How to Better Manage Employee Mental Health in the Workplace

As we become increasingly aware of the impact our mental health has on our physical health, daily lives, work lives, and productivity, it’s more important than ever for companies to look after their employees’ mental health. But how can you do this?

Conduct Regular Check-ins

Regular one-to-ones give your employees time to voice any issues that may affect them in the workplace. This could be issues that have arisen at work, or personal problems that they may not want the rest of the team to know but that can cause issues, such as grief.

Practice What You Preach

Many companies have policies about honesty and transparency, but not everyone follows them. Be sure to practise what you preach. If honesty is a company value, be honest with your employees. They’ll return the favour and it will create an open, honest working environment where everyone feels more comfortable being themselves.

Invest in the Right Technology

Save your employees time on tedious tasks like booking their holiday or scheduling meetings. Invest in the right technology that automates tedious tasks so they have more time to work on what you hired them for and not on tasks that eat up their time and waste their skills.

The right hardware is also important. There’s nothing worse than losing a day to setting up computers or fixing things when they go wrong. Provide your employees with robust, high-quality equipment that’s suitable for the job at hand.

Ensure They’re Engaged

Think your employee might be disengaged? Talk to them during a one-to-one. Find out what’s going on with them. It could be that they enjoy working for the company but aren’t happy in the department they’re in any more. Reskilling employees ensures that you don’t lose the best employees to your competitors. You keep all their soft skills like communication, creativity, and problem solving. They, meanwhile, learn how to adapt their skills to a new department that they’re happier and more productive in.

Be Flexible

Flexible working options are one of the top requests employees have of their employers. Allowing them to start or finish later so that they can pick up and drop off their children from school is a prime example.

Remote working is another way to be flexible. Allowing employees to work in their own environment can help with concentration and productivity. It also shows that you trust your employees enough to allow them to do this.

Remote working has been shown to improve productivity and employee morale. It also widens your talent pool because you’re not limited to hiring people within your catchment area. You’re also more likely to attract a diverse pool of candidates.

Allow Time for Appointments

Employees may need time for appointments with their GP, a counsellor, or another healthcare professional to better manage their mental health. Make sure you’re open to this and don’t ask for too many details. Not everyone is comfortable sharing this information.

However, if you have an open and honest culture, they’re much more likely to be open and honest with you about what their appointment is for. Allowing employees this time will benefit your business in the long run, too.

The more employees do to manage their mental health, the better armed they’ll be for dealing with day-to-day stresses that could impact their mental health.

Conclusion

Managing employees’ mental health doesn’t have to be scary or intimidating. So long as you’re open and honest with your employees, they’ll be open and honest with you, too.

The right technology can make a huge difference to an employees’ mental health, so ensure that everyone has the tools for the job. This includes both hardware and software: if you allow your team to work remotely, for example, they should have a decent laptop and programs like Zoom and Slack to communicate with the rest of the team and ensure they don’t feel isolated.

Managing employees’ mental health may seem like a daunting task, but with the right approach and the right equipment, it can be an effective and important part of your company’s culture.