I talked with a good amount of people in relation to Employee Mental Health Interventions and built the following findings. I hope that you find it revelatory. Mental wellbeing is a dynamic state in which the individual is able to develop their potential, work productively and creatively, build strong and positive relationships with others and contribute to their community. It is enhanced when an individual is able to fulfil their personal and social goals and achieve a sense of purpose in society. Mental health interventions should be delivered as part of an integrated health and well-being strategy that covers prevention, early identification, support and rehabilitation. Occupational health services or professionals may support organizations in implementing these interventions where they are available, but even when they are not, a number of changes can be made that may protect and promote mental health. Interventions and good practices that protect and promote mental health in the workplace include organizational practices that support a healthy work-life balance. The words we say have meaning. The impact of our words can create a perception in another person’s mind that has the potential to form a belief and stay with them for a long time — even their entire lives. For centuries, people have largely perceived mental health as mental illness, and it’s still mostly discussed when someone is experiencing a decline in their well-being. To set your workforce up for success, it’s time to change the way your organization approaches employee wellbeing. Rather than a series of bolt-on support programs aimed at firefighting existing problems in your workforce, you can now integrate proactive employee wellbeing tools into the flow of every workday. Mental health is still the elephant in the room in most workplaces – employees are reluctant to raise the subject for fear of discrimination, while managers often shy away from the subject for fear of making matters worse or provoking legal consequences. This culture of silence means that opportunities to support someone in the workplace are being missed, resulting in staff being off sick or falling out of the workplace altogether. Engagement is about recognising that employees, if they are to perform at their best, must be respected, involved, heard, well-led and valued. Making changes that have a positive impact on employees’ experiences at work are integral. Workplace health promotion programs have proven to be successful, especially when they combine mental and physical health interventions. The workplace is an optimal setting to create a culture of health because ommunication structures are already in place and programs and policies come from one central team. Smart employers know that organisations are only as strong as their people – they depend on having a healthy and productive workforce. Professionals are spending more hours ‘at work’ than ever before. This could be credited to the evolving nature of business priorities coupled with how connected we are today. Organizations like ThoughtWorks are working to both understand how this lifestyle change has impacted employees and therefore provide more support. Similarly to any change that happens within organizations, discussions around employers duty of care mental health need planning and implementing properly. Protection Of Physical Safety Leaders are just as likely as anyone to go through tough times. When this happens, the old leadership style would have been to grin and bear it – to not show any ‘weakness’ to your team. However, by discussing their experiences openly with their team, leaders can help to create psychologically safe spaces in which everyone feels comfortable to open up themselves. When having mental health conversations with team members at work, be clear about why you’re bringing up mental health with a team member, so your intentions won’t be misinterpreted. Do you often feel exhausted, irritable, and find it hard to concentrate — but can still get work done and still feel like you are good at your job? Encourage a workplace culture that lets people be authentic. Rewarding people for being open and encouraging people to speak out when they face challenges. Burn out is a big issue for the public/third sectors, a remarkable similarity between passion driven jobs (including startups, nursing/carers, and teachers) and hitting walls. Especially, the care sector where the turnover is huge because of the overbearing stress. Organisations can make sure their employee benefits package provides support for workplace wellbeing ideas today. One of the biggest challenges we face is the need to make conversations about mental health more common. A good starting point for this is to learn more about mental health, and particularly mental health problems. Many people who experience distress try to keep their feelings hidden because they are afraid of other people’s responses. Fear of discrimination and feelings of shame are among the top reasons people give for not telling their colleagues about their mental health problems. If an employee is living with a medical condition, you have a legal responsibility to consider making “reasonable adjustments” to enable them to remain in work. Most reasonable adjustments are simple and inexpensive, and are really just good people management and part of your general duty of care to your employees. But in some cases employees with a mental health condition may need further professional support. Workplace bullying is more than simply