Between poor productivity and absenteeism to overall employee wellbeing, mental health can have a direct impact on your organization. One way employers can take a stand toward employee mental health is by building a company strategy creating awareness for mental health, its importance, as well as implementing mental health screenings when needed.
What is the State of Workplace Health? Find out Here!
Workplace and Mental Health
Whether employers realize it or not, the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of employees has a serious impact on a business. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 80% of adults with depression reported at least some difficulty with work, home, or activities because of their symptoms. While the discussion of mental health in the workplace may seem taboo, 72% of employees want their employers to champion mental health and well-being, according to Forbes.
Along with providing convenient and confidential access to healthcare, such as an on-site nurse, organizations can improve mental health in the workplace by looking for signs and symptoms, building trust, and asking the right questions through simple mental health screenings. Many people associate symptoms with daily stressors or lifestyle changes, but understanding the risk factors can help employees seek help when needed.
How Employers Can be Involved
Increase Awareness
Try increasing awareness of mental health by giving employees access to education and resources from organizations such as Mental Health America or American Psychiatric Association. Your organization could also take it a step further by developing its own initiatives and programs that are customized to your workplace. Employers can also provide opportunities for managers to attend relevant training to support their staff. By receiving professional training, managers will understand that mental health is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but can understand the unique approaches that are required for each employee and their needs.
Provide Mental Health Screenings and Resources
Companies can actively look out for their employees’ mental well-being by offering confidential mental health screenings. Mental Health America offers free questionnaires for a variety of mental health disorders including depression, anxiety, and PTSD to name a few.
Encourage Healthy Work-Life Balance
Do your employees work overtime constantly or take work home with them to do outside of hours? Work-life balance is an essential part of a healthy work environment and can help reduce stress and burnout in the workplace. Encourage your employees to ask for help when needed and consider offering employees flexibility and control with their jobs. By showing your employees that you understand the importance of their life outside of work, you are promoting the ability to obtain work-life balance.
Develop Workplace Policies
With an estimated 1 in 5 adults living with a diagnosable mental illness within the past year, employers without a workplace mental health policy are missing out on a huge opportunity to provide support to their employees. If your company does have a mental health policy in place, take the time to review it and see if it can be revised to better help your team.
Support Your Employees and Their Mental Health
Providing healthcare to your employees that is easy and accessible is a sought after benefit for employees. Since mental illness is not a physical illness that is seen, it is often overlooked. By providing resources for mental health and creating organizational awareness for its importance, your employees feel more valued and cared for. To be a successful organization, your business not only needs to be physically healthy, but mentally and emotionally as well. At OnSite Health, we understand that your employee’s health is a priority, contact us today to learn more about our workplace health offerings.
