Most individuals spend a significant part of their time at work. We are answering mails, attending meetings, meeting deadlines, solving problems and struggling to meet the expectations for hours. Due to this, it is getting difficult for employers to take the mental well-being as something that is out of the workplace.
Previously, health-related topics in the workplace were mainly on physical safety, injuries and apparent dangers. Mental health was not given much attention. However, the trend is evolving today. Organisations are starting to realise that employee attitude can have a direct impact on employee behaviour, performance, attitude and retention. Mental health is no longer an individual issue. It has been made a workplace priority.
Modern workplaces are quite different as compared to a few decades ago. Technology has not only made communication quicker, but it has enabled one to stay in touch always.
A worker might complete their task at five, and still get the messages in the evening. A manager can anticipate that they would get a prompt reply since everybody possesses a smartphone. This can be problematic because a remote worker cannot distinguish between work and personal life since they occur in the same room.
Meanwhile, companies have a tendency to be strained to accomplish more using fewer resources. Stress can include tight deadlines, increased workloads, uncertainty and unending performance expectations on the part of employees.
All these stresses do not necessarily result in mental illness, but, sometimes, a prolonged stress with lack of support or rest, may be hard to cope with.
There are yet other organisations considering mental well-being a personal matter requiring being addressed by employees individually. Such opinion is getting difficult to justify.
When an employee is tired, overworked or stressed out, they might not be able to focus. They become prone to errors, demotivated, unwilling to communicate, or unable to cooperate with colleagues effectively.
There exists a business cost as well. Absenteeism, decreased productivity, turnover and poor team relationships are the possible causes of high stress. By losing knowledge, time and money, organisations lose experienced employees who prefer leaving their jobs due to lack of support.
Being kind is hence not the only thing that helps to support mental well-being. It is also a sensible aspect of creating a secure and a beneficial work environment.
It can help provide a counselling service or a mental health app, yet these steps do not result in a mentally healthy workplace.
Culture matters as long as employees receive a message that they should take care of themselves, and they receive a reward every night that they have to work late, this will send a mixed message. When managers are open, and react negatively when an individual acknowledges that they are not doing well, employees will soon learn to keep it a secret.
An ideal workplace is where individuals are allowed to seek assistance, talk about the pressure, take breaks and use their holidays without being guilty of something.
Managers play a significant role here. Listening, effective communication, realistic expectations and an ability to identify exhaustion are some factors that a manager can use to make a significant change in the experience of an employee.
Well-being at work does not necessarily involve programmes and significant yet expensive structural reforms.
Even more definite workloads may decrease unwarranted pressures. Flexible working arrangements can assist employees to balance work and family related duties. Having adequate rest allows individuals time to be refreshed on hectic days.
Frequent conversations are useful as well. Managers can learn how workloads are affecting employees and whether they have the necessary support by inquiring about their performance, rather than a formal performance review.
Another important step is protecting boundaries. This does not mean that employees should feel that being around all the time indicates commitment. In most instances, individual time can be respected which enhances concentration and energy at work.
This is aimed at not eliminating all the challenging situations at work. The idea is to provide a space in which the pressure can be dealt with.
Remote work and hybrid work have provided good flexibility forms, but have redefined how individuals go through their day at work.
For others, telecommuting saves time on commuting to work and gives them more time to regulate their time. Isolating can be a feeling to other people. In the absence of natural conversations in an office, people might spend a considerable amount of time alone in front of a screen.
It is even possible to get dependent on work and not be able to switch off. The laptop can be a couple of steps away, and it will make it less certain to complete work.
Employers must realise there should be healthy boundaries regarding flexibility. Flexible workplace must not transform to a working environment silently where workplace employees are supposed to be available at all times.
The shift in thinking in the workplace, a shift towards preventive action instead of reactive action may be considered as significant workplace changes.
It is not a good idea to wait till an employee has exhausted himself. Organisations must consider the reasons behind unwarranted stress before they get out of control.
It implies checking workloads, unrealistic deadlines, training managers, promoting reasonable working hours, and providing an avenue that employees can use for assistance.
It also implies eliminating the stigma involved with mental health conversation. Individuals must not believe that seeking assistance undermines their abilities and determination to their work.
Mental well-being should be prioritised, but it is not necessary to reduce the standards and give people an opportunity to escape responsibility. It involves realising that employees are humans and not machines that can work to their optimum all throughout the day.
Whenever individuals are well rested, they can perform better as they can think properly, communicate and recuperate after periods of demanding activities. A work environment that is conducive to a good health can consequently make it a better workplace.
Technology and productivity goals or financial outcomes will not be the only characteristics of future work. It will also be influenced by the treatment of individuals who bring about those results by the organisations.
The need to focus on mental well-being is gradually turning into a workplace priority due to growing evidence that people have a positive impact when they feel taken care of as organisations gain when their employees do.
Having a healthy workplace does not mean that no one is stressed. It is a place where individuals get support, respect and space they require to manage stress without compromising on their well-being.
