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Over the last two decades, a wonderful transformation has taken place across much of the globe – a focus and prioritization of mental health. On one hand you have tangible resources such as therapy and medication. On the other hand, even the general awareness of mental health as a concept has grown significantly. Truth be told, when looking at society as a whole, there is much more care and consideration put into how people perceive and approach mental health. Which is for the best, seeing as a healthy mental wellbeing is vital to the existence and comfort of every person.
Psychiatrist and researcher Vikram Patel spoke to this idea, “There is no health without mental health; mental health is too important to be left to the professionals alone, and mental health is everyone’s business.”
To you, the leader of a company, this fact needs to be an influencer in your decision making. Should you choose to avoid the topic of mental health entirely, your company might not be around long enough to even become a memory. Even a slight oversight in this area could result in some damage control needing to be done. Why are either of these outcomes a possibility? That is just how vital employee mental health has become to the average worker in recent years. Which means you need to be going above and beyond to prioritize your employee’s mental health. To give you some insight on how to accomplish this, we have put together a few practical steps you can take.
1. Unique opportunities
Many mental health conditions occurring in the workplace can spawn out of repetitiveness or simply a mundane environment. Like it or not, you will never be able to pull off a complete overhaul on every detail of your company to influence this train of thought. But you can assist the employee in viewing the situation in a brighter light. While the pandemic as a whole may not evoke feelings pertaining to positivity, a change in the working world came as a result of it. This change is one of the ways you can prioritize employee mental health.
“Let your employee have the choice to work remotely if it works logistically for everyone involved,” said Justin Olson, Chief Marketing Officer at Fast Pace Health. “Just that little amount of personal agency in their work life can manifest a glass half full mentality. Sometimes, that is all you can ask for.”
There is more you can do to provide unique opportunities to your employees. Some employees have a desire to take the next step in their career. But, be it their qualifications or lack of experience, there is an inhibitor in this desire becoming reality. Should your employee be in the midst of this struggle, it could be doing a number on their mental health. Thankfully, you have the resources to make a difference in more ways than one.
“A breath of fresh air and a newfound focus can do wonders for employees who have found themselves stuck in a mental health rut,” said Chandler Rogers, CEO of Relay. “New training, responsibilities, or even relationships, are perfect examples of tangible ways to go about this.”
2. Talk about time off (and encourage it!)
Speaking of a breath of fresh air, that is exactly what time off from work is all about! A break and a reset of the senses. But so many people seem to be content following the trend of working themselves to the bone. In no way, shape, or form, is this pattern of behavior healthy for any person. On top of this, extended periods of working can lead to vast oversites. This can transform themselves into mistakes capable of doing significant damage. With these facts in mind, it should be apparent why taking time away from work is important.
“I can think of maybe one superior in my entire career who talked about vacation time as a great benefit to their employees. I’ll always remember that.” said Michael Fischer, Founder of Elite HRT. “It showed he cared. But even more so, it showed he was willing to put the employee first.”
There seems to be a secondary trend going on amongst the American general public – bragging about the amount of time off accrued but failing to use it in any capacity whatsoever. Can anyone explain the point of this? You have likely come across this from a familiar member or other acquaintance. Part of you may have wanted to shake this person and say, ‘Take a break!’ despite how socially inappropriate this gesture might be. But the message behind these feelings is crucial to understand as a leader.
“Finding employees to cover the work of those who have used their PTO is maybe one of the worst roles of the boss,” said Dr. Michael Green, Chief Medical Officer at Winona. “But it has to be done. Employees need time off and you need to be the one to encourage it.”
3. There is such a thing as too much water cooler talk
Not to belabor the point on trends as a whole, but let’s switch gears a bit and take a look at a generational trend. Say what you will about generations Y and Z, they seem to have a tendency to be quite a bit more personal in their conversations than those of past generations. No matter who you are and what kind of employees you manage, this is worth noting.
