How to improve mental health in the workplace

There are numerous benefits of happy and healthy employees. Happy employees are more productive, require fewer sick days, and create a more positive company culture and work environment.

Since most people spend the majority of their waking hours at work, businesses must take responsibility for employee happiness and overall mental well-being. Creating a supportive work environment can be crucial to good employee mental health.

Investing in workplace mental health is not only the right thing to do ethically, but it can also help boost a company’s reputation and positively impact its financial performance. In this article, we will learn more about what businesses can do to promote good workplace mental health and provide advice on what training is available to ensure that workplace mental health is supported.

How can you promote good workplace mental health?

While lunchtime yoga and mental health walks undoubtedly benefit employee mental health, they are just the tip of the iceberg. Effective mental health support requires businesses to take a more holistic approach, incorporating mental health into their core values, culture, and business policies.

Get leadership on board

Promoting good workplace mental health should start from the top. Business leaders must be committed to promoting good workplace mental health, actively raise awareness, and start conversations about mental health at work. When senior management is openly supportive, it makes it easier for employees to feel comfortable following suit and discussing mental health issues without worry.

Address workplace issues

It’s important to create robust, zero-tolerance policies on bullying and harassment in the workplace and ensure that they are consistently enforced. This sets the tone for the type of behaviour that is acceptable in the workplace and helps to create a safe, respectful, and supportive work environment.

Offer managerial support

Offering all employees regular one-on-one meetings with managers or team leaders can help them feel supported and valued and provides a safe space to discuss any mental health or well-being concerns. These meetings should be prioritised and handled with complete confidentiality.

Invest in employee development

Providing employees with training and development opportunities can help to boost their confidence and mental health. When people feel competent, valued, and appreciated, they are less likely to experience work-related stress and anxiety.

How companies and business owners can support mental health in the workplace

Once you’ve decided to prioritise and support mental health and well-being in the workplace, you need to integrate some strategies and initiatives to help make your vision of a healthier, happier workforce a reality.

We’ve come up with some key initiatives for supporting mental health in the workplace.

Work/life balance

Upholding a healthy work/life balance is key to good mental health. Employers should encourage employees not to work excessive hours and to make full use of their breaks and full annual leave entitlement. If employees suffer burnout because they’re not getting the balance right, it can be detrimental to the business and the individual’s mental health.

Flexible working arrangements

Offering employees flexible working hours and the option to work from home can significantly reduce stress levels. For example, eliminating a long and stressful commute could help employees gain more time for exercise, relaxation, or family commitments. Being flexible about when and where employees work also makes it easier to balance work with other life responsibilities, including childcare, without too much stress.

Mental health initiatives

Organise mental health talks and workshops to help normalise having conversations about mental health. Consider setting up a mental health support in the workplace group or offering employees free counselling services. These initiatives can help to provide employees with resources and support to turn to when they’re struggling.

Encourage exercise and breaks

Physical activity is proven to have a positive impact on mental health. Businesses can encourage this by offering gym memberships, organising group exercise activities, or simply encouraging employees to take short, frequent breaks to get up and move around.

Social events

Organising regular social events can help employees connect and provide a relaxed setting for unwinding after a busy day or week. However, ensuring that these events are inclusive and considerate of everyone’s comfort zones and preferences is important.

When businesses do what they can to prioritise employee mental health and well-being, it helps employees stay healthy and focused, boosting employee morale, commitment, and productivity.

What steps can be taken to ensure workplace mental health is taken seriously?

So, how to improve mental health in the workplace? To succeed, businesses must make it an ongoing commitment. We’ve put together five key steps for ensuring that mental health is taken seriously in the workplace.

• Ensure senior management is educated and actively involved.
• Incorporate discussion about mental health in employee training.
• Use internal communication channels to promote mental health awareness.
• Normalise talking about mental health to create a culture of openness.
• Create robust company policies and initiatives that support employee well-being.

What training can be implemented to ensure workplace mental health is supported?

The first step towards promoting positive mental health in the workplace is to train management as they are responsible for implementing a positive mental health culture and looking after employee health and well-being.

At Care Business Associate Training, we offer an FAA Level 3 Award in Supervising First Aid for Mental Health (RQF). This course will teach individuals how to identify mental health conditions, start conversations about mental health, provide advice and recommend professional services. It also explores the factors that contribute to creating a positive mental health culture in the workplace.

For more information about this course or to find out about similar courses that we run, call our team on 01772 816 922 or email admin@cba-training.co.uk.