Today, 10th October, marks World Mental Health Day. The day is designed to bring awareness to the scale of the mental health crisis and whilst mental health issues span the world, it’s easy to forget that even in your workplace, people could be struggling.
As an employer, how can you become a pioneer in supporting your employees?
The World Federation for Mental Health have chosen to focus on the mantra: “It’s time to prioritise mental health in the workplace” for this year.
For many, work can be overwhelming, exhausting, and stressful, often to the detriment of mental health, causing burnout.
Today, we wanted to share some ways your business can help to protect the mental health of your employees.
Make sure breaks are taken
From lunch breaks, to sticking to a time when you switch off, breaks need to be taken. Clearing the mind can benefit efficiency too. We would encourage spending this time outdoors.
Provide a mental health support service
Choosing to provide a safe space for your employees to find support is crucial for fostering a happy and successful workplace. By providing resources, people will feel their experiences are validated. We use Pirkx which is an affordable way the self-employed can access support. Small businesses can offer it to their employees, contact us for details
Promote balance
We don’t like to call it work life balance anymore, because work IS an aspect of your life, and often people really care about the work that they do. But ensuring that your lifestyle supports exercise, socialising, sleep, water, food, hobbies will help you to find balance and resist burnout.
Talk about it
Making your work environment a space where mental health can be discussed is so important. It matters that people feel they can share any worries or concerns with their managers. Brochures which talk you through how to discuss burnout with your employees or managers can be found here
Develop a long-term strategy
Open the conversation, and then don’t forget about it. Mental health is an ongoing issue for many people. Provide check-in meetings, spaces where people can share any concerns about their workload and look to support charities that focus on mental health like Mind or Mental Health UK.
Whatever your workplace, mental health always matters. Whether that be taking a break, delegating your workload, or knowing when it’s all got too much, be sure to take a step back, and make sure the people around you know that too.
If you’re feeling the impact of burnout or are suffering from mental health issues of any form, there is support available for you. Contact Mind here.
