Too many workers are frustrated with the work-life balance and a sizable number are experiencing, or are worried about, burnout. How can the good employer tackle these issues?
On motivating your workforce, supporting their mental health and thus keeping burnout at bay, James Andrews, money.co.uk business loans expert, tells Digital Journal: “Government figures show that sickness absence and lost productivity through worklessness contribute towards an estimated £100 billion annual cost to businesses.”
Drawing on new data, Andrews adds: “Our research shows that putting the right workplace perks in place will motivate a third (35 percent) of your workforce to be more engaged at work and yet they remain an underrated way for business owners to keep their workforce happy and thriving.”
In terms of the tactics to adopt, Andrews recommends: “Focusing on perks known to be beneficial to mental health, like exercise and eating well, can be cost effective for business owners to drive motivation and productivity, at the same time as reducing absenteeism and poor engagement.”
Providing examples, Andrews cites: “As such, subsidised gym classes and memberships, offering a free healthy breakfast in the office and virtual mental health counselling could end up boosting your bottom line as well as proving popular with staff.”
To support these measures, The Mental Health Foundation’s employer checklist for creating mentally healthy workplaces states that:
- Value mental health and wellbeing as core assets of your organisation
- Commit to developing an approach to mental health at work that protects and improves mental health for everyone, whilst supporting those people who experience distress.
- Designate board champions and ensure senior leaders and middle managers are responsible for implementing mental health programmes.
- Commit to reviewing the way you do business to ensure your everyday working culture is as mentally healthy as possible. Make evidence based mental health promotion tools like mindfulness and exercise available to all staff.
- Regular staff surveys and other research to build data about staff mental health, using findings to plan and deliver action and inform workplace policies. Recognise and celebrate the impact of existing employee benefits and corporate social responsibility activities on the mental health and wellbeing of staff.
In addition, it is also important the employers support the development of compassionate and effective line management relationships. This can be facilitated by providing opportunities for managers to attend relevant training to support staff living with mental health problems and the wellbeing of all staff more widely.
A further measure is for employers to provide proactive support for staff line-managing people with mental health problems, including access to human resources and, where necessary, occupational health services.
Further positive measures include putting in place measures to address workplace discrimination, such as:
- Ensure that discrimination on the grounds of mental health status is seen to be as unacceptable as discrimination in relation to other protected characteristics such as race, gender or sexual orientation.
- Encourage staff to report any discrimination or harassment they face and to blow the whistle on discrimination they witness.
- Support anti-stigma initiatives.
Furthermore, it is a good practice for employers to value the diversity and transferable skills that lived experience of mental health problems bring and support disclosure.
