5 Ways Employers can Improve Mental Health in the Workplace

Developing a mentally healthy workplace is crucial for the success of the business; it can increase returns. Majority of employers think that the employee’s mental health isn’t their problem. But how the employees behave, think, or feel can affect every aspect of the company from production and communication to their ability to practice safety measures in the workforce.

Mentally healthy employees tend to be very productive, have higher morale and make a significant contribution to the company’s growth and profitability. Helping the employees to boost their mental health is among the most crucial steps that an employer can take to the employee’s wellbeing and the entire organization as well.

In U.S. alone, one in every five American adults suffers has a mental illness. This should prompt employers to take the necessary steps to improve the employee’s mental health. The strategies employers can use include:

  1. Promoting a work or life balance

Making your employees work late or arrive early, or forcing them to work from homes in the evenings or weekends may affect your company in the long run. Without a healthy work or life balance, productivity is likely to be affected since employees will feel burn out.

Your employees should take regular vacations to help them relax. Don’t expect all your employees to answer email throughout. Encourage your employees to create a rich and full life outside the workplace. People, who spend time with their loved ones, engage in hobbies or make time for themselves make excellent employees.

  1. Discuss mental health in the workplace

As an employer, you should bring up issues related to stress, anxiety, depression, or other mental disorders. You can also hire a mental health speaker to talk about mental health. Educate your staff on the signs of mental health problems. You should also train them on how to respond correctly. A friendly conversation between a supervisor and an employee can play a role in encouraging him or her to get help.

  1. Talk about Employee Assistance Programs [EAP] benefits frequently

Providing the employee assistance program [EAP] benefits that enable them to obtain some few therapy sessions for free is crucial. However, many companies don’t remind the employees that they should access the services. You should remind your employees to use the EAP and enjoy its benefits. EAP can help employees to deal with issues like insomnia or marital issues that may affect their performance.

  1. Prioritize wellness

Healthy eating habit, exercise, and taking part in leisure activities are among the few ways to improve mental health. The employer should prioritize wellness to help employees to develop good habits. You can offer free gym membership or offer incentives to employees who take part in wellness programs.

  1. Reduce stigma

Talking about mental health, self-care, and stress management in meetings can help to reduce the stigma that’s associated with mental disorders. When your employees trust you that you won’t call them nasty names or fire them for being depressed, that can make them more willing to seek treatment.