It is no surprise that many people suffer from poor mental health in the workplace in general as well as from diagnosable mental illness. The Covid pandemic showed the world that even people who are not diagnosed with any mental illness can still fall victim to poor living and work conditions that greatly impact their productivity and general wellbeing.
It is all too easy to think of the people in a business like cogs in a machine that do their jobs day after day, some of which are seen as easily replaceable if they start slowing down. This mindset is problematic when we forget that each person does not operate in the same way as every other, and that anyone could be susceptible to faltering mental health at work.
So if we shift our mindset from replacement to upkeep and try to foster growth in our employees outside of extreme cases, the question of how we can promote mental wellbeing and maintain positivity will naturally arise.
The first and probably most important measure you can take to have a positive workspace is remembering that everybody involved in the company is there together, and that they are all just people.
The Rise of Transparency About Mental Health at Work
Statistics Canada found that the number of people with anxiety disorders and who suffer major depressive episodes has doubled in a 10 year period, and this trend does not show signs of stopping. Some of this increase is due to the Covid 19 pandemic, but the trend of rising mental illness rates had been in place before the pandemic as well.
Because of this, it is safe to assume that mental illness will continue to show itself more and more in the workplace. As noted by Statistics Canada, general anxiety disorders are especially prevalent among youth as more young people begin seeking jobs, more workplaces will have to consider finding ways to accommodate and empower them.
Luckily, more people than ever are also willing to seek help and be open about their mental health than before. Mental Health America found that 81% of people reported that their work-related stress impacted their mental health, but that many did not feel comfortable using the mental health resources at their workplace.
With both mental health rates and transparency on the rise, creating a space where employees feel safe and respected is of the utmost importance; so how can we do that?
Mental Health Problems Cannot be “Solved” at Work
Before answering the question of how we can promote mental wellbeing in the workplace, it is important to note the difference between promoting mental wellbeing and “fixing” mental health.
It will be harmful to both the management and the team if they go into mental health initiatives with the goal of curing mental illness, as that is neither a reasonable goal nor one that should be undertaken in the workplace. Mental illness can take a long time to effectively address, and there is no quick fix or one-size-fits-all solution.
Similarly, the goal of fostering mental health should not be to increase productivity, as tackling the problem with this mindset creates expectations that are not realistic, adds pressure (which may make things worse), and will not result in fruitful outcomes for anyone involved. Promoting mental health and creating a healthy workplace should be for the people first and for the company second.
Wait, I Can’t Have Expectations For Performance?
Expectations themselves are not a problem, but our attachment to expectations can cause us to become frustrated when they are not fulfilled and take actions that are more aligned with making others wrong, rather than putting you in a solution-oriented state of being. Ultimately, you have a right to do what’s best for your business, but if you put sytems in place to empower the mental well-being of people, you’ll have a way to support anyone struggling with their own mental health, and you may find that these systems positively benefit the performance of everyone in your organization, even top performers.
Mental Health Can Be Nourished at Work
Humans are social beings by nature and do not function well in isolation or in environments where they feel a constant pressure to leave their home life at home and simply function while at work. This does not mean you should be throwing weekly parties and letting people have conversations wherever they feel like it, but it does mean that you should have a “doors open” attitude where talking about problems and asking for help is encouraged.
If an employee does not understand a new concept or has to ask for help or clarification about something they are meant to be working on and the response is accusatory instead of the help they need, they may feel afraid to ask for help in the future. This will negatively impact both their performance and mental wellbeing, and may create lasting resentments which have no place in a healthy workplace.
Instead, being open to questions and trying to give constructive feedback rather than what feels like hostile criticism will make it more likely for that person to ask for help in the future so that they can better perform their job.
Oftentimes this can even be an excellent opportunity for you to build trust among employees as you could choose to direct the question to a senior member of staff who is willing to help and could guide the employee through the process while also making them feel more comfortable at work. The more people feel like they are among friends at work, the better chance they will feel happy in the workplace.
Simply stated, promoting mental health starts with promotion; the more people feel like they can seek help in the workplace, the more likely they will be to actually act on that.
Boundary Setting With Mental Health in the Workplace
Of course, there also have to be clear boundaries and employees should feel comfortable making their own boundaries with each other as well. Community is a great thing to foster in the workplace, but there are things that should be left at home and are inappropriate for a work setting.
The clearer you are with your boundaries, the safer employees will feel and the lower the chances of something getting out of hand will become. Additionally, some mental health problems are not appropriate to be open about in the workplace, and it should be made very clear to your employees that promoting mental wellbeing is not an invitation to use coworkers as therapists, because that will quickly become unhealthy for everyone.
The important thing to remember is that promoting mental health in the workplace should not mean forcing anyone to do anything they are uncomfortable with, including management. Having support systems in place is great, but nobody should be forced to have any personal conversations if they do not want to and nothing should be assumed about the mental health of anyone in the office.
How to Begin Implementing Mental Health Support at Work
Building a workplace that promotes mental health begins with transparency and creating a supportive culture of people who trust each other and feel comfortable in the workplace. It can be nearly impossible to foster mental health in a workplace where there is hostility between employees, so starting with the environment and culture of the workplace is a great start.
If people express interest in supporting one another and receiving support at the workplace, the next step is making people aware of the fact that help is available to them. Mental health initiatives should never be forced on anyone, but rather something which is simply made known.
The two easiest things to implement in order to support mental health are employee assistance programs and benefit programs. Often this means making it easier for employees to access councilors and therapists, which comes with a myriad of benefits.
For one, the wait times are often much shorter when companies have one specific counseling group that they pair with to provide assistance to their employees which makes it more likely for people to actually work up the courage to make an appointment and follow through with it. On top of that, it is also often easier to set up an appointment when your job provides them, which can also help people get over that initial hurdle of working up the courage to ask for help.
Another way to help promote mental health is the inclusion of spaces that encourage physical movement in the workplace or gym memberships as part of the employee package in order to give employees a place to exercise and de-stress. Giving medical benefits such as access to a chiropractor or massage therapist can also be great ways to use physical health to boost mental health. Providing basic health and dental benefits also help people feel more secure and can significantly ease financial stress – one of the most common sources of distress.
For those who practice religions that require daily commitment at specific times, having a prayer space in the workplace can help people feel less stressed or worried about how they can balance both work and their religion.
Being able to work from home once a week if possible is another great option that makes people feel as though their work-life balance is in their control and can help them feel fully refreshed and engaged when they return to the office.
Finally, making goals in the workplace achievable and ensuring the workplace environment is conducive to growth can make employees feel good about their position and have definable goals for the future so they can monitor their own growth. An unhappy workplace is an unhealthy workplace, and employees who are unsure of how they can improve and perform well on performance reviews will have far more stress than if they can feel confident in their achievements.
It’s Okay to Ask for Help
Mental wellbeing is not an easy topic, and dealing with it is not as easy as updating everyone’s WHMIS training, which can already be hard enough.
Implementing mental health initiatives is not a task that one person should be assigned to deal with alone, and will require a team of people and sometimes outside resources. Build systems that empower employee health and well-being one at a time. It’s an investment that will equip your organization to perform consistently year after year, with an ability to effectively support employees through difficult times. This means less rehiring, improved performance, and incentive for top talent to invest in your company over the long-term.
SalesEvolve has experience implementing human resources solutions that can be difficult to begin alone. Talk to us for help getting started.