“People get frustrated when all the talking points thrown at them are about as interesting as next week’s weather,” said Nancy Eichler, SVP of Marketing and eCommerce at iwi life. “Whether you’re leading a meeting or just having a casual one-on-one conversation, make an effort to bring up a topic with a little more meat on its bones.”
Of course, there is one more than one way to go about this. In fact, the beauty of this, and conversation as a whole, is that you can guide it in any direction you desire. This is especially true if you are the person in the room everyone else looks to for leadership. For starters, try your hand at icebreakers in the meeting room that have to do with a recent personal story. This way, your employees do not feel like a badge number sitting next to another badge number.
“Mental health in the workplace is always going to be a multi-faceted endeavor that is always never ceasing,” said Bradley Hall, CEO of SONU Sleep. “But if there is one thing you should prioritize in this above anything else, it is the genuine relationships possible because you work together daily.”
4. Be realistic in all areas
Generally speaking, there is not much difference between how a student approaches their homework and the way your employees approach their responsibilities. Both are fully aware of the need to accomplish everything set before them by a certain date. They are also aware of the repercussions for failure. Including a negative reaction from the person in charge. But having experienced failure yourself, you know there is an even worse feeling awaiting anyone who comes up short – negative thoughts of self. As the person in charge, you can do more than you think to steer your employees clear of this.
“Deadlines are what make the workplace spin like a top. When they’re approached correctly,” said Melissa Rhodes, CEO of Psychics1on1. “But you can be over-ambitious when setting these. This might cause your employees to doubt their abilities if things don’t go their way.”
If there is one certainty behind your employees doubting themselves it is that their work performance will begin to take a dive. Obviously, this is hardly what you desire for your company or the people who are foundational to it. So to counter the dwindling employee performance, a little teamwork might be just what the doctor ordered.
“As the boss, I know you want to be the one calling all the shots from top to bottom of the company,” said Ryan Azimi, Director of International Development at ETIAS.com. “I’m the same way. But, employees function so much better on a human level when they feel involved. To me, this means you need to be mindful and inclusive about assigning work. Maybe go so far as to see when an employee thinks a project can be completed by.”
5. Health coverage
If you thought you could escape this writing without discussing the most important aspect to prioritizing your employee’s mental health, you are sorely mistaken. You see, all your noble efforts on behalf of your employees will only get you and them so far. Chances are, you are not a trained mental health professional. Even if you were, it would be unhealthy for a boss to be an employee’s therapist. Or to prescribe medication. Which is why employees must be given the resources to seek out these people.
“Mental health services are now a staple in all forms of health insurance,” said Fred Gerantabee, Chief Experience Officer at Readers.com. “This needs to be part of what your company offers. You’ll see a difference in the workplace atmosphere shortly after implementing this.”
The process that makes this happen is by no means a simple one. Any amount of experience with the corporate health insurance game will make this readily apparent. There are enough options for coverage to make you reconsider insuring your employees entirely. Though, word to the wise, do not even think about it. Instead, think about involving your employees on this too.
Health coverage should not only be limited to insurance. It should also focus on the overall well-being of your employees to ensure that their mental health is a top priority. For instance, providing nutritious and well-balanced Hospital Food for healthcare workers will dramatically improve your workforce’s overall health while maintaining a healthier state of mind. Studies have shown that unhealthy eating habits can lead to various physical and mental health problems, so you should provide your employees with nutritious food to maintain their overall well-being.
“Your employees know as well as anyone what kind of mental health resources they need,” said Chris Coote, CEO of California Honey Vapes. “If they have talked about something that isn’t available through your current insurance offerings, see if you can do something about this.
Mental health is much bigger than any workplace or even business in general. It is part of the human experience hence the need to prioritize it in the workplace. Entertainer and television host Howie Mandel support this, “There isn’t anybody out there who doesn’t have a mental health issue, whether it’s depression, anxiety, or how to cope with relationships. Having OCD is not an embarrassment anymore — for me. Just know that there is help and your life could be better if you go out and seek the help.”