A workplace culture can undoubtedly affect the employee’s mental health as it is a place where employees spend half of their day working on their given tasks. It is important to boost mental health by creating a workplace culture that is safe and supportive without any fear of being judged but unfortunately it is a stigma only these days. Employees are exploited badly by their bosses and they treat them like they deserve to be treated badly whereas employees deserve to be treated well. It can even decrease the confidence of the employees as constant stress and negativity can lead to decreased productivity and job satisfaction.
There are also some aspects by which supportive workplace culture for employees mental health can be improved such as:
- Reducing stress and anxiety:
Create a workplace culture where employees can feel comfortable working together by balancing their personal and professional life. Encourage them to have breaks and promote them to talk openly about their work life stress and proper guidance to manage it.
- Offer diversity:
Diversity can be helpful for those who support those most who are in need. Instead of just offering support to higher paid employees, focus on both prevention along with cure to foster a better workplace culture to ensure the best outcomes.
- Appreciation of job:
Make them feel valued and appreciated by their peers by sharing their knowledge of their own workplace accomplishments with them. Motivate them when it is necessary for them which can boost productivity and focus towards their work.
- Collaboration with other teammates:
Create a positive environment that encourages teamwork and collaboration among colleagues. It can be beneficial for mental health. Working together will make them feel safe and confident about the workplace.
- Open discussion about mental illness:
Run campaigns regarding mental illness by asking questions about their mental health or their experiences with the workplace. If they have any mental health issues then talk about it and help them to overcome it.
Some negative impacts of poor workplace culture on mental health of employees are:
- Excessive workload:
Having unrealistic expectations to meet deadlines and excessive workload can cause burnout or stress.
- Often leaves:
Bad mental health can remove the ability of focus which can apparently lead to taking leaves by causing higher employee turnover in the company.
- Stigma of mental illness:
If an employee discusses mental health issues then it is tagged as overthinking or creating a drama and in the long run employees struggle to share their thoughts to seek help.
- Harassment in workplace:
It could be the most stressful situation ever especially when the employee is female as lower down the level or the confidence. It can significantly ruin mental health.
Some key points of a healthy workplace culture for mental health support:
- Leadership support:
Leaders must set an example for everyone in the organisation through setting an example of giving priority to mental health so that they can discuss their own well-being and problems.
- Communicate openly:
Encourage them to share their mental health concerns so that a mindful step can be taken on time to prevent future mishaps like anxiety attacks or depression.
- Flexibility of time:
If the employees are not able to manage to come to office then provide them work from home. Arrange flexible schedules for employees and staff. If possible provide them work in hybrid mode.
- Employees special program:
Offer them to come to such programs to provide resources of mental health and mental counselling services to help them overcome any mental health condition and concerns that need immediate attention.
- Awareness programs:
Educate them about mental health importance and how much it can be life-threatening situations if not solved on time also leading to a permanent mark on career. It will teach them to support colleagues who have been working alongside.
Some challenges that are faced by the employers and the employers while keeping a check on mental health issues are:
- Not being aware:
Employers and employees don’t want to be aware of the risks as they consider it negligible and time consuming for them.
- Ashamed of society:
Even if they are suffering from any sort of mental illness they are never going to take advice from anybody as it can be a matter of shame for them.
- Not clarifying the goals:
Take an example of a job person who works for minimum 7 hours in a day but due to urgency in work, the person has to work overtime in order to meet the deadline of the project.
Final Words
It is essential to prioritise mental health in workplace culture as it can lead employees to achieve their goals and objectives. Support them whenever they need it. Take frequent breaks of a few minutes from work to suppress workload. Manage it by taking help to HR software.