Mental health and Productivity: How can we look at this in a holistic way?
When we think about mental health, it’s easy to look at it in isolation: feeling sad, happy, stressed, or disconnected can all have a direct impact on our mental state. However, we often forget that our mental health constantly ebbs and flows, whether we suffer from a specific mental health condition or not.
In reality, everybody has mental health! And, in light of World mental health day this month, we wanted to talk about mental health in the workplace and why this should be prioritised - not just for general employee wellbeing, but also for better relationships among colleagues and higher productivity.
This isn't going to be a 'How to' - Everyone's mental health journey is different, and so is every business, so we can't offer a one-size fits all approach. However, we do want to highlight practices and methods which you can weave into the fabric of an organisation for better mental health all year round, instead of only prioritising mental health on specific days, or weeks.
This way, we can reduce the stigma, and also ensure that people feel empowered to take care of their mental health 365 days a year, instead of “leaving it at the door” when they come to work.
Don’t be too rigid on policies
Although policies are a great way of implementing mental health initiatives, you want to ensure that as an employer, you have a genuine interest in the wellbeing of your employees and peers. Relationships both internally and externally are more fruitful when people are engaged and feel positive, and ultimately, if employees feel as though policies are there simply as a tick-box exercise, this can cause more damage than good.
Although policies such as mental health days, access to counselling, or even better remote working options are all excellent and shouldn’t be overlooked, better productivity and performance comes from a more in-depth understanding of what employees want on an individualised basis.
A great way to start these conversations is by having an open-door policy on talking about mental health, as well as integrating conversations about mental health into one to one’s and regular catch-ups. It takes a long time to build trust with employees, especially new starters, so creating more than one touchpoint is a great starting point, and in fact, can be more effective than you may think!
Talk about it (as much as possible)
This may sound incredibly obvious, but talking about mental health in our regular day-to-day dialogue at work can reduce the stigma and also foster better communication within teams. Understandably, there may be some individuals who aren’t as open as others; however, the priority is that mental health is being spoken about and recognised, instead of being shunned.
Naturally, this will be led by managers and leaders within teams, but doing regular check-ins will feel less invasive for employees, whilst also gently reminding them that if they are struggling, there are individuals that can help them.
Prioritise mental health and wellbeing, and the rest will follow
Too often mental health and wellbeing can be looked at as an afterthought, however, if you reframe your mindset and prioritise individuals’ mental health, the by-product will be a balanced and better working environment.
For example, simply asking “how is X action going to affect someone” is a simple and effective way of ensuring that you’re accountable, whilst also putting wellbeing at the forefront of your mind.
Equally, if you are regularly checking in with employees, you will naturally be able to delegate and assign work effectively without overwhelming them.
So, how do all of these things relate to productivity?
Did you know, that addressing wellbeing at work increases productivity by as much as 12%? Work is a huge part of all of our lives, and having an open attitude towards mental health within the workplace can only incite positives from a productivity perspective.
Some of the things we do at Orbis (which you’re more than welcome to use as inspiration) are as follows:
We have rolled out a training program for all leaders to ensure that they regularly check in on their teams’ wellbeing in a non-invasive and sensitive way. This ensures that individuals feel personally supported and are in a safe environment
We have funded mental health first aid accreditations to various people across the business as well as seniorities
We have a mental health council for initiatives and policies, commitments, and workshops
We consistently talk about mental health at work, whether this is through our internal or external comms, or by the coffee machine when we’re catching up with colleagues!
Remember, talking about mental health at work shouldn’t be seen as taboo, and it’s definitely a marathon (not a sprint) when integrating initiatives and ensuring that everybody feels comfortable.