an interpersonal conflict—it can be a systemic problem that arises in the context of a poor workplace culture. It is best dealt with by taking steps to prevent workplace bullying long before it undermines individuals’ wellbeing or workplace relationships, or becomes a risk to health and safety, and the most effective way to do this is by fostering a culture in which bullying behaviour is unlikely to thrive. Who hasn’t woken up in the morning after a good night’s sleep with the perfect solution to a problem they’ve been brooding about all week? Often, taking a break lets employees relax and rest their brains, which gives their subconscious the chance to see past preconceived solutions and objectively evaluate the task at hand. Discussing ideas such as workplace wellbeing support is good for the staff and the organisation as a whole. Mental Health Outcomes At a time when there is a national focus on productivity the inescapable conclusion is that it is massively in the interest of both employers and Government to prioritise and invest far more in improving mental health. The UK can ill-afford the productivity cost of this poor mental health. To incorporate mental health into the workplace organisations should be ensuring that managers are able to motivate employees and provide them with the training and support they need to develop their performance and job satisfaction. This should be done alongside increasing understanding of how management style and practices can help to promote the mental wellbeing of employees and keep their stress to a minimum. According to studies, persons in the United States will spend anywhere between a quarter to a third of their lives at work. On a typical day, we devote more of our waking hours at the workplace than at home or with loved ones. As a result, we must maintain optimum mental stability both at work and at home. If you truly want mental health and employee wellness to be a conversation instead of a fad, you need to involve executive leadership from the get-go. Supporting a colleague who has a mental health problem is about helping them to find ways to recover, helping them to stay well, and ensuring that the workplace is a safe and pleasant place to be, free from discrimination. An opinion on Wellbeing for HR is undoubtebly to be had in every workplace in the country. Steps organisations can take to create a healthy workplace include not reinventing wheels by being aware of what other companies who have taken action have done. Being in paid employment is generally considered to be a good thing. It’s more than just a way of earning a living: it provides identity, contact and friendship with other people, a way of putting structure in your life, and an opportunity to meet goals and to contribute. And while it’s possible to embrace an alternative point of view, and thrive without paid work, unemployment is linked with poor physical and mental health, and poverty. However, paid employment brings its own pressures on your mental health. In 2019, the International Labour Organisation declared that "stress, excessively long working hours and disease, contribute to the deaths of nearly 2.8 million workers every year" – road accidents kill fewer than half that number – "while an additional 374 million people get injured or fall ill because of their jobs". A manager who believes a team member may be experiencing mental ill health should take the lead and arrange a meeting as soon as possible to talk to the team member in private. The conversation should be approached in a positive and supportive way. The link between an individual’s mental health and every other aspect of their wellbeing, from physical to financial, has long been discussed. Organizations are recognizing the very real impact wellbeing can have on health as well as workplace performance and productivity. As they do so, many employers are coming to understand the importance of addressing employees’ mental health alongside other aspects of wellbeing. Thinking about concepts such as managing employees with mental health issues is really helpful in a workplace environment. Normalise Mental Health Deadlines, unmanageable workloads, and working with challenging personalities are just a few of the everyday obstacles employees face. Add financial worries and lack of time to the mix and life can become overwhelming. When these stressors increase and our ability to deal with them decreases, our mental health and wellness can suffer. While identifying work-related risks and taking preventative measures should help minimise stress for most staff, it may still affect some team members due to issues inside or outside of the workplace. Managers should be prepared to help and support a team member experiencing stress. Receiving regular feedback makes 68% of employees more satisfied with their jobs. When you give feedback to your employees continuously, they feel like their growth matters. In addition, your employees can find out how to work better, which allows them to advance their skills and continue learning. The feeling of satisfaction and happiness in a career is crucial for employee wellbeing. Unearth more intel regarding Employee Mental Health Interventions on this Health and Safety Executive link. Related Articles: How Do We Understand More About Employee Mental Health Initiatives? Current Conversations About Mental Health At Work Interventions What The General Public Ought To Know About Mental Health In The Workplace Initiatives
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