Health is more than just keeping our physical bodies healthy. We need to stay mentally fit as well. With all the hours that we spend dedicated to our profession, we need to pay attention to how it affects us mentally. As a supervisor or employer, taking care of your employee’s mental health should be on your radar. Take care of their mental health, and you will be surprised at the increase in work production. Look at some of these ideas that would be great to implement.
Clear Responsibilities
When making a new hire, clearly outline what their duties will be. Any confusion of who is supposed to do which tasks can lead to employees feeling unsure. They will be questioning if they overstepped or if they did not do enough. How can they get quality work done with all that worrying? With jobs outlined, you will take this out and give everyone the ability to relax and focus on their tasks.
Encourage Participation
No one likes a dictatorship. At the same time, there are some decisions that you will have to make yourself. When you can include employees in the decision making, you should. Having a say in what happens is a great way to let people still feel in control. When choice is taken away, it can put you in a negative mindset that is not good for mental health. No one benefits when this happens.
Work-Life Balance
We all have to find our way to have a personal life outside of our work life. It is good to encourage those that work with us to take time off the clock to enjoy other things. Working over the weekend or days off should never be something that you expect. All of us need time to not think about the tasks we still need to accomplish at work. Without a break, employees are bound to get burnt out faster and find their way to a negative headspace.
Respect
Respect should be given and received by everyone. Policies should be in place to end any harassment, violence, or bullying. These actions should never be allowed in any workplace. Working hard to make a safe space for your employees will go a long way in ensuring their mental health. With multiple people working in an office, you are bound to have personalities that collide. It is not a matter of if but when a conflict is going to happen. There needs to be steps put into place to quickly bring conflict to an end that employees feel safe doing.
Education
Mental health is not new, but it is being highlighted more today than ever before. Educate all those you work with on mental health and how to stay healthy. You can take classes to look for warning signs and how to deal with mental health issues. Have these programs available so they are knowledgeable and can identify and respond to any situations that arise.
Make mental health a priority.
