Employee wellbeing has always been the most critical factor in an organization’s success. Without healthy and productive employees’ organizations would not survive or recover the business costs.
Research says:
- 1 among 5 are suffering from mental illness
- 2/3rd do not get treatment due to multiple reasons like ignorance, disgrace, cost issues, delay, and lack of access to treatment
- According to WHO, mental health issues are the biggest issues of the century with depression being the leading cause
But should organizations or employers be responsible for the mental health of their employees?
Yes, they should, and below are a few of the pointers that can help them improve the mental health of the employees:
Create a positive workplace
There is still a shame surrounding mental health. By opening, people fear that they would be ignored or isolated, would be considered as abnormal, and thus considered as ineligible for the job. Employers and managers have a very crucial role to play by educating employees about mental health and creating open channels for communication. This can help create a positive work culture that promotes employee engagement and attracts talent.
Early prevention
We happen to spend 60% of our time at the office. There is a lot of stress at work including meeting deadlines, working with people of different behaviors and personalities, stress related to job security, need to learn new skills, and many more. In the middle of all this, educating employees about the ways to cope with stress makes a lot of sense. This approach will help to address issues much before they become trouble for the employee as well as the employer.
Provide treatment to reduce the impact
This is where the HR of the organization will play an important role. It is the responsibility of HR to find the best in quality and evidence-based solutions for success. It can be done through maybe a benefit plan or a wellness counselor or online programs or a combination of the mentioned options to help reduce the issue of suffering for the particular employee and thus help them perform better at work.
Improve engagement
If you are physically fit, you are healthier and thus you perform better. This goes the same as your mental health. If you improve the mental health of the employees it will make them mentally strong and they can handle stress thus improving their decision making, performance, and productivity. In this way, you can help the employees to be the best version of themselves.
Cost-saving
When organizations take care of the mental health of the employees, they end up saving costs. This is because employees that are mentally fit tend to be less absent, tend to be more productive. This helps organizations to grow.
Organizations should have effective mental health resources in place for productive and engaged employees that deliver growth and sustenance.
Written & Compiled by Faber Mayuri
