In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the interest and concern about employee mental health and wellness. The COVID-19 pandemic has had quite an impact on employee stress levels in both personal and professional lives, but even prior to the pandemic, statistics on mental health issues, anxiety, and suicide rates were alarmingly high. In order to address this growing concern, a lot of employers are now debating the best approaches to support their employees’ mental health and create a psychologically safe work environment. To find out, let’s explores some practical steps and strategies for employers to consider, as highlighted by Kim MacDonald, founder and CEO of 13 FACTORS For Business Growth.
1. Implementing Workplace Psychological Health and Safety Interventions
To positively impact mental health in work settings, MacDonald highlights how important implementing workplace psychological health and safety interventions and processes are. Recognizing that one in five individuals experience mental health issues annually (which is most likely underreported), she advocates for a dual approach:
a) Supporting Individuals with Mental Health Issues
Employers should offer employee assistance programs, cultivate internal understanding of mental health, make accommodations similar to physical health conditions, and provide additional support to facilitate employees’ recovery and encourage open dialogue.
b) Psychological Health and Safety
Employers should identify and address risks and dangers that the organization may be exposed to. This includes ensuring reasonable workloads, providing paid time off, prioritizing physical safety, promoting job autonomy, setting clear work expectations, fostering a culture of appreciation, and considering social factors and coworker relationships.
2. Leadership’s Role in Mental Health
Research suggests that leaders in managerial and leadership roles have a significant impact on the well-being and mental health of their staff. MacDonald highlights the importance of health-oriented leadership, where leaders are trained and skilled in developing self-awareness, emotional literacy, and mental health literacy. To create a positive impact on employees’ mental health, leaders should:
a) Foster Strong Relationships
By focusing on employee well-being, leaders can even foster stronger relationships in the workplace. They should also display curiosity, positivity, and awareness of factors that influence their employees’ daily experiences. Engaging in meaningful interactions, inquiring about well-being, and taking appropriate actions when necessary goes beyond superficial check-ins.
b) Establish Infrastructure for Mental Health Support
Leaders should advocate for the implementation of basic infrastructure to support mental health and well-being in the workplace. Now this can include respectful workplace policies, guidelines against harassment and bullying, employee sick leave regulations, and even access to employee assistance programs providing professional psychological support.
3. Ongoing Training and Education
MacDonald actually suggests that businesses should infact approach training in mental health first aid and literacy similarly to how they approach training in Standard First Aid and CPR. By considering mental health as part of occupational safety and health, organizations can better address employees’ well-being. Key points to consider include:
a) Assessing Risks and Dangers
Organizations should take some time to evaluate the risks and dangers to employees’ mental health within their specific context. This would involve considering factors beyond mental health services, such as reasonable workloads, paid time off, physical safety, job autonomy, clear expectations, appreciation, and coworker relationships.
b) Utilizing International Standards
Organizations can refer to international standards such as ISO 45003, Psychological Health and Safety at Work, as a guide for when they want to direct their efforts. This standard is important because it provides valuable information and tools for organizations and workplace leaders to improve psychological health and safety in the workplace.
Employers need to make employee mental health and wellness a priority, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Simply by implementing workplace psychological health and safety interventions, fostering health-oriented leadership, establishing necessary infrastructure, and providing ongoing training and education, organizations can create a supportive work environment. Ultimately you will find that these efforts have a positive impact on individual employees, encourage open dialogue, boost motivation and productivity.