Happy Minds, Healthy Profits

Mental health is health, and all of us – including employees at every level – need to be healthy in order to work effectively.

Employers and people leaders can develop or improve workplace policies that uplift workers, ensure they are valued and heard, and improve an organisation’s overall culture of well-being.  

In order to keep your workplace healthy and well, a workplace needs to:

• Cultivate supportive people-managers. 

• Build an impactful mental health employee resource group. 

• Provide and educate employees about benefits and resources. 

• Develop an employee-driven mental health strategy. 

• Find creative ways to think beyond the norms of basic benefits.  

Consider Low-cost Solutions

Train your managers to support others.

• Eight-in-ten employees consider quitting their jobs because of a poor manager.

• Oftentimes, people are promoted to management because of their success in other roles, but without appropriate training. Even the most successful employees can make poor people managers.

• Invest in cost-effective training programs, provide managers with allocated work time to attend training or other professional development course, and meet 1:1 with your managers to understand their strengths and areas that may need improvement. 

Get to know your employees.

• Small employers are at an advantage when getting to know each employee, but healthy employee relationships are possible in organisations of any size.

• Use active listening skills to learn what matters to them. Remember and note birthdays, important moments, or family hardships to show employees that you listen and care. Even if you cannot provide full holidays, consider giving early release or flexible scheduling to employees when it matters. 

Be creative with your benefits.

• Consider swapping benefits with other small employers or business. Can you negotiate discounted pricing for healthy lunch meals or a gym or yoga studio membership? Can you provide catering to employees who work over holidays? Can you rotate schedules so employees who work on a holiday have first priority for the following holidays? Any little bit helps, as long as it simply shows you are listening and care.

Research Group Solutions 

Expand your employee pool.

• If an employee left your organisation or retired on positive terms, they might be available to pick up shifts or cover on an as-needed basis. Similarly, you might know someone who works in a similar work environment who has all the skills but might need a day or two to get trained on specific software or equipment.

• Having people who can fill in as needed can allow your regular employees to take time off.  
  

Team up with other employers.

• Consider teaming up with other local employers to create a business group or join a professional employer organisation.

• These structures allow your organisation to pool resources for finance and human resources support and achieve affordable health care or other benefits.  
  

Challenge Long-held Assumptions

All organisations can achieve better wellness.

• After the COVID-19 pandemic, organisations discovered many creative ways to support employee mental health. Benefits and support that seemed impossible to provide before became more accessible, such as affordable tele-health options or employer- sponsored wellness apps. 

Providing sick leave is a public health imperative.

• After the pandemic, workplaces are more willing to recognise the importance of sick leave. Small businesses often use social media to communicate any daily schedule changes because of staffing disruptions. 

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Would you like support as you grow your Mental Health Workplace Plan?

We encourage you to book a free consultation with one of our team to discuss your organisational needs.