Work is an essential element in our life. It takes up much of our time, we earn our income from it, and likely many of our friends are also our coworkers.

The fact is the more fulfilling our work, the healthier our mental and overall well-being.

Work-related issues (deadlines, etc.) as well as relationships, social status, and multiple other factors can impact our mental plus our overall health.

Workers with mental health problems, or those who have experienced them, add £225 billion to the value of the UK economy, equivalent to 12.1% of the UK GDP in its entirety.

It’s a requisite to address workers’ mental health issues, those who already have problems, or those at risk since mental health can be affected by a toxic work environment. We believe in a workplace where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. We also value the role of employers, employees, and businesses in building thriving communities.

Effective management and satisfying mental health in the workplace function synergistically. Studies demonstrate a positive correlation between productivity and mental well-being can increase workplace productivity by 12%.

Accept Mental Well-Being as a Core Part of Your Organisation

Employers can create a mentally healthy workplace using the following tactics:

• Commit to developing a workplace mental health approach that protects and improves the mental health of all while supporting those who need help. Choose board development programs and make sure that executives and middle managers implement mental health plans accordingly.
• Evaluate the work environment to ensure the daily routine culture is as healthy as possible. Provide all employees with evidence-based mental health tools such as mindfulness and exercise.
• Conduct regular employee surveys and other research to collect data on the staff’s mental health and utilize the findings to plan and implement interventions and shape workplace policies. Recognise and appreciate the effects of existing personal benefits and corporate social responsibility activities on employee mental health and well-being.

Promote the Development of Empathetic and Effective Supervisory Relationships

• Provide managers with the opportunity to acquire relevant training to support employees with mental health issues and promote the wellbeing of all employees.
• Be proactive in supporting staff who provide care for individuals with mental health concerns, including access to HR and, if necessary, occupational health services.
• Recognise that supervisors who have personal experience with mental health problems are a unique asset for an organisation.

Address Discrimination

• Emphasize that any form of mental health discrimination is unacceptable similar to gender, sexual orientation, race, etc.
• Advise your employees to report any form of harassment they experience and expose observed discrimination. Back national and local anti-stigma campaigns like Time to Change, Time to Change Cymru, See Me, and Mental Health Awareness Week.

Appreciate the Diversity & Support Transparency

• Add mental health in diversity and inclusion approaches and consider mental health as a component of broader equality strategies. Make sure your organisation creates opportunities to work with employment agencies to enable people with mental health issues to get hired.
• Give people positive reasons to reveal themselves by creating a culture that appreciates originality and transparency – this should start from the company’s top tier.
• Look into setting up peer support and mentoring programs for employees who have mental health experience.

For more information and resources on how to support your employees mental health at work head over to Mental Health Foundation.