Headspace’s 2024 Workplace State of Mind study shows work stress has negatively affected physical health for 77% of employees and negatively affected relationships outside of work for 71% of employees.
Harvard Business Review shares the following strategies from workplace mental health consultant and author Morra Aarons-Mele to help improve mental health in the workplace.
- Start with the work. Improving workplace mental health involves tackling how, why and where we work. Get specific and focus on the work product you need and how you can better support the employees involved. For example, mental health considerations for emergency room clinicians will be different from those of billing department employees. Blanket policies for employee mental health rarely succeed and are not realistic. It is important to tailor solutions to the specific problems different people are experiencing.
- Do not rely on outsiders to drive behavior change. Companies often rely on outside experts and designated well-being consultants. However, it is crucial to also engage internal mental health advocates who are managers and leaders. Recruit well-respected, successful insiders who are willing to take the lead and potentially share their own stories.
- Consider different generations and genders. All generations at work struggle with mental health, though the view often is that only young people want to talk about their feelings. Also, men who want to share their emotions at work might feel more stigma than women. Increasing mental health literacy within the company can help to create a shared language and baseline of knowledge; invest in training for everyone to learn the mental health basics and diminish biases.
- Be patient and prepare to invest in what matters. Becoming a more mentally healthy company is a commitment to change the fundamentals—it starts with leadership and takes time. Recognize that technology will not fix mental health issues; Aarons-Mele says the outsized role technology plays in the workplace potentially can damage mental health. Employers also should invest time and focus on thoughtful strategies as they develop mental health programs so employees believe they are heard and feel connected.
- Walk the talk. Buy-in from everyone is needed to protect mental health in the workplace. If you are passionate and persistent about mental health, others will be willing to recognize its importance. Leaders carry the power to destigmatize mental health conversations by sharing what they are doing to preserve their mental health and how those actions affect them.
Did you know NRCA offers mental health resources? Visit NRCA’s Mental Health webpage to learn more.
