Ways to promote mental and emotional health among employees
When it comes to emotional disturbances and mental turmoil’s, there is no ‘one-size-fits all’
solution. But organizations are devising wellness policies to curb this mental health menace. As
per World Health Organization estimates, for every US$ 1 put into treatment for common mental
disorders, there is a return of US$ 4 in improved health and productivity. That’s why more and
more organizations are designing Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to dissipate mental health
disorders. Here are some ways in which corporates are ensuring mental well-being at their
workplace:
1. Destigmatizing mental disorders
Tension, stress, anxiety, burnout have become common problems. But still, it is considered an
intensely personal issue by many. People are more comfortable talking about their physical
ailments, but when it comes to mental disorders it is a ‘no, no’ for most. Taking this stigma
away is one of the biggest challenges faced by the companies. To ‘normalize’ talking about these
issues, companies are creating health and wellness policies centred around mental health, so the
employees know how and whom to approach in case they need help. Creating the right opportunities
for counselling is likely to defuse a potentially serious situation.
2. Developing strong connections with co-workers
For the workplaces to become stress-free, the workers need to have strong interpersonal connections. They should be able to communicate freely with each other. To foster these connections organizations can organize outings, casual evenings, small birthday celebrations, physical fitness activities such as sports, marathons etc. These small get-togethers away from work, not only break the monotony of everyday stressful life but also build a positive and thriving work culture.
3. Frequent health check-ups
Many corporates have designed their wellness programs around frequent monitoring of clinical measures such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, Body Mass Index (BMI), blood glucose, and smoking habits. Based on these measures, they improve the health of their corporate employees by preventing physical ailments such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. Gradually the companies are becoming aware of the underlying mental and emotional causes of these physical illnesses. Through employee assistance programs crafted around mental health, employees are given access to mental health professionals and other counselling services. A lot of companies are also designing health risk assessment metrics to better understand the health issues most prevalent in their workforce. All this not only provides the employees much-needed support but also helps organizations in creating the right corporate health policies.
4. Aligning individual goals with organizational growth
The annual “performance evaluations is a dreaded word for most individuals. Why? Because they fear being judged negatively or perceived as incompetent or under-performers. The manager should instead focus on conversations about career growth and long-term individual goals. The shift in focus from organization to an individual helps boost employee engagement. Giving constructive feedback time and again also limits the levels of anxiety. It also helps in setting clear work expectations thus reducing the fear of the unknown in individuals.
5. Promoting ‘Flexibility’ in work culture
Flexible work environments make it easier for employees to balance their personal and professional lives. Giving them flexible working hours, encouraging the use of leaves for vacations, allowing work from home and virtual meetings in case of family needs help to balance work with other household responsibilities. This takes away the unnecessary stress of being unavailable for something which they consider as truly important. Organizational success and happiness largely depend upon the well-being of its employees. By improving the mental health of its workers, a company can not only increase its productivity but also reduce overall healthcare costs. Though there is a lot that still needs to be done to improve mental well-being at the workplace. But organizations are slowly gearing up for this challenge by redefining their corporate health policies and destigmatizing mental issues.
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