What can your organisation do to support employees’ mental health?

Creating a supportive environment for mental health problems is essential for any organisation. For a start, you have a moral duty to look after your employees, but by being supportive you can boost morale and productivity too. However, HR software specialists MHR, found in a survey of over 6,000 UK-based employees that nearly half would be reluctant to discuss mental health issues at work – concerned the discussion could harm their careers. Below, we explore how you can rail against this trend and support employees’ mental health.

Mental health issues on the rise

Mental health issues are a growing problem for organisations. Indeed, a poll from Nuffield Health discovered that 37 per cent of respondents said their mental health had worsened over the last year. As such, this isn’t an issue that your organisation can ignore.

The impact on the organisation

The problems become even more pertinent to businesses when you consider the impact poor mental health has on organisations. Research shows, that there was a 16 per cent rise in absenteeism attributed to mental health in 2021 against 2020. What’s more, around a third of employees surveyed, had to take time off for mental health issues in 2021. If your organisation fails to create a supportive environment for mental health issues, then it can expect to lose more days to absenteeism and become less productive and efficient.

Creating a supportive environment

The first step towards creating a better workplace for mental health is by creating a supportive environment. Often, employees will face negative repercussions if they raise a mental health problem, prompting them to stay silent. MHR’s survey highlights that “15 per cent of employees who revealed a mental health issue at work faced some kind of censure in the form of disciplinary action, demotion, or even dismissal.” As a result, you ensure that employees don’t get discriminated against for their mental health problems. This can be achieved by more effective training and by educating your management teams.

Create a wellness policy

A wellness policy can be effective too. By creating a wellbeing policy, you can set out a process for supporting staff and aspirations to become a more supportive working environment. A policy should include a commitment to promoting health and wellbeing, set out available advice and support for mental health issues, and it should be championed by leading management and senior staff. This can help create a more effective and understanding workplace culture.

Supporting employees’ mental health is essential for any business or organisation. And by following the advice above, you should be all set to create a supportive workplace environment.