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Secure the most appropriate Employee Mental Health Programs Mediations for your demands with our helpful article.Workers absent due to mental ill health are seven times more likely to have further absence than those with physical health-related sick leave. Looking after your team’s mental health is just as important as their physical health. This will lead to a more productive team in the long term. The opportunity cost of not promoting good mental health at work, and not supporting people who have mental illness or care for others who do is therefore very, very high. Nonetheless, almost all of us have witnessed people and practices in the workplace that ignore the needs of individuals or sometimes the whole team, and the resulting impacts such as staff turnover, absenteeism, low productivity and poor morale. Just as with racism, there's a difference between being non-toxic (talking about it and hoping for the best) versus being actively anti-toxic (doing tangible things to stamp it out). In the past decade, almost 200,000 Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs) have been trained in the UK. In 2017, the Conservative Party’s General Election manifesto promised that it would amend health and safety legislation ‘so that employers provide appropriate first aid training and needs-assessment for mental health, as they currently do for risks to physical health’. Employees with different mental illnesses can benefit from varying treatment approaches. For example, there is evidence that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can successfully treat people with depression. It can also be a cost-effective option. If an employee’s anxiety is affecting their day-to-day work, as an employer you’re required by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to make reasonable adjustments for them, as far as is deemed practical. Our fear of being rejected by the work tribe, whether it's manifest in perpetual anxiety and impostor syndrome or in the more socially acceptable form of overworking, is like a fear of heights when visiting the Grand Canyon: probably exaggerated, but not entirely irrational. Charities such as Mind have a wealth of information to help you support your employees with stress and its impact on mental health. More importantly they have advice to help you prevent it becoming a problem in the first place. When it comes to supporting people with workplace adjustments, the things you can do to support someone having a tough time are simple, and often cost far less than having someone on sick leave, or having to recruit a replacement for a person who leaves. Flexible working hours, employee assistance programmes, mindfulness and relaxation sessions can all help to improve the wellbeing and productivity of employees across the organisation. Tthings like smarter work design and positive work cultures are key to preventing mental health problems, while promoting resilience and early intervention can both help minimise negative impacts and support recovery. Don't forget to send out proper internal communications around workplace wellbeing ideas in your organisation.Building ResilienceOrganisations should ensure systems are in place for assessing and monitoring the mental wellbeing of employees so that areas for improvement can be identified and risks caused by work and working conditions addressed. This could include using employee attitude surveys and information about absence rates, staff turnover and investment in training and development, and providing feedback and open communication. Being mentally well means that your mind is in order and functioning in your best interest. You are able to think, feel and act in ways that create a positive impact on your physical and social well-being. Potential workplace triggers for distress include high-pressure environments, unmanageable workloads or lack of control over work. Mental health disorders are on the rise worldwide, creating a crisis that goes beyond those who struggle and their families to affecting communities and society at large. In parallel, poor mental health — a state of suboptimal functional performance — is a growing concern for employers and employees. The boundaries between work life and home life have become increasingly blurred with the significant shift to home working. This needs to be monitored carefully, as a poor work-life balance is a shortcut to stressed and burned out employees. For employers not investing in wellbeing initiatives, employers duty of care mental health can be a difficult notion to comprehend.Employers may not be fully aware of their employees’ mental health needs because employees are not likely to tell them. Employers should gain a better understanding of employees’ perceptions and attitudes toward their role in promoting mental health and providing support for mental health issues, including diagnosed mental health disorders. The development of a strong evidence base through monitoring of performance can make the case to prioritise improving employee mental health and reduce the likelihood of action only being taken in a reactive manner. Furthermore it is a pre-requisite to inform changes in policy and organisational design. A successful organisation depends on employee wellbeing. A paper entitled ‘Does Worker Wellbeing Affect Workplace Performance?’ investigated the relationship between employees’ subjective well-being and workplace performance in Britain. They found a clear correlation between the average level of job satisfaction at the workplace and workplace performance. However, they found zero association between levels of job-related affect and workplace performance. Everyone will have times where they reach breaking point. ?We can all experience stress such as money worries, bullying, relationship breakdowns or the loss of loved ones. Issues at home or at work can make it difficult to sleep and concentrate. We feel less energetic and find it difficult to function in day to day life. Our lives can feel hopeless. Over the past 25 years the Government and policy makers have increased the priority given to improving awareness and treatment of mental health. More specifically, there was a subtle shift in the direction of government policies towards community engagement, in the 2009 ‘New Horizons-Towards a shared vision for mental health action programme’. Discussing ideas such as workplace wellbeing support is good for the staff and the organisation as a whole. Psychological DemandsExperience of poor mental health is not an indicator of poor performance, so it is important that employers do not discriminate consciously or unconsciously against people on the basis of prejudiced and unjustified assumptions regarding the employability of people with mental health issues. The changing working environment has posed an increasing challenge for employers who are looking to support their teams. Limited in-person contact between managers and employees has made building trusting relationships more difficult, and can also make spotting the signs of struggle harder. Work is a major part of adult life, and many adults spend more time in the workplace than they do at home. As the workplace increasingly becomes a destination rather than a place where people have to be, companies are faced with the challenge to address mental health and well-being at work. Creating a work environment that inspires people and makes workers happy will not only contribute to business success, but it will also go a long way in attracting and retaining the best talent. In order to sustain a culture of openness and transparency around mental health and wellbeing, employees should listen to and support team members with mental health and wellbeing concerns at both peer level and as line managers. Employees can support improvements in overall workplace mental wellbeing by ensuring they are aware of both how to raise concerns about colleagues and also what actions to support co-workers they can reasonably take. Clear policies on workplace adjustments and phased returns to work are crucial for reducing the length of mental health related sickness absence. Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs), occupational health or psychological therapies can also contribute to a comprehensive support package for staff. Small businesses can access the free Health for Work Adviceline service provided by NHS occupational health services. Subjects such as managing employees with mental health issues can be tackled by getting the appropriate support in place.Managers play a key role in setting the culture of the workplace and the team through the behaviours they model, and those they expect of their employees. Positive workplaces are built by consistently respectful behaviour and clear expectations of employees. In times of profound stress and uncertainty, it’s more important than ever to protect our mental wellbeing. Equip yourself and your team with evidence-based tools to help you thrive in challenging circumstances. Let’s face it, you probably spend more time with your coworkers than you do with friends or family. Engaging with peers for eight+ hours a day can be exhausting, especially if you’re having a bad day. It’s impossible to be at 100% from 9-5, five days a week. While the workplace does require a level of professionalism, your employee culture should support coworkers even when they’re not at their best. Many people are reluctant to speak up about their mental health because it could harm their promotion and career opportunities. Employees with mental health conditions can be supported to be productive at work by considering the inherent requirements of the job, individual skills, capability and personal circumstances and making reasonable adjustments to support people to perform the role. Similarly to any change that happens within organizations, discussions around Wellbeing for HR need planning and implementing properly.Worker Well-beingThe relationship between work and mental health is at a turning point. 2020 and 2021 have tested us all in new ways and amplified employee expectations of holistic care from their employers. Business leaders are also increasingly recognizing mental health support as critical. Struggles with mental health can have a real, tangible impact – they can contribute to burnout, disengagement, loss of productivity and attrition. If your corporate space allows, provide a room or an area that encourages headspace or downtime. If not, encourage your staff to take regular breaks away from their screens. Stretch those legs, get some fresh air and be present in nature. Work-related stress is the response people may have when presented with demands and pressures that are not matched to their abilities, leading to an inability to cope, especially when employees feel they have little support from supervisors and little control over work processes. Unearth further intel on the topic of Employee Mental Health Programs Mediations on this Health and Safety Executive entry.Related Articles:How Do We Understand More About Employee Mental Health Initiatives?5 Arguments Why You Shouldn't Forget Mental Health At WorkHow Dominant Are Workplace Mental Health Initiatives Nowadays?