Having a positive office culture has become a top priority for companies all over the world lately. Many companies understand that by building a positive culture their employee’s work output is likely to improve, meaning good things for the company. One of the biggest aspects of ensuring your office has a positive culture is by being open and honest about mental health. The mental wellbeing of everyone in your company should be a top priority. If your employees aren’t at 100% their work won’t be either. Of course, you can’t expect to fix all of your employee’s problems, but what you should really focus on is being open about the subject, especially as someone in a leadership position. By being open about mental health and your own mental health problems you can encourage others to do the same, which creates a culture where everyone acknowledges that mental health is just as important as your physical health and that we can’t ignore it.
When an employee struggles with mental health issues it can get in the way of their work. Depression can affect your ability to do physical job tasks as well as reduce your cognitive performance. This can negatively affect your business, as employees may not be able to do their best work. On top of that, many employees nowadays are very conscious of their own mental health and would like their organizations to start prioritizing it. If mental health is a primary focus within your company, you can ultimately attract great talent while making sure your employees are healthy and happy and doing their best work.
Promoting Mental Health In Your Office
Now that we understand why being open about mental health is good for your organization, how do we go about actually making it happen?
Encourage Employees To Take A Break
A problem facing employees all over the world is that they may recognize that they’re not at their best when it comes to their mental health, but they won’t take the time to work on that. This may often be because they feel they have too much work to do, and they have to get that done before they focus on themselves. As a leader, it’s important to encourage them that if they need a break, they should take one. Help them understand that if they need assistance with their work in order to take a day off, you will work with them to get that assistance. Many employees are workaholics and don’t always know when to stop before they’re totally burnt out.
Listen To Feedback
When checking in with your employee’s mental health, ask them if they have any feedback for you that can help you ease their burdens. If they have feedback you can reasonably act on, it’s important you try and do that as opposed to listening and never acting. If an employee feels like they’re being micromanaged, be sure to take a step back and give them space to do their job. If they feel like their workload is too big and its mentally exhausting them, work with them to come up with a solution that benefits everyone.
For more information, visit New Horizon Counseling Center’s website.