The workplace is a crucial part of the life of an adult, since the place where we work, our teammates, our management, together play a very important role not only in our professional life but also in the mental health of the individual. . With the arrival of COVID-19, where each of us lives a life full of uncertainties, a survey shows that 50% of Indian workers have uncertainty about their future, which leads to mental health problems. Uncertainty about your career and finances creates stress and other psychological distress, which affects your health and other interpersonal relationships.
With mental health being a sabotaged term in India, the high levels of psychological distress amidst Covid in the workplace is a huge issue of concern amongst all types of organizations operating in the country. Since employers and team leaders are in direct contact with their team members, it becomes essential for them to talk to their employees and help them manage their mental health effectively.
Before propagating healthier mental health for their employees, it is essential that employers realize that the expansion of mental health services should not only be for employees who have been diagnosed with mental health problems, but also it should be for everyone. Just as when we hurt ourselves, we put on bandages, in the same way when life presents us with challenges and we find it difficult to deal with those worries, one requires a tender touch and someone to vent their worries to.
Therefore, in order to make the workplace friendly to each employee and cater to everyone’s concerns, it is essential that employers take a step forward towards employee mental well-being and make office facilities employee-friendly. each employee.
Let us understand some pros and cons that employers should be aware of:
● Allow everyone to express their feelings
● Communicate politely with your employees
● Allow others to show their full potential
● Allow open communication with team members.
● Create a safe space for all your employees
● Respect your work-life balance.
no:
● Don’t judge by mistakes employees make.
● Do not use harsh words that can affect the self-esteem of employees.
● Feel free to introduce yourself and extend a helping hand to your employees.
● Don’t make fun of employees who seek help for their mental health problems.
● Don’t gossip about concerns your employees shared with you
● Don’t misuse your power to stop the promotion of employees who have mental health problems.
Tips for extending mental health support for employees:
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Be open to communication: It is essential that the employer is open to communication with their employees. For this purpose, one must be open to communication not only about work, but a quick check on the personal well-being of employees does not harm employers. It makes your employees feel needed in the workplace.
2. Host Mental Health Webinars: With mental health being a disabled concept in India, holding monthly mental health webinars where employees learn new skills and healthier coping mechanisms can be a fruitful journey in making the workplace supportive of mental health issues.
3. Team building activities: We all need the support of our loved ones in our lives. Our teammates are the people with whom we share most of the time in a day if they are supportive and cooperative they can make the workplace a beautiful place. The employer will need to engage the team in ongoing team building activities so that they harmonize well.
4. Provide psychological support: Sometimes, just as we need to see a doctor for our physical health issues, we also need mental health professionals in case we are dealing with serious psychological distress.
5. Allow Mental Health Leave: We give sick leave when an employee has a physical health problem. Normalize the mental health leave penalty if your employee is feeling down or having trouble getting to the office.
6. Help maintain work-life balance: Respect your employees’ work-life balance and try not to disrupt work hours.
7. Keep track of the mental health of your employees: Some people have trouble sharing their concerns with others. Create an internal system to track the mental health of your employees.
Benefits of mental health support:
● Increased job satisfaction
● Increased work motivation
● Loyalty towards the organization
● Better productivity
● Increased team spirit
● Improvement of interpersonal relationships in the office
● Reduced absenteeism
Being an employer where your ultimate focus will be making a profit for your organization. Try to be a people-friendly employer, because if your employees are healthy, both physically and mentally, they will make more profit for the organization than you can imagine.
–The author Komal Mishra is a consulting psychologist and holistic healer at Dr Bakshi’s Healthcare. The opinions expressed are personal.
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