Good Mental Health Leads to Good Business
Mental health practices and self-care has become a rising priority around the globe in recent years, and the COVID-19 pandemic really shone a light on the importance of incorporating them within the workplace. Negative stigma has long shrouded discussions of mental health, but as the stigma fades away, employers have begun making changes in efforts to create a healthy workplace for all employees.
Mental wellness in the workplace isn’t just improving the lives of employees, it’s also helping businesses succeed. Recent studies have shown a direct link between positive mental health and creativity and innovation in the workplace. Employee mental wellness benefits promote productivity, performance, and retention and reduce the costs associated with replacing staff. Businesses that offer some form of mental health benefits are twice as likely to have a rate greater than 50% of employees returning to work after a mental-health-related disability leave. Typically, mental health-related leave comprises approximately 70% of workplace disability costs. Additionally, employers that prioritize mental wellness are more likely to retain successful candidates. Approximately 60% of Gen-Z survey respondents reported that they consider mental health important when selecting an employer and choosing to remain with one.
However, despite increased efforts to implement mental wellness initiatives, the research depicts that employees still feel a sense of negative mental health stigma in the workplace. Employers can further improve by demonstrating a commitment to constantly improve on employee wellness and satisfaction. It’s crucial to provide a host of resources for staff, such as assistance programs and apps, and effectively encourage the advantages of the benefits as well as how to access them.
One of the most important components of employee satisfaction begins with first-level management. Managers have the most direct path available to support individual reports. Small changes in management style can foster monumental impacts in ways that organization-wide measures might not be able to. Managers should also serve as role models for healthy workplace behaviors, such as truly logging off when on PTO. Most importantly, however, managers should connect with employees who have made reports by frequently checking in to discuss progress, providing positive and constructive feedback, and exploring ways to meet professional goals.
Creating a Culture of Support
To learn more about creating a positive work environment and implementing mental wellness initiatives, go to News.BloombergLaw.com:
“Recognizing employees’ whole selves, employers should offer initiatives that allow employees to unplug, rest, and recharge when not at work. This might take the form of encouraging employees to actually remain logged off while on paid time off. Unplugging from work and taking time to rest has been shown to positively impact work performance. But simply supporting use of PTO is not enough. To the extent that an employer can offer benefits that reduce stressors outside of work—such as subsidized transportation, parking, and backup child or elder care —such efforts also go a long way toward reducing employee stress and promoting wellness.
It is important to ensure buy-in from the entire organization to create a top-down culture of support. If the organization’s leaders do not support employee wellness initiatives, positive benefits will not translate to the employees. However, when an organization’s leaders clearly encourage employees to make full use of the organization’s wellness benefits, employees will feel empowered to use those resources to thrive personally and at work. To that end, some employers are appointing leaders responsible for directing mental health initiatives to communicate a clear organizational priority and ensure goals are being met.”
From Workplace Mental Wellness Leads to Innovation and Productivity - Bloomberg Law
Photo Source: WIX
Are there any successful mental wellness practices that have been implemented in your workplace? Or have you seen any that other businesses have adopted that would be beneficial in your workplace?
Written by Yellow Brick Road
February 23rd, 2023