Over the past decade, we have developed a greater recognition of the importance of good mental health in our lives. Depression is no longer considered something that can be wished away at will and instead, is treated quite similarly to physical ailments.

However, even as people are increasingly focusing on taking care of their mental health in their everyday lives, we seem to have a blind spot when it comes to dealing with mental health issues in the workplace.

As reported by the Australian Human Rights Commission, “despite one in five Australians experiencing mental health problems each year, nearly half of all senior managers believe none of their workers will experience a mental health problem at work”.

With Australia celebrating the annual Mental Health Week, and as Covid-19 ramps up all kinds of pressures on workers, employers need to start thinking seriously about mental health in the workplace and devise solutions on a policy level to achieve real results.

Why is mental health important in the workplace?

Most people spend more than a third of their lives working, and so any workplace-related mental health issues are bound to affect their overall quality of life.

Beyond that, however, mental health issues in the workplace also come with an often ignored cost to businesses as well.

According to research, Australian businesses suffer a loss of $6.5 billion each year by failing to provide support to employees dealing with mental health issues. Along with that, 3.2 days on average are lost per worker due to workplace stress.

When workplace mental health issues are properly identified and dealt with on time, both employees and businesses benefit in the long run.

Employees get to live healthier, longer, and more fulfilled lives. They enjoy going to work and at the same time can spend quality time with their families. For employers, this translates into greater productivity and engagement from workers, along with a more sustainable human resource model where employees do not quit frequently.

Let’s now dive into the strategies both workers and employers can use to improve mental health in the workplace.

Take short breaks

Just like your body needs rest to regain its energy after a long period of physical exertion, your mind needs rest to recover from all the pressures and stresses brought about by a constant state of focusing and thinking.

You should take a short break when you find yourself having to constantly apply effort to focus on your work, or when your mind keeps racing away to unrelated thoughts. These are signs that your mind is pushing beyond healthy limits, and a break is needed to regain sharpness.

An important thing to keep in mind is that you should be doing a fun and relaxing activity in your break, one that is not related to work in any way.

If you’re working from home (as many people are during the ongoing pandemic), your break could simply involve interacting with your family, having a snack while watching some entertaining YouTube videos, sitting outside to enjoy the fresh air, or talking to a friend on the phone.

At the office, you could engage in a conversation with your co-workers that is not related to work, go out for a short walk, have a cup of tea, or play some games with your co-workers.

Even though it sounds a bit underwhelming, taking frequent and short breaks throughout your workday will drastically improve your mood, energy, and overall mental health at work.

Foster a supportive and understanding culture

A global survey investigating how companies have responded to the pressures of Covid-19 on workers showed that 40% of employees were not even asked by their companies if they were doing okay.

To address the issue of mental health in the workplace effectively, companies must build and encourage a supportive culture that prioritizes the mental health needs of its employees. Such a culture would typically have the following elements:

• Good work organisation, with clear job descriptions, work that is not extremely demanding, and realistic deadlines.

• Policies that reward healthy work behaviours and habits instead of incentivizing behaviours like working excessively long hours, avoiding breaks, etc.

• Constructive two-way communication, including proper one-to-ones, bi-monthly anonymous surveys, and involvement of employees in improvements and reviews.

• Access to healthy meals, subsidies for fitness facilities, non-smoking and smoking cessation policies, and flexible breaks.

• Timely and adequate support for employees facing mental health issues such as consultations with counsellors, leaves, etc.

Set boundaries

Setting healthy and consistent boundaries is crucial for boosting mental health in the workplace.

Employers should discourage workers from working beyond regular hours or maintaining work-related communication outside of that time. This could even include enforcing rules against working more than a set number of hours every week.

To safeguard their mental health and keep their workloads in check, employees should learn to say no to a lot of the work that comes their way, especially if they do not have time in their regular work schedule or the work is not directly related to their job.

Saying no to extra work, extra requirements, and unfair demands will ease the burden from your head, save you from getting burnt out, and allow you to be more productive in the work you’re doing already.

A win-win for all

Investing time, energy, and resources into improving the state of mental health in the workplace will reap rewards for both employees and businesses.

Let’s use Mental Health Week as a springboard for action, and move towards a future of work that is centered around positive mental health for all.