Employee Mental Health and Well-Being

Mental health and well-being have the ability to create a huge impact on one’s capabilities.

Mental health and well-being have the ability to create a huge impact on one’s capabilities. Employee mental health can affect their performance and growth in the organization which can have an adverse effect on team performance and productivity. Work is the common cause of stress, approximately 79% of people across the globe are affected by work-related stress which affects their mental health and wellbeing. Mental wellbeing can vary from person to person and its impact can be based on situations and various circumstances. Mental well-being can be assured by practicing appropriate measures including meditation, exercise, physical activities, and others.

Mental health and well-being can be influenced by various factors such as psychological and biological factors including genetics, emotional skills, social exposure, and comfort zone of an individual. Factors affecting employee mental health include workload, workplace abuse, poor work-life balance, and lack of appreciation. This can directly affect organizational performance and productivity due to increased absenteeism, lack of employee engagement, lack of motivation, and poor employee performance. 76% of US workers report that workplace stress affects their personal relationships. Employee mental health and well-being can affect personal, professional, and organizational growth. Employee mental health and well-being can be ensured by conducting various employee engagement activities, appreciation and recognition, adequate appraisals and promotions, realistic goals, and maintaining work-life balance.       

Importance of employee mental health and well-being at the workplace

Positive mental health in the workplace helps teams remain active when changing responsibilities and roles of employees. Employees can perform better under a positive environment and favorable working conditions. Employee mental health and well-being can improve organizational performance and productivity. Employees can cope with challenges and difficulties faced at the workplace. Also, mental well-being can allow employees to have effective communication and maintain transparency in the workplace.

Since people spend the majority of their day at work, it is particularly important to have good mental health so that they can respect themselves and others, develop positive relationships with colleagues, and cope with the daily challenges and responsibilities at work. Without effective support, mental disorders and other mental health problems can impact confidence and identity in the workplace, the ability to work productively, absenteeism, and the ease of keeping or getting a job.

Employee mental health and well-being are important to manage workflow and enhance productivity. In addition, mental well-being allows employees to flourish in their specified roles and improve their skills through continuous learning and development from colleagues. Mental health ensures growth in an organization as it helps employees to have basic cognitive and social skills. An employee can leverage major opportunities with the help of support to reach their highest potential.

Around 17 million working days per year are lost due to health problems caused by work-related stress, depression, or anxiety. This corresponds to more than 50% of all occupational diseases. 1 in 10 people think about quitting their job due to stress. You can expect to pay around 20% of an employee's salary to replace them, so that number adds up quickly. Stressed workers miss an average of 24 days of work each year due to health problems, and 1in 4 employees miss work due to stress. Supporting mental health is also a smart business decision. Investing in workplace mental health programs can save money by reducing absenteeism, disability claims, and lost productivity. It also contributes to compliance with occupational health and safety guidelines to limit regulatory exposure.   

Determinants of mental health

The many causes of work-related stress include long working hours, high workloads, job insecurity, and conflicts with colleagues or superiors. Work-related stress can be caused by various events. For example, a person may feel pressured when the demands of their job, including schedules or responsibilities, are greater than they can comfortably manage.  According to the National Health and Safety Commission, work-related stress is the cause of prolonged absenteeism. Other causes of work-related stress include conflicts with colleagues or superiors, constant change, and threats to job security, such as possible termination.

• The major cause of stress and anxiety in the workplace is politics. Workplace politics can affect the mindset and confidence of an employee wherein employee growth can be hampered due to office politics regardless of his credibility and potential.
• Lack of team communication can create a huge impact on overall team performance as well as affect one’s personal growth. Lack of communication can create work-related confusion and hamper transparency among the team. This can create stressful situations for employees and affect their mental health and well-being.
• The work performance of others can negatively affect the mental well-being of an employee if healthy competition is not maintained in the organization.
• Long working hours do affect the physical as well as mental health of an employee. Long work hours can leave employees completely exhausted, which can hamper their mental health due to poor work-life balance. 83% of US workers suffer from work-related stress, with 25% saying their job is the number one stressor in their lives.
• Poor company culture affects the personal as well as professional growth of an employee. Poor management in the organization can affect employee mental health by creating stressful situations due to lack of pay, lack of understanding, lack of employee engagement, and others.
• Customer satisfaction levels can hamper one’s well-being and mental health as changing customer demands can affect overall employee performance. Also, a lack of customer satisfaction can have a huge impact on organizational performance and growth. This can directly affect employee mental health.
• Tension with leadership can demotivate employees as a lack of support from leaders can affect employee mental health.

Employers must recognize work-related stress as a major health and safety issue. The company can and should take steps to ensure that employees are not exposed to unnecessary stress.

Prevention of mental health

Changing the determinants of mental health often requires action beyond the healthcare sector. Promotion and prevention programs must therefore cover the areas of education, employment, justice, transport, the environment, housing, and social protection. The health sector can make a significant contribution by integrating promotional and prevention measures into health services. and promote, initiate and, where appropriate, facilitate multi-sectoral cooperation and coordination. The promotion and protection of mental health in the workplace is an area of growing concern that can be supported through laws and regulations, organizational strategies, manager training, and employee interventions.

This must be done through community-based mental health care, which is more acceptable and accessible than institutional care, helps prevent human rights violations, and achieves better mental health recovery outcomes. Community mental health care should be delivered through a network of interconnected services including:

• The huge gap in care for common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety means that countries also need to find innovative ways to diversify and expand care for these problems, for example through non-specialist psychological counseling or self-help services. 
• Mental health services are integrated into mainstream health care, typically in general hospitals and through task sharing with non-specialist primary care providers.
• community mental health services, which may include community mental health centers and teams, psychosocial rehabilitation, peer support services, and assisted living.

Mental wellness activities at the workplace

One of the most effective ways to manage stress is to develop mental resilience. Conducting resilience training workshops can help employees better cope with challenges in the workplace. People thrive on success and success, and part of that is career advancement. This may mean learning new skills, adding new responsibilities, changing roles, and receiving traditional promotions. As part of overall well-being, workplaces should provide employees with diverse opportunities to set, pursue, and achieve their career goals.

Stress management is a key skill that employees should possess today. Hire a psychologist to lead a stress reduction workshop to teach employees how to manage their stress levels. Create dedicated outdoor workspaces that employees can use for creative work or collaboration. A change of scenery and fresh air can help spark new inspiration.

In addition to setting professional goals, show support for personal goals in the workplace. These goals are less about specific career outcomes and more about improvements to the person as a whole that benefit all aspects of their life. Given the challenges of the pandemic, these personal goals become even more important and can have a significant impact on overall well-being.

Assessing and preventing employee mental health and well-being can ensure positive work environment, better workflow, increased productivity, employee satisfaction, and overall organizational growth. By addressing mental health in the workplace, organizations can help reduce harmful stress and create a positive and supportive work environment. With a proper employee wellness program and mental wellness activities in the workplace, employers can help reduce the effects of stress and improve employees' mental health.