Mental Health in the Workplace - Not an Option a Necessity

Within the past year, employees have faced hardships and losses that have introduced unforeseen stressors into their lives. The stigma around mental health leaves many leaders and executives unsure of how to discuss the importance of providing support in the workplace to help employees cope during a crisis and beyond. It’s time for leaders to take a stance and focus on creating a safe environment for employees to talk about their mental health and provide resources to support them.

Our goal as leaders should be to create a work environment that supports our employees' individual workstyles while balancing business needs and ensuring mental well-being is a top priority. Work quality and efficiency hinges on the mental well-being of the people doing it. Retaining top talent can’t happen if employees feel unsupported. There are numerous ways to foster a supportive environment that encourages employees to put their mental health first. Try implementing some of these tools into your company's culture. 

Meditation 

Put most simply, meditation is a way to train the mind. Most of the time, our minds are wandering — we’re thinking about the future, dwelling on the past, worrying, fantasizing, fretting, or daydreaming. Meditation brings us back to the present moment and gives us the tools we need to be less stressed, calmer, and kinder to ourselves and others. Offer a time each day for your employees to meditate or encourage them to download an app that they can utilize on their own time. 

Mindfulness

Being mindful at work — and consciously focused on the task at hand with an open mind — can be transformative. By training ourselves to be more present at work through mindfulness, we learn to take care of one thing at a time and lower our stress levels. A study from Ohio State University found that when students multitasked, they felt more productive — but in reality, they were actually less productive. Encouraging our employees to be mindful and consciously focused will produce better work and keep stress from piling on. 

Practicing Gratitude 

While regularly practicing gratitude has proven to improve your wellbeing, making a point of jotting down the things that you are grateful for can take the experience to a whole new level. Keeping a gratitude journal is easy and on the simplest level, it involves making a note of the things that you are grateful for each day. Encourage your employees to write down three things each day they are grateful for before opening their email inbox and, if they stick with it, they will notice lower levels of stress, a more positive attitude, improved self-esteem, and an overall increased sense of happiness. Think about giving out gratitude journals as a way to encourage your employees to participate.

The future of work is more than just thinking about being in the office or working remotely. The conversation needs to be more human-centered where leaders are focused on creating an environment that employees can thrive in. A space where mindfulness, wellness, gratitude, and meditation are not just buzzwords but daily practices. Many employees are overwhelmed by always having to be connected and “on”. Relieve the pressure that translates to stress and a decline in mental health. Take action today.