Supporting Employee Mental Health

Dec 16

What is Mental Health?

Mental health refers to our emotional, psychological, social and cognitive well-being. Our mental health is susceptible to changes brought on by stress, physical strains such as lack of sleep, economic or social factors, and much more. Poor mental health can be a detriment to the way we interact with others, our decision making abilities and our ability to perform work. On the contrary, positive mental health can increase performance, happiness and overall well-being.

Mental health discussions can make many people feel uneasy, because it conjures up the notion of mental illness/mental disorders. These two can exist simultaneously, but they are fundamentally different. Mental illness/mental disorders are diagnosed conditions, many with specific therapeutic or pharmaceutical treatment options, whereas mental health exists at all times for all people.

Why is Mental Health Relevant in the Workplace?

Understanding the importance of mental health and supporting it in the workplace is crucial. Today's workforce is constantly in tune with rising social, political and economic issues. We are emerging into a post-pandemic world, with many people still dealing with the loss of friends or family over the last few years. Work once held a solid structure for employees, but fluctuating hybrid, work-from-home or back-to-office strategies, altered performance expectations, hiring freezes or booms, and more have all thrown that stability off course. These factors have left much of the workforce overwhelmed, and unable or unwilling to continue as they did before.

Below are some statistics that reveal the increase of work-related stress:

57% of U.S. workers reported feeling daily stress (Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2021 Report)
94% of workers report feeling stress at work, and almost a third describe their stress level as high to unusually high (American Institute of Stress)
Three-fourths of employees believe the worker has more on-the-job stress than a generation ago(NIOSH)
16% of employees have quit a job because of stress (Korn Ferry)

Supporting your employees' mental health is not only the right move ethically, it is inarguably the right choice for your business as well. When you support mental health, you combat the stress that leads employees to experience burnout, lower their performance or quit. Let's explore options that you have as an employer to increase mental health support within your organization.

How to Support Mental Health

Acknowledgement

The first step to supporting the mental health of your employees is to acknowledge its existence and open the door for healthy practices. This is a stigmatized subject, but mental health is not going anywhere, and ignoring it will only lead to more burnout and undue suffering. Here are a few ways to get started:

Understand your workforce: People will be more likely to put effort into fostering their own mental health when the subject is approached in a way that they are comfortable with. Consider factors like age and generational differences. In The Hartford's study, Gen Z and younger Millennials (1995-2002) were nearly three times more likely to experience struggles with depression or anxiety compared to Boomers (1955-1966). These younger generations are also more likely to discuss mental health struggles with their peers.
Get everyone on board: Host a meeting, or send a company-wide announcement that addresses mental health head on. Let employees know that you are taking initiative to foster an environment which supports mental health.
Leadership must be willing to get involved: Don't expect your employees to put themselves in a potentially vulnerable situation if company leaders aren't also willing to participate.
Respect privacy: Opening the discussion of mental health in the workplace is not an excuse to dig into a person's private life. Supporting mental health is a practice that involves catering to different personalities and needs. Some may be more willing to share their journey than others. There should be a place for open discourse and options for private journeys as well.

Education

Educating yourself and your team about mental health is key. Here are a few ideas to ignite a plan that works for your company:

Provide a list of self-care practices to inspire employees on their journey, such as:

Setting a sleep routine
Keeping a mindfulness journal
Intentional breathing practices
Healthy eating
Exercise
Self check-ins

Provide self-care resources. This could be a subscription to a self-care app, a list of self-care podcasts, or adding self-care books to the office library.
Educate managers about mental health and let employees know that they are welcome to share or ask for support at any time. Employees are much more likely to seek help when they have a supportive manager who they trust.

Compensation

While discussing mental health is certainly a step in the right direction, it cannot replace the benefits of a holistic compensation strategy. As we've learned, mental health is linked to emotional and social well-being. Mental health is also directly impacted by physical health. Providing support for your employee's overall health is a direct link to supporting their mental health. Proper salary compensation is also a factor, as one is more susceptible to stress and anxiety when they are in economic turmoil. Here are some factors to consider while adjusting your holistic support strategy:

Review your overall compensation strategy. A 2022 Gallup survey revealed that an increase in benefits and pay is the #1 factor that candidates and current employees want from their employers. Providing competitive pay and a holistic benefits package can have a huge impact on your team's mental health. Review your benefits package and see if there are opportunities to add mental health resources such as counseling and therapy (virtual and in-person) to your plans.
The same 2022 Gallup survey revealed that the #2 choice is a greater work-life balance and better personal well-being. The window to job flexibility was blown open when the pandemic forced companies to go remote and (for some companies) to operate on a limited schedule. Cultivating a work/life flow is something that employees are not soon to forget. Offering robust PTO plans, wellness days, or options for remote work are great ways to give your employees more flexibility and personal freedom. You can refer to our 4-day work week blog to see the benefits of shifting to a shorter work week.
EAPs (Employee Assistance Programs) are put in place to assist employees who are dealing with situations that affect their ability to perform their job. This can be in the form of counseling, provision or referrals of legal assistance, rehab support, emergency planning and more. While the support of mental health is promoted to avoid such drastic situations, it is good to equip your team with the resources they need should an emergency arise.

Follow Through

Mental health, as with most good practices, requires constant upkeep. The easiest way to keep mental health top of mind is to incorporate it into the daily routine of your company. Here are a few good practices to keep mental health top of mind throughout the workday:

Host health-centric activities, such as fitness contests or classes. Virtual fitness classes are a great option for remote teams!
Offer flexible work schedules. Remind your team to utilize their PTO and wellness days. Drive the importance of "unplugging" from work. Don't allow employees to work outside of their schedules and don't fall into that habit yourself. Leading by example is the best way to let your team know that their work is not more important than their personal time.
Provide healthy food options in the office kitchen.
Encourage transparency with mental health. If your employees feel comfortable with sharing their journey, allow them to. This can be something as simple as removing the stigma of putting a therapy appointment on the calendar or posting mental health goals to the team.

We truly hope that this article has provided some insight and useful strategies to support the mental health of your team! The HENSLEE HR team are huge supporters of mental health and self-care practices. If you're interested in getting more ideas or help implementing your own mental health support plan, reach out to the HENSLEE HR team here.

As always, we're so grateful for our community and supporters. Stay tuned for more valuable content and don't forget to make space and elevate! 🙌🏽