What should you incorporate into your business’s mental health policy?
Want to ensure your workforce is as healthy and efficient as possible? Find out what you need to include in your mental health policy.
Needless to say, the workplace can sometimes be a breeding ground for stress and burnout. Actually, it often is that you have constant video calls, questionable meetings that last longer than they should, micro-manging, unrealistic expectations, and the list could just go on and on. Workplace stress tends to be the biggest factor that affects people on a daily basis.
So, are you currently running your own business? Do you have staff? Well, as a position of authority, by all means, you have to start recognizing that your employees’ mental health is just as important as their physical health. But what exactly should you include in your business’s mental health policy to ensure a supportive and thriving work environment? Well, here are some key elements to consider.
Open communication channels
This may sound like low-hanging fruit, right? Well, creating an environment where employees feel comfortable discussing mental health is one of the most important aspects. This doesn’t mean having an anonymous suggestion box; those don’t work. Instead, you’re going to want to encourage open dialogue by establishing regular check-ins and fostering a culture of transparency.
If your employees feel like they have to bottle things up, then chances are, your work culture may actually be toxic. You have to let your team know that it’s okay to talk about their struggles and that they won’t be judged or penalized for doing so. You may want to consider implementing anonymous surveys or suggestion boxes to gather honest feedback without fear of retribution.
Access to professional support
Fortunately, more businesses of all industries and sizes are seeing that this is actually a big deal! Now, the advice to go get professional mental health assistance gets tossed out left and right, but it’s not exactly that easy though- it’s expensive. You know how much you’re paying your employees, do you think they can actually afford regular mental health services with their current salary?
Chances are, they most likely can’t. So, you’ll need to try to give access to professional mental health resources, and this can include providing information such as online therapy that takes insurance (if you’re providing them with employer-health insurance).
However, this could even include providing information about local therapists, offering employee assistance programs, or partnering with mental health apps that offer counseling services at a small discount. Sometimes, just knowing that help is readily available can be incredibly reassuring for your team.
Mental health training for managers
This is where it can really become a challenge, it was mentioned earlier that unrealistic expectations seem to be all too common, and yes, that’s definitely true. While everyone should get training, it might be a good idea to give managers additional training when it comes to mental health.
Actially, they’re the ones who play a pivotal role in the mental well-being of their teams. This is exactly why providing training on mental health awareness can equip them with the tools to recognize signs of stress or burnout and respond appropriately.
