We’re hearing about mental health more and more these days, and while that might seem like a bad thing, it’s actually a positive sign. The more conversations about this topic become part of life, the easier it is to promote good mental health.
This is as important at work as anywhere else. Marketing companies and others across the business world are learning that helping their employees feel more positive benefits the business as well as the team. With this in mind, read on to learn how you can improve your business, reduce stress and help your staff enjoy life.
How to improve mental health at work
1. Make resources available
It might sound obvious, but it’s worth making clear: good intentions are great, but they’re ineffective if not backed up. For this reason, it’s crucial to provide tools to reduce stress and promote good mental health.
2. Inform staff about resources
Once you have resources, make sure everyone at the company knows what they are and how to access them. If you want to improve your mental health, the last thing you need is to spend time stressing about how to find help.
3. Seek feedback
While you should encourage staff to speak openly, letting them come to you isn’t always enough. Instead, be proactive: approach team members to see how they’re feeling and how well they think the company addresses their concerns.
4. Adjust resources
Once you’ve heard what your employees have to say, you can feed it back into your programmes. Adaptation is crucial to an effective strategy and helping you provide the support network your workers need. If employees are finding it hard to access resources, for instance, you can conduct a survey on how this can be improved and adjust in response.
“In July 2019, we ran our first Wellbeing Insights Audit. Since then, we have been taking action based on insights and recommendations from our staff.” – Nemash Patel, Marketing Manager at Push Group
5. Encourage space
One of the biggest issues with mental health at work is not having the space to relax. While your employees do need to hit targets and keep clients happy, they also need to do it in a way that doesn’t leave them stressed. Too often we find ourselves constantly switched on, replying to emails at all hours.
This can be a great way to run a competitive business, but we should remember that the same tech that keeps you connected can open opportunities for less stressful ways of working. Many successful companies, such as London-based digital marketing agency Passion Digital, encourage flexible hours and working from home, which can seriously help workers feel more positive. The effectiveness of this differs for every company, of course, but this is another opportunity to employ trial and error to find the right balance.
6. Maintain a healthy environment
Even with working from home available, staff should feel comfortable spending time in the office. Consider the impact physical space and environment can have… think natural light, plants and so on. Research shows a healthy work environment helps staff feel more positive, and it can also help promote physical health in the workplace.
7. Take mental health seriously
We wouldn’t call someone weak for coming down with an infection, and we’re increasingly viewing mental health the same way. Your employees shouldn’t feel ashamed for experiencing stress, anxiety or depression – many people do! Promoting this thought process is a great way to encourage conversation.
“Open discussions are always part of our ethos, regardless of whether that’s regarding work strategies, workloads and role responsibilities or more personal matters.” – Tom Welbourne, Founder at The Good Marketer
8. Have confidential and anonymous options
There are plenty of reasons someone might not want their colleagues to know they’re suffering. You should reassure staff that you’ll keep the things they share with you private and keep those promises! You can also include anonymous options on surveys you pass out throughout your company. This will encourage more people to open up.
9. Include everyone
The last thing you want is for your staff to feel divided and isolated. Avoid this by making resources available to all, seeking feedback from everyone and, perhaps most importantly, addressing issues at all levels. A positive workplace culture is as important, and managers and executives need to address that. Demonstrate that mental health is taken seriously and staff will trust they can raise issues without embarrassment.
10. Keep conversations going
Reducing stress and maintaining a good environment are long-term goals, more like keeping a healthy garden than patching a leak. The tips here will help you move forwards, but ongoing conversations need to be a permanent part of your wellbeing plan. To make spending time at work feel more positive, everyone on the team needs to improve together.
We hope this article has been helpful. If you want more information on how to improve mental health in your firm, specialist companies can provide advice and work with you to develop solutions.
