Mental health is currently one of the most serious health issues in the world. A recent study published by the BBC concluded that depression is the second most common cause of disability worldwide right after back pain. However, despite the increasing incidence of mental problems due to stress, these issues have remain ignored in the workplace. Mental health issues are taboo, individuals with mental health problems carry a stigma of discrimination both in their working and private lives. An employee who suffers from a mental health problem simply says at work that he has caught a flu. If he said that he suffers from depression or a panic disorder, he would feel at the very least uncomfortable among his colleagues.
The fear of talking about mental problems results in making both the mental and physical health of employees worse. This obviously has a significant impact on their work performance. Employers should therefore not ignore the mental health of their people. They should focus on creating an environment of openness and support in which employees do not have to worry about discrimination. HR managers should play a key role in this process. The following recommendations for HR professionals were published on the HR Zone website:
1. Reassess your existing procedures
Start with an analysis of your corporate processes with regard to mental health and identify specific gaps. Think about your policies on recruitment, work safety, working hours, sick pay, redundancy, diversity, employee engagement, personal development and performance management.
2. Focus on communication
Analyze and chart how people talk about stress and mental health in your company. Remember that the concept of a mentally healthy workplace goes hand in hand with improving employee engagement. Both of these issues depend on strong leadership and an open corporate culture.
3. Promote mental health
Actively raising awareness of mental health and encouraging a dialogue among employees will help you overcome prejudices. In addition to mental health problems, you should also focus on combating stress, encouraging work-life balance, flexible working hours, developing positive working relationships, etc.
4. Check the mental health of your company
Start by talking with your colleagues about how they feel. Take a survey of employee satisfaction and develop trainings for managers on how to talk about mental health issues to their direct subordinates.
5. Support managers
Managers play a vital role in how employees perceive the company and the issues that are important to the company. It is therefore necessary to properly train your line managers to understand the importance of a mentally healthy environment. They should be able to effectively manage the volume of assigned work, help develop their subordinates abilities or to offer assistance in the form of individual action plans.
-Kk-