MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE
In this article, I explore ways that employees and employers can work to de-stigmatize and prioritize mental health in the workplace by creating a workplace wellness program. I think the first thing to creating a workplace wellness program is to recognize that our mental health directly impacts every aspect of our lives, including our work performance.
We often take care of ourselves physically, however, our mental health takes a back seat to everything else that goes on in our lives. We forget our brain is an organ and needs just as much attention as we give to our bodies. Think about it, our brain is the most important organ as it impacts every aspect of our body. How is it then that our mental health is often ignored. Once we recognize that our mental health is indeed a factor when it comes to our work performance, it initiates a shift in our mindset. We start to consider our mental health in our day to day activities and plans. For example, when most of us feel like we are getting a cold, we may start to drink more orange juice or take vitamin C in hopes that we do not get sick and must take off work.
Once we adopt the mindset that our mental health is just as important as our physical health we start to notice when a mental health boost is needed as well. So, when we notice that we are feeling overwhelmed at work or finding it difficult to focus and/or interact with our coworkers, we can start taking the appropriate measures. Therefore, just like taking vitamin C when we are starting to feel sick, when we notice a decline in our mental health, we can start doing things such as taking mini mental health breaks at work, start or increase meditation time, and ensuring we take a lunch break to allow time to mentally recharge.
How can mental health affect work performance?
When our mental health is ignored, it will eventually impact our concentration, memory, attention to detail, mood, and comprehension. All of these are important in us being productive in any work environment. When feeling stressed and overwhelmed we cannot perform at our best. Often times we start to forget meetings or due dates, deadlines are overlooked or not met, productivity is low, supervisors and/or coworkers start to question if you are stressed, you may receive a verbal warning or get “written up,” attendance and timeliness are negatively impacted and your overall work performance declines.
Why is it important to address mental health in the workplace?
Being that working directly impacts ones an ability to care for their family or themselves, it is extremely important to address mental health in the workplace. This is true for both the employee and the employer. Being mentally healthy ensures you can perform your job duties, therefore, promoting job and financial security. In addition, employers ensuring a hostile-free work environment and promoting an atmosphere where employee mental health is considered when creating protocols, etc. will result in a decrease in staff turnover and increase employee productivity.
How can employees go about taking care of their mental health?
Take two to three 5-10-minute mini mental health breaks. During these breaks, you do not engage in anything work-related (i.e., take a walk, leave your desk area, go outside and get some fresh air, listen to an uplifting song, read a short devotional).
Be mindful of how you start your morning, plan to allow yourself at least a 5-minute transition time to get into work mode so that you are not rushing and feeling stressed at the start of your work shift.
Create a positive work area (put up positive quotes, pictures or even aromatherapy scents that help with focus)
Notice when you had a more stressful week. This may mean you need to do more self-care on the weekends
Monitor who you engage with at work. Is engaging with these individuals good for your mental health? How do you feel after interacting with them? When appropriate you may choose to avoid those who are negative or leave your feeling more stressed, discouraged, or overwhelmed.
What can employers do to ensure their workers’ mental health is balanced?
Allocate a budget for mental health awareness.
Plan and promote mental health activities as part of the yearly protocol.
Train supervisors to check in with their staff regularly to assess for those feeling overwhelmed and stressed.
Create a work environment that promotes wellness (i.e., windows, smells, décor, quotes posters).
Promote EAP programs that incorporate mental health
How can employees start wellness groups at work?
Every company is different in terms of what groups etc. they may formally allow, however, getting together with a coworker or a few coworkers on your own is always an option. You can decide to meet with them and do a meditation group before work, during lunch, or after work. Creating a specific group goal such a meditation, yoga, book club, positive support group, etc. will help in ensuring that everyone is on the same page and able to be supportive to those in the group.
How can employers promote mental health at work?
I would suggest that employers create a budget for mental health support and awareness. Other ideas may include having a company therapist on-site, incorporating weekly or monthly mental health activities such as mindfulness, work/life balance groups, and yoga.
There are plenty of pros regarding making mental health at work a priority. Are there any cons or drawbacks?
Our mental health impacts every aspect of our being. Considering and promoting mental health awareness will create a positive work environment and promote overall wellness for employees. Lots of research has proven that failure to recognize employee mental health results in high staff turnover, low productivity, and an increase in days taken off for illness. Also, failure to recognize poor mental health in employees has also been one of the many factors in some of the unfortunate work-related homicides and dangerous situations that have occurred in the past.
How can you tell when your colleague or employee may have a mental illness that needs greater support and perhaps a professional’s help, rather than a support group at work?
Unless you are a mental health professional it may be hard to be the one to determine when a person needs professional help as there are so many factors that could be involved in that person’s life. However, some signs may be an indicator that more support is beneficial. If you notice consistent ongoing patterns of the following, and this is outside of the person's normal work performance, encouraging professional help may be appropriate:
Poor attendance/increase in the amount of calling out or sick days
Severe decline in work performance
Increase in tardiness
Irritability and/or lack of patience
Poor concentration or focus
Frequent mistakes or oversights that could cause major consequences for the employee or the company as a whole
Appearing disconnected or detached from work
A decrease in interest in job duties or work-related activities
Severe mood swings
Miyume McKinley LCSW is a Psychotherapist based in Los Angeles, California. After graduating from XULA, Miyume founded her inclusive practice Epiphany Counseling. She is also the host of Epiphany Radio and founder of The Healing & Hope Foundation.