In 2022, studies found that one in five, or 21% of employees don’t feel that they’re able to talk to their employer about their mental health. In fact, one in six people experience mental health problems in the workplace.
Mental health and the workplace have a large amount of impact on one another. Both as an employee and as an employer, understanding the importance of mental health in the workplace could be lifesaving. Here are five tips on managing mental health in the workplace, as an employer or an employee.
Mental Health Tips at Work
As an employee, managing your own mental health in the workplace is fundamental to a stable sense of self. Here are five ways you can improve your own mental health at work.
1. Give yourself daily goals
Begin your day with a focused plan of what you’d like to achieve. Focusing internally and checking in with your progress throughout the day can help you solidify your grasp on how much progress you’ve actually made.
Noting down your tasks in this way declutters your mind, giving you more brain power for creativity and emotional wellbeing. This also stimulates a sense of achievement when you get to check off each task.
2. Form connections with your colleagues
Stress in the workplace can make anyone feel irritable, which is why it’s so important to form connections with your colleagues.
Just being part of an environment where you and your co-workers can have free flowing conversation can improve mental wellbeing by giving you an opportunity to destress, even if this is only in the form of a 5-minute break.
3. Focus on your strengths
Remembering why you’re good at the work you do, and what it achieves on a wider scale, can help to give you a sense of purpose.
Try writing these things down; seeing a physical list of your values can make them feel more real. Understanding how your job helps you in your life outside of work, too, can make it easier.
4. Speak up about changes you’d like made
If there’s something about your workplace that’s making you feel down, the chances are that other people you work with are probably feeling the same way.
Discuss it with your colleagues and speak up to someone senior to ensure changes are made. Remember that it doesn’t have to be something major to warrant it being worth raising, too; if the office itself is drab and lacklustre, see if a pop of colour can be added, or even bring your own!
5. Physical activity
Regular physical activity ties in closely with our mental health, but when working a full-time job, it can be hard to find the time for a full workout.
Something as small as going for a walk at lunch time can help you break up your day and reset your mind for the afternoon. If you drive to and from your workplace, or tend to work from home, it’s especially important to get out and stretch your legs during the day.
Workplace Strategies for Mental Health
As an employer, you have the fundamental responsibility for the wellbeing of your employees. You need to ensure that your employees are happy with where they work, and that if they’re not, they at least feel able to speak up about their mental health.
Here are five ways that you can improve mental wellbeing at work, as an employer.
1. Give Employees Control Over Their Work
Creating opportunities for growth and movement within jobs can improve both employees’ wellbeing and job performance. Providing training, for example, so that employees can take on different tasks and have more variation within their day is sure to improve their wellbeing by minimising monotony in their day.
2. Allow Flexibility
Wherever possible, give your employees flexibility over their schedules to allow for a healthy work/life balance, or give them stability with their schedules if working in shifts.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, more people have been working from home or introducing hybrid working as part of their lifestyle. This has drastically improved work/life balance, too, so it’s something you should consider introducing if you haven’t already.
3. Give Employees Opportunities to Voice Their Opinions
Make sure that your employees feel supported to speak up about changes they’d like to be made within the workplace, and provide specific opportunities to do so. Some may feel intimidated by the idea of actively speaking up if they want a change made, but providing a safe space for them to do so will make it easier.
You can do this by implementing allocated 1-1 time between employees and their managers, or hosting regular team meetings where employees can discuss what they think needs improving at work.
4. Encourage Social Activity
Feeling supported by their colleagues and management can have a huge impact on mental health and quality of work, so it’s in everyone’s best interest to make the workplace a positive environment where everyone gets on well.
Try organising a pub-meet after work one day, or organise a game session during lunch to get everyone talking and having fun. This can boost morale, and make the work day a less stressful time for your employees.
5. Provide Mental Health Resources
If one of your employees is struggling with their mental health, it’s important they’re able to access the resources they need to feel supported and improve their wellbeing.
Having an online hub of resources, as well as office signs that provide information like our stress management guide can provide information at a moment’s notice for anyone struggling.
Look After Your Employees at Label Source
At label source, we provide signs and labels that can protect your employees’ safety, both mental and physical. From office signs to all other kinds of safety signage, you can find it all with Label Source.
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