How to Improve Employee Mental Health and Wellness at Work

By any measure, the last two years have been exceptionally trying. According to the WHO, anxiety and depression rates are rising all over the world. It should also be noted that 47% of employees say they are more stressed since the pandemic and need to make changes with their life, as found in a survey conducted by Randstad and referred to as the Workmonitor. Forty percent of millennial job seekers would rather be unemployed than unhappy in their current position, and 34% of all job seekers want a job with low stress levels.

Author and CEO of a wellness consulting firm, “We might say that the impact on our mental health is the second act of the pandemic, and that’s not going away anytime soon,” says Laura Putnam. In most cases, the impact won’t be felt immediately.

As a result, it’s more crucial than ever that businesses care about their workers’ emotional well-being. This is how businesses can ensure they are meeting the needs of their applicants and staff members:

Ignite the need to move

It has been shown through studies that when people exercise, not only do they improve their health, but they also improve their mood. Getting up and moving around is a great way to avoid and even treat anxiety.

Putnam claims, “Moving around is as effective as Zoloft in treating depression.” In contrast, another study discovered that physical activity actually prepares us to form social bonds. As a result, a seemingly insignificant action, such as turning a Zoom meeting into a walking meeting, can have a profound effect.

Start a walking group at work during lunch, or design step challenges to complete every year or on a set schedule. Try to persuade your staff to use the stairwell instead of the elevator. Awstin Gregg, therapist and CEO of Connections Wellness Group in Texas, says, “When individuals move physically and exercise, their bodies produce endorphins.” As the author puts it, “These are the body’s ‘feel good’ chemicals, which help to directly offset the effects that stress can have on the body.”

Get your staff talking to one another

When employees are happy in their work environment, productivity rises. For example, having a best friend at work has been shown to increase one’s motivation and productivity.

Teams are subject to the same rules. According to Putnam, “high performing, highly engaged teams are 12 times more likely on teams where there is a high level of trust.” As a result, “I often encourage organisations to think beyond programmes and challenges, and instead think more about how they can implement rituals, particularly team by team, led by the manager, that start to embed well-being as a way of life.”

Present Variability

When people move up the corporate ladder, they take on more responsibility, but experience less stress, according to a large Harvard study conducted by Robert Putnam. Because we feel more in command of our time, that’s why.

So, to put it another way, adaptability is an important factor in maintaining good mental health. This jibes with a Monster study that found that 34% of college grads and 28% of non-college grads said that the ability to set their own schedules was the most appealing benefit of their jobs.

Flexibility in work arrangements is one of the most effective ways to aid workers in dealing with stress, according to Putnam.

Facilitate further action

The actions of leaders who promote health and safety in the workplace speak louder than words. Rather than implying that it is preferable for employees to show up every day, it is more effective to celebrate when people use their PTO. Applaud the executives who are taking sabbaticals and vacations, and check in with those who aren’t.

Alternatively, you could incentivize healthy behaviour by developing employee programmes that highlight the value of a balanced lifestyle. To successfully implement change, Gregg explains, “an organisation will need some intentionally altered perspectives on the ‘way things have always been done.'” “Mental health problems are actually more widespread than the common cold these days.”

Show yourself in the mirror

Stress and burnout among workers could be a sign that management needs to examine their company culture to find solutions. Should we blame the worker? Maybe it’s the atmosphere at work.

Putnam argues that “patient overload” is a major contributor to burnout in fields like healthcare. And many of these healthcare facilities have already been overloading their staff with extra patients before the spread of COVID was widely suspected. No amount of yoga or mindfulness can save someone from becoming burned out under these conditions.

Prompt little acts of self-care

Following on the heels of pandemic anxiety, Monster’s data shows that 83% of workers are concerned that the situation in Ukraine will have an effect on the U.S. economy. Extreme anxiety and concern like this is exhausting.

Recognizing the difficulty of the current situation is one thing that employers can do. Then, encourage employees to prioritise their own health and safety. Eat, move, and sleep, as Putnam advises. An excellent night’s sleep, as the saying goes, is “the bridge between despair and hope.” Right now, we need to focus on the fundamentals.

Putnam acknowledges that people have good reason to worry about the end of the world, but argues that they need not let their anxiety get the better of them: “While we may have little or no control over the circumstances in our lives, we have infinite power as to how we respond to those circumstances.”

Prepare to have conversations about issues outside mental health in the workplace.

Younger workers are demanding pay transparency, workplace flexibility, and career stability, but they also want to be able to talk openly about their mental health and wellness on the job.