Improving Mental Health in the Workplace
By: Live Better
Tags: Corporate Wellness, Workplace Culture, Mental Health, Wellness, Mental Health Awareness

Challenging times are like mirrors for our insecurities. They force us to confront the things we find difficult and amplify personality traits that might otherwise be dulled when things are “normal”. In the workplace, “mental health” still (unfortunately) carries a stigma of weakness. Issues of anxiety, sadness, and even stress are often overlooked. Under “normal” circumstances, we might move these emotions and feelings to the back of the shelf. Leave your personal life at the door, they said.

Thankfully, in challenge there is also opportunity. One of these opportunities is to address mental health in the workplace. How, you ask?

The answer lies in opening up lines of honest communication and setting the framework for allowing that to continue into the future. The current situation has encouraged all of us to be a little bit more human; people are taking extra time to be empathetic, come together (even in isolation), and grow stronger in our bonds. The support for frontline workers is a perfect example. The outpouring of support, positivity, and love for a group of workers under extreme stress and challenge is uplifting, to say the least.

This is something that should continue into the future. Big business has the same opportunity. In traditional “corporate” environments where employees are expected to perform at a high level under stress for long hours, the consequences of doing so should be acknowledged. Stress should be addressed at work; it directly affects workflow, productivity, happiness, and sustainability. It also affects retention.

We have an opportunity to reach out to provide emotional support. This is especially true if your business has fallen on hard times (which includes mostly everyone). It gives you an opportunity to be human — if someone is furloughed or laid off, the answer to “why?” is potentially obvious, but it doesn’t make the pill any easier to swallow. In fact, due to the current condition it may be made worse if other jobs don’t become readily available. If you own a leadership position, reach out, and at the very least just listen. Start to take notes on what your team is asking for in terms of taking care of themselves.

This is a “moment” for the world. In all elevated moments, people tend to be hyper-aware of how they were made to feel. People will remember how you treat them, who was there to help them, and who was there to provide the support they needed when times were tough.

This is an opportunity to change the nature of the mental health discussion in the workplace. These “stresses” were always there; they’ve just bubbled up to the surface with some external encouragement. Why wouldn’t it be possible for us to provide an ear to listen, compassion around financial hardship, intermittent “breaks” to relieve stress midday, extra time to exercise, etc.?

All workers should have the ability to appropriately take care of themselves while at work. Opportunities for exercise to improve their physical state will directly impact their mood and mental resiliency. Opportunities to take short breaks, whether that means a walk outside or something like meditation, can be given regularly without sacrificing productivity. In fact, thinking from a place of clarity and calm will only improve work product.

We’ve seen firsthand the positive result of meditation done at work. We’ve taught our mindset process hundreds of times and seen employees improve the way they handle stress, the way they talk to themselves during challenge, and how they take control of their mental health. We know this is a viable strategy, and this is just one of many.

Take time to first check in on yourself, which will allow you to communicate from a position of strength and empathy. Then, take time to check in on your people; the opportunity is there to be a great leader, not just a good one. Businesses are made up of people, and ultimately that’s what will be remembered. Regardless of when everything returns to normal, it is our responsibility right now to take care of our people.

This shouldn’t stop when we return back to the office. Make time to check in with your teams. Make time for physical and mental health to be a priority; this is the underlying fuel to help employees do anything, better. Understand that these stresses, fears, etc. will not just go away; the road ahead is filled with hard work and long hours.

Th decision is ours on what we decide to go back to. Let’s go back to a healthy, supportive, and positive workplace, filled with human beings that care.