
And saving you the cost of constantly retraining new replacements.
Top-tier team members attract top-tier industry talent, leading to higher-quality recruitment. This results in more successful projects, further growth, and ultimately, a better bottom line overall.
Not too bad for taking a few steps to support mental health, right?
Mental health = an energetic workforce
When it comes down to it, supporting mental wellness in the workplace isn’t just the right thing to do for your team members — it’s the right thing to do for your venture, too.
Invest in the success of your team by supporting mental health today and watch as your business grows by leaps and bounds. You’ll see it become a better, more comfortable place to work, too — simply by giving mental health its due.
