When you emphasize mental health in the workplace, all other aspects of your business will thrive.
Employees who feel acknowledged at their job will naturally gravitate toward producing quality work. They will want to stay with the company longer and are less likely to look for a new job.
All of these lead to a successful business!
While there are plenty of satisfied employees happily going to work, there are just as many (if not more) who dread each workday.
Recent research found that roughly 76% of employees are dealing with mental health issues. Unfortunately, workplace environments can create or worsen these symptoms.
In this post, we'll tell you some of our favorite tips for creating a healthy work environment, and how to improve company culture based on data.
Article contents:
- Using employee surveys to understand employee concerns
- Provide a space for honest conversations
- Using meetings to touch base
- Implementing good time-off policies
- Using constructive criticism effectively
We already know that mental health in the workplace isn't something to be brushed off by employers.
But what can you do about it? Here's our short answer: send out online surveys for your employees to take.
This is a surefire way to prevent employee burnout and other related staff mental health issues.
If you read any of our other blog posts on employee surveys, you'll quickly learn that they're simple to customize.
If you want to understand how your employees are balancing work and mental health, you can do so by asking them questions specific to that topic.
An employee survey company like Drive Research can make the process much easier.
We'll work with you to craft the right questions that can help you and the rest of management understand the possible mental health struggles of your staff.
Using a third-party for employee surveys is also beneficial when it comes to interpreting the survey feedback.
After all, there's no point in good data if you don't know how to use it.
With a topic as sensitive as mental health, you'll want to be sure you have a good handle on how to use the survey feedback.
Questions will have to be worded inclusively, so your employees are comfortable being transparent.
More on the benefits of employee surveys in the video below.
💡 The Key Takeaway: Asking the right employee mental health survey questions allows you to understand the potential struggles of your team. The feedback will help you figure out ways to assist staff.
Tip #2: Provide a Space for Conversations
Asking the questions was step one. Step two is figuring out how to interpret them.
Mental health in the workplace can only be corrected one way: by getting to the root of the issue(s).
When you receive survey feedback, it's key that you look at the data objectively.
It's understandable that having an objective lens when it comes to your leadership skills is tough. This is especially tough if the survey drew in some negative feedback.
You'll want to remember that getting poor employee survey feedback is never an attack.
Rather, it's a way for you to evaluate how your business listens to the staff. This is why it's so important to conduct annual employee surveys.
With the employee feedback will come new ideas for how to manage staff mental health.
When staff feels like they can't ever speak to leadership about a concern, that only contributes to negative sentiment.
In turn, this creates a stressful atmosphere at the office (remote or in-person).
For example, there may have been a lot of survey feedback regarding time-off policies and how that relates to employee stress levels.
This can be a talking point amongst you and the staff to reach an agreement about a new policy.
By providing a safe space for employees to share their thoughts, a healthy environment is created. Improving mental health in the workplace through open discussion is essential for leadership.
💡 The Key Takeaway: Survey feedback can create solid discussion points between you and the staff. This can create opportunities for employees to share concerns with management.
Tip #3: Using Meetings to Touch Base
You may not think of meetings as being part of mental health awareness in the workplace, but they are!
When meetings are conducted semi-regularly with staff, this ensures everyone (across all departments) is on the same page.
Since communication is so important for a thriving business, this is a step that can't be skipped.
And no, we're not advising you to start creating meetings for every little detail within your company.
What we are advising is that you pay special attention to your team. In doing so, you'll find opportunities to create meetings around important discussion points.
💡 The Key Takeaway: Employee mental health hinges on proper communication with leadership. Implementing meetings on a regular or semi-regular basis will keep the flow going.
Tip #4: Consider Time-Off Policies
We all need time to breathe.
If staff feel they cannot take time off, this can negatively affect mental health in the workplace.
Whether it's going on a vacation or simply taking a day off to recharge, employees need to know they can step back from work when needed.
With the average PTO being just 10 days, staff can easily talk themselves into not taking time off.
They may put off that week-long vacation they've been saving for, because what if they get sick and need to take time off?
What if there's a family emergency?
See how this is a breeding ground for tension?
To prevent that from happening, consider creating flexible time off policies. In fact, some companies are now beginning to implement unlimited time off.
Whether or not unlimited time off is possible for your company, at least consider increasing the number of days employees can take off.
We think this is a key organizational strategy for promoting a work-life balance.
Remember: when employees take time off to recharge, they have more energy to put into their work.
💡 The Key Takeaway: Time-off policies have a direct impact on the mental health of your employees! Consider ways to increase these days so staff can recharge.
Tip #5: Using Constructive Criticism Effectively
Make your workplace a space for growth.
It's essential to foster a sense of encouragement, as this allows employees to hone their professional skills.
Getting rid of what's "right" and "wrong" simply means prioritizing constructive criticism when needed.
This is not only a good way to support employee mental health, but it will also help staff improve their duties.
Ensure your staff understands how they can improve their work, but also allow them to see what their strengths are.
This not only makes the employee see what they're doing well and what they can improve--it shows them that you care about their growth, too!
💡 The Key Takeaway: Simply telling employees what they're doing correctly and incorrectly won't do much for them. Be sure to give them helpful critiques while emphasizing their strengths.
Contact Our Employee Survey Company
Prioritizing mental health in the workplace is the key to having productive, happy employees. With the use of surveys, you'll be able to see how you can improve staff outreach.
Drive Research is a market research company based in New York. Our team specializes in crafting unique employee surveys based on industry.
Together, we'll work with you to ensure you're getting top-notch employee feedback.
If you'd like to learn more about our market research services, get in touch with us today.
- Message us on our website
- Email us at [email protected]
- Call us at 888-725-DATA
- Text us at 315-303-2040
Lark Allen
As a Content Marketing Specialist, Lark has a strong background and passion for creative, professional, and journalistic writing. She is also a self-proclaimed music freak and 90s enthusiast.
Learn more about Lark, here.
