Developing a company culture of good mental health

By developing a culture of good mental health, you can increase employee motivation and engagement, helping them to come to work knowing that they are supported and valued.

What is a culture of good mental health in the workplace?

A workplace culture that is aware that mental health problems can arise, and takes steps to support employees rather than potentially exacerbating the problem, is a good one.

This type of workplace culture is a positive environment for employees, where they are able to talk to their employer about any issues that may be affecting their mental health. This workplace culture can help employees to feel good about coming to work and helps them to feel supported and listened to.

Communicating support

In a national survey conducted by Business in the Community, 35 per cent of employees said that they were experiencing poor mental health, but did not approach anyone for support. This means that many employees may be suffering in silence, and therefore not accessing the help that may be available to them.

A good way to tackle this is to let employees know that talking about these issues is important, and that it is supported by the workplace. You could also make it easier for employees who find it difficult to ask for help by opening up different methods of communication, for example through a 24/7 chat service offered by an Employee Assistance Programme.

Address any potential discrimination

Discrimination or bullying regarding mental health can only make problems worse, and can result in absences and even employees leaving the company. It’s important to take steps to prevent or discourage this by adopting a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination and bullying within the workplace, and letting employees know that steps will be taken to address any incidence of this.

Make health and wellbeing a top priority.

Looking after and prioritising your employees’ health and wellbeing promotes a good culture of mental health in the workplace. You can do this through offering health and wellbeing benefits, such as private health insurance, health apps, fitness discounts and mindfulness training resources. This will help employees to know that both their mental and physical health is supported by their employer, and enable them to access these benefits easily and in a more cost-effective way through the workplace.

Mental health issues can affect an employee’s ability to work effectively, but it’s important that employers are there to support their workforce through life’s difficulties. By supporting your employees mental health through a benefits strategy, you can ensure that methods are put in place to provide a helping hand to your staff when times get tough. This will have a positive effect on the workplace as a whole and help to create a company culture of good mental health.

This article was provided by Busy Bee Benefits.