Januarie
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Why investing in Workplace Mental Health is morally and commercially the obvious thing to do
Culture
By investing in your workforce's mental health you demonstrate the value and importance of a healthy mind to your workforce, and lead by example.A visible commitment to mental health fosters a more trusting and healthy working environment: where teams can grow and thrive.
The culture you set has the potential to empower your team to look out for each other and build stronger relationships.
Possible first steps include;
- putting a business wide mental health commitment in writing
- outlining core principles and highlighting what you are already doing
- Implementing an internal anti-stigma campaign, e.g. bi-monthly internal communications structured around mental health awareness days.
- Listening to your staff and reporting back to them: for example, holding 1:1 structured interviews with your staff on a quarterly basis.
Morale
People are more productive and motivated when they bring their whole selves to work. A more comfortable and confident workforce allows individuals to take greater ownership and pride in their work.
Prevention
Current models of care are predominantly reactive and don't offer integrated or holistic support for employees. Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) are not doing enough, with the rate of work-related stress, depression or anxiety doubling in the UK over the last decade.
Talent
Offering an integrated and effective range of mental health benefits to staff is attractive to new recruits.
Return on investment
Any entrepreneur or business leader knows instinctively that it is the people that makes a great company. This is supported by the numbers - the Deloitte 2022 report on Mental Health makes the commercial return on investment abundantly clear, with a business getting £5 back for every £1 spent.
Safe environment
Work-related stress is recognised in the UK as a serious health and safety issue, where employers are duty bound to treat this condition like any other workplace hazard. Companies have a legal responsibility towards their employees (as per the Safety at Work Act), where they must try to reduce stress in the workplace as far as reasonably practical.
In practice this means that companies are legally bound to apply 'good practice' (i.e. standards set by other UK employers) to reduce mental health at work.
Here are two examples of what 'good practice' means in the UK in 2022:
- regular assessments to identify any risk factors in the workplace
- controls to remove and reduce any such risks.
The summation of the above creates a clear moral and commercial case for business leaders to invest in the mental health of their employees.
Yours Minderfuly
Dr. Nick Prior
CEO & Co-Founder of Minderful
Contact us at hello@minderful.com to find out more about how we can support your workforce with a mental wellness workplace strategy.
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