Job success is assessed in many aspects. To achieve growth objectives, to make financial gains, to complete tasks on time – these are among the top metrics that an enterprise uses to recognise if it is doing well. Employees are vital to these metrics for success, and success must not come at the cost of employees’ mental health. The emotional well-being of staff benefits a business in ways that have long term impact on the success of the company.
The world is undergoing rapid changes since the start of the pandemic, and it has become of vital importance to keep the employees in mental peace. Amid a lot of chaos of lockdowns, the worst impact has been measured on the working class as they faced lay-offs, pay cuts and even loss of employment.
Stress is increasing due to too many companies and facilities shutting down or minimizing their activities. Students are researching about the impacts of COVID-19 and COVID-19 essay writing has become a major trend in essay writing. The collective impact of all these stress stimuli on the mental health is nothing short of disruptive.
To make it more complicated, people sometimes hesitate to talk about mental illness – especially at work. As awareness grows and more people (including celebrities) publicly share their personal stories, shame persists. Therefore, the creation of a working community truly supporting mental health is so crucial for employers.
Why mental health is essential at the workplace
Depression, as per the National Institute of Mental Health, is among the most prevalent mental health problems in the USA. A record 17.3 million American adults have had at least one traumatic or depressive episode in 2017. It is 7.1% of all people with this psychiatric illness in the United States. It is only safe to assume that the number has gone up amidst all the chaos.
The Mental Health of America stated that depression became one of the most crippling diseases in America, losing productivity and absenteeism, at over $51 billion. In addition, the cost of direct care costs exceeding $26 billion annually.
Many employers understand the importance of compensation in promoting the mental well-being of their workforce. Considering the report conducted by the American Heart Association, 8 of 10 workers state that their employers have at least one mental health service. But they also said that they wanted their employers to do more.
The mental disorder will lead to increased disabilities and unemployment, leading to the hiring and training of workers who cannot properly do their work. Finding, embarking, and educating a new employee requires more time and resources. So, companies can sustain talent by keeping them psychologically healthy.
How workplace gets affected by mental health
In several ways, mental disorders impact the staff. Statistics from the CDC demonstrate that depression hinders the willingness of an employee to do ‘physical work about 20% of the time’. Cognitive efficiency may also be reduced by 35%.
Not all workers with depression are looking for medication. People reporting severe depression get assistance 57% of the time. Many that report extreme distress will also be less likely to seek assistance. Just 40% of the time, they switch to experts.
In reality, the CDC reports that ‘the greatest healthcare expense for workers at elevated risk of depression is the three years after an initial appraisal of health risks.’
Why is there such a difference in how many people are looking for medical or psychological support while facing mental health issues?
Harvard Health states that, even though a diagnosed and adequately managed mental health problem could ‘enable employees to increase work performance,’ but the ‘stigma associated with the psychological disease is such that workers could be reluctant to pursue therapy.’
To discuss the necessity of mental health in the workplace, all staff and workers must change attitude towards mental disorders. Therefore, it is essential to recognise that therapy does not necessarily end in a fast cure such that workers have confidence in their time to improve their mental health. Companies can get advisory session for their employees or make employees attend mental health seminars or training.
How can you improve mental health at your workplace?
- By conversing more. One of the easiest ways to fight depression is to understand that you are not alone. Maya Angelou once wrote: ‘It’s no more pain than to get an untold tale in you.’ Trust a loved one, get to know a therapist, or engage in a social media chat.
- Make links every day. The abrupt transformation into distant places of employment causes many employers to switch between work and personal life constantly. Because of this current dynamic, many workers lack the socioeconomic incentives of working every day. These relationships should not be a distant memory. To check one another and cultivate comradeship among co-workers, use Zoom sessions, Slack conversation, or other technology.
- Continue to move towards significant objectives. In particular, during a global crisis like the COVID-19 disease outbreak, priorities need to be revisited and goals changed if required. While this is beneficial and always appropriate, it strives not to cause short-term strategies to replace long-term objectives entirely. And if time does not encourage you to work towards them as often as you want, find small ways to move towards large-scale goals.
- Have enough sleep. Get enough sleep. For average adults, quality sleep takes 7–9 hours each night. If this is not done often, energy, attitude, and morale may be affected. Studies indicate that insomnia and chronic depression interact strongly. Mental well-being needs to ensure that the body has enough time to recover and restart during the night.
- Take the time to enjoy things. For all this looks slightly different. We all have things that replenish their buckets or walking a mountain, golfing a round of buddies, or curling an excellent book. Take the opportunity to do anything you want daily.
- Be imaginative, be creative. The mind will benefit in more than one way by expressing imagination. Creativity decreases fear and depression. Other findings have shown that writing allows people to deal productively with their negative feelings, while painting and drawing help people channel the trauma that they cannot bring into words. It is possible to make something different in several ways. Some include painting, craft, catering, web design, construction, and home project work.
- Try something different: Do something new. Many of us love to stick to our knowledge, especially when in a state of disturbance. However, it could only be an adrenaline surge and an enthusiasm that leads to unknown conditions. New possibilities allow individuals to explore their potential and learn something they do not recognise about themselves. You might attempt to paint, prepare new foods, play a tool, take up a hobby, or learn a foreign language. Ask your good friends about any of their favourite interests, and then try to find out more about something you have never done before.
Halian Ronaldo is a content writer at ResumeCroc who has written hundreds of articles to assist students’ career life.
