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Kent Ingle is president of Southeastern University, author of several leadership books and host of the Framework Leadership podcast.
Mental health holds considerable power in the workplace. Now more than ever, it’s crucial to cultivate an environment that promotes awareness and encourages healthy boundaries and practices.
A staggering 45% of adults ages 35 to 44 experience mental illness, with adults ages 18 to 34 reporting the highest rate at 50%, according to a Harris Poll survey. It is easy to assume that the effects of mental health can be limited to your personal life. However, it has the power to directly impact all aspects of your life—especially your professional life.
From my experience, I’ve found that an employee’s mental health can affect their performance and overall success within their role. This can ultimately impact a business’s daily operations and long-term prosperity. Your company’s culture should be conducive to mental well-being. If not, it can be detrimental to your employees and your organization as a whole.
Here are five reasons why mental health should be prioritized in the workplace.
Employee Performance
The state of an individual’s mental health influences their ability to be productive and truly effective in their work. If an employee is preoccupied with stress, anxiety or depression, they will likely be unable to devote their full attention to the task at hand. Approximately 12 billion working days are lost to depression and anxiety globally, costing $1 trillion per year according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
If you want to see your employees reach their full potential, provide an atmosphere that supports their well-being. A mentally healthy team has the capacity to be more focused, motivated and creative. You will most likely find that your employees are able to give their best when free from mental roadblocks, so look for ways to create a safe space.
Attendance And Retention
When your employees are battling with their mental health, they’re prone to miss more work days than usual or may even leave your organization altogether. ComPsych Corporation reported that mental health-related leaves of absence have increased by 300% within the last six years.
Your team may not feel the effects of an absent team member right away. However, it doesn’t take long before the missing labor takes a toll and late assignments start to pile up. This can leave the rest of your employees scrambling to fill in, leaving them to fall behind on their own work as a result.
Decreased attendance from staff can have long-term consequences for an organization, spreading teams thin and adding unnecessary stress. If these absences become permanent, it will likely only add more to the to-do list.
Company Culture
Without an emphasis on the importance of mental health and well-being, you cannot promote your company as offering a positive culture. Looking after your employees and ensuring that your workplace encourages healthy boundaries and expectations is key to establishing a thriving culture.
A Mental Health America survey found that 81% of workers “who feel mentally or emotionally safe in their workplace report that workplace stress does not affect their mental health.” Employees need to feel valued and cared for in order to effectively function in their roles. Lacking a supportive company culture can result in disunity and the eventual breakdown of an organization. Prioritize cultivating a healthy company culture.
Employee Satisfaction
A large proponent of a company’s success is an efficient and productive workforce. Your team needs to experience a sense of fulfillment within their roles and the organization as a whole. This will inspire them to serve to the best of their abilities. International career consultancy City CV reported that 71% of executives believe that “employee happiness is critical to a company’s success.”
Prioritizing your employees’ mental health is a crucial aspect of keeping them happy and engaged with their work. Show them you truly care about their well-being. Actively help them feel more content in their roles and motivated to work hard.
Ethical Responsibility
You have an ethical responsibility to treat your team with honesty, diligence and respect. A crucial part of this is addressing mental health concerns and offering the proper support for these issues. According to Mental Health America’s survey, employees’ perceptions of an organization’s leadership have a greater influence on their mental health than co-worker or team dynamics.
Your team looks to you for guidance and direction. You have the power to influence how they perceive the company, their position and themselves as employees. Your leadership holds great weight in the workplace, so it’s important to use that authority to implement a safe environment and healthy practices.
Mental health impacts all aspects of your organization. It affects employee well-being, productivity, performance and satisfaction—and can influence your organization’s day-to-day operations and success. What’s one step that you can take today to further implement a positive and compassionate workplace environment for your team?
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