By: Christina Nguyen
Your job has a massive impact on your mental health, whether for the better or worse. We all know we’re happier when we work doing what we love, but the roles themselves aren’t the only factors determining our happiness in our careers. There’s also the influence of how our coworkers, customers and managers treat us, the perks we’re offered, the overall team spirit — everything we come into contact with outside of the actual work at hand.
If you’re a business owner, this means you have plenty of influence over the mental health of your team members. An environment damaging to mental health can make your team members less productive, less social, more challenging to work with and more likely to walk away. In addition, many team members may already be dealing with mental health issues due to other factors outside of the workplace, issues that your workplace has the power to support or exacerbate. All jobs are easier to do when you’re happy rather than depressed and/or stressed — everything’s just mentally clearer and you’re just more energized.
Unsurprisingly, the World Health Organization estimates that up to $1 billion in lost productivity happens due to depression and anxiety. With your power comes responsibility. So, here are some of our tips on how to take responsibility and do your best to ensure employee mental health is high:
Let them take sick days for mental health.
Many employers wouldn’t hesitate to let an employee take a day or three off for nagging stomach pains but what about more emotional wounds in the heart or mind? Those are equally valid and deserve some time off to recuperate. The demands of their job would only take away from the time to find the healing they need.
Create an inclusive, welcoming environment.
The source of several mental health issues is feeling discriminated against or just marginalized. There’s no shortage of LinkedIn posts about marginalized employees feeling less seen, listened to or given equal treatment in the workplace, not to mention the factors outside of work that contribute to poorer mental health outcomes for underrepresented individuals. This is one of the many reasons why DEI professionals have jobs — creating an inclusive, equal environment isn’t always easy when society has conditioned us to have implicit biases.
Offer mental-health boosting benefits.
Aside from standard health insurance, many companies now offer other perks that seriously boost mental health. This can include paying for gym memberships, yoga classes, massages or even therapy. Such benefits can help team members feel valued and cared for, giving them a sense of appreciation, inclusivity and security.
Promote mental health resources within your company.
If you don’t have the resources to offer the additional benefits above, you still probably have the resources for this one. Promoting mental health resources, even if it’s just your favorite community center or book club, doesn’t take too much time beyond hanging up some business cards or flyers on your office bulletin board or establishing a section for it in the company newsletter or email blasts. This is a low-cost way to promote mental healthcare without financing it yourself.
Promote a kinder work environment.
This one doesn’t need any data to support it. It’s clear that the more kind a workplace is, the more it can help with mental health. We’ve written a blog post on ways to promote kindness in the workplace with some helpful, actionable tips to get you started.
What are some ways to support quality team member mental health within your business? Let us know in the comments below!
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About Stingray Advisory Group LLC: Stingray Advisory Group LLC is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan and is a proud member of Local First and the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. We help businesses grow. By creating customized solutions, we empower businesses and entrepreneurs with the tools to further their development.
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