As we celebrated Mental Health Awareness Day earlier this month, I reflected on how lucky I am to work for a progressive company like Hoop, where there are many initiatives and policies in place to support any employees who are struggling with mental health issues.

   This in turn, made me envisage what it would be like if I wasn’t so lucky, working in an environment where my employers did not care for the mental wellbeing of their staff. Unfortunately, this is the reality for 76% of employees, who believe their company should be doing more to support the mental health of their workforce (PeopleScout, 2021).

   Whilst employee mental health has recently become a priority to many employers, there is no doubt that a stigma still exists around the discussion of mental health in the workplace. In fact, 44% of employees agree (Business Leader, 2021). But why?

   According to a 2021 survey of 500 employers, 48% of employers simply do not have the budget to support their employees’ mental health and therefore neglect the topic altogether. Whilst 30% of employers do not know how to support their employees’ mental health (Business Leader, 2021).

   Unbeknownst to many employers, many initiatives to combat mental health in the workplace don’t need a large budget. In fact, one of the initiatives currently being adopted by market giants including Shopify and Buffer is the 4-day work week. Although this initiative may seem like a bad investment monetary-wise at first, it’s actually been proven to increase productivity, eliminating the risk of a significant reduction in profits.

   For some companies despite the lack of risk, initiatives like these just aren’t a viable option. For these organisations I would recommend the following free initiatives to prevent employee dissatisfaction and keep employee morale high.

1. Remain Flexible – Be mindful that your employees are dealing with a variety of stressors both within and outside of work. If certain deadlines aren’t essential, keep them flexible. Enabling you employee that wiggle room could lift a huge stress of their shoulders.
2. Practice Self-Care – Encourage your employees to take plenty of breaks, eat regularly, and ensure they get plenty of rest to avoid over working themselves and burning out.
3. Communication is key – Ensure regular check ins with your team. Using kind tones can go a long way and encourage staff to feel comfortable enough to approach you if they were struggling or in need of support.
4. Make the office a fun environment – A great way to keep morale high is to introduce fun activities and some healthy competition into the office.

Here at Hoop, our employee’s mental health and wellbeing is our top priority. We’ve implemented many initiatives to try and break the barrier and stigma around mental health in the workplace, including introducing a ‘Hoop Day’ in which employees can take a last-minute paid day off.

If you would like more tips on how to support your employees or how to support your own mental health in the workplace, please see the articles listed in the sources below.

Sources

https://www.peoplescout.com/insights/mental-health-in-the-workplace/

https://www.businessleader.co.uk/british-employers-still-shun-workplace-mental-health-support-for-their-staff-29-years-after-first-world-mental-health-day/

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/how-support-mental-health-work

https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/mental-health-at-work/taking-care-of-yourself/tips-for-employees/