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HOW TO SUPPORT MENTAL WELLNESS AT WORK
“ You don’t have to be positive all the time. It’s perfectly okay to feel sad, angry, annoyed, frustrated, scared, and anxious. Having feelings doesn’t make you a negative person. It makes you human.” — Quote by Lori Deschene, author.
Companies that don’t take care of the emotional and mental health of their employees face attrition and a loss of reputation in the job market. To ensure that everyone is happy and feels comfortable in their workspace and wants to keep with the brand, the top management must make mental wellbeing and health an intrinsic part of their culture. In this blog, we look at some ways to do so.
Here are some ways businesses can support mental wellness at work:
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The management must be open with their vulnerabilities. It’s important for the top management (Directors, managers, leads, etc) to be open with their own mental well being, issues, treatment, and therapy. A culture of openness and transparency must include mental wellness etc. In office meetings (online or offline) or internal communication, these issues can be raised by the management. Sharing their thoughts / experiences by top management can bring such issues to the table. It leads to the normalisation of such hidden issues and can lead to those who need assistance / help / medication on a journey of recovery & hope. When senior staff narrates their stories, it makes them appear approachable, inspirational, and real. Studies reveal that genuine leadership leads to deeper bonds & better performance.
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Take care of your mental health and demonstrate it. Be a role model for your peers and team members. By taking care of yourself, you can focus on others. It could be sharing simple gestures like switching the monitor off for 5 minutes every 1 hour stretching your legs, taking a walk, taking a break, or just deep breathing / meditating.
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Incorporate mental check-ins within the company culture. Make it a habit of checking – in on the emotional and mental well being of your colleagues / peers during daily interactions / meetings. So whether teams are working from home / office or hybrid model, time out at the beginning of the end to discuss emotions, issues, and challenges is the mandate of the hour. Employees expect management/businesses to be invested in their emotional health & well being with mental health perks now on the table.
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Be flexible and inclusive. Normalise your flexibility and show others how you are adapting based on feedback or introspection. Conversations & open communication enable the firming up of policies & practices of the organisation that foster mental wellbeing. Don’t make assumptions. Have an open mind and attitude. Listen and change. Your style of talking or working may not be conducive to the welfare of others. A change is required. Stressors are different for different people who call for customisation & flexibility on part of the management with regard to solutions.
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There is no such thing as “ too much communication ”. With regard to all types of developments concerning the company, communicate to employees reporting to you. Always update each team member on any updates and changes. Any new policy and its implications need to be communicated. Lower stress by being realistic about workloads, setting priorities, and allowing delays in other non–vital tasks. Let your team members know about mental health resources and how to access them.
About the Author
Rahul Ray
Rahul is a seasoned consultant in travel, transport and hospitality sector subject matter expert with over 20 years of experience and constantly challenging himself to re-define travel distribution and channels, Dedicated Son, Love Nature and Politics both
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