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Mental health has always been a topic that’s frequently brushed aside.
When a person’s mental health is in a good state, their drive, efficiency, focus, and direction are laser-sharp.
However, when a person has poor mental health, their performance also declines. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, almost one in five adults live with a mental illness. In the USA, it’s one of the most common health conditions.
Mental health, in the workplace or not, is a universal concern. That’s why there are many organizations, such as Beyond Blue, that seek to spread awareness and provide help to people who live with a mental illness. For those who wish to contribute to this cause, individuals and businesses can donate to Beyond Blue.
What Is Mental Health?
A person’s mental health comprises their emotional, social, and psychological health. Mental health affects the way people act, think, and feel. A mentally healthy person can maximize their full potential, not only as an employee but as an individual.
People can experience mental health problems that affect their moods, way of thinking, and behavior throughout their lives. Some factors contributing to this condition include life experiences, like trauma or abuse, family history, and biological factors like brain chemistry or genes.
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Why Should Employers Place Importance On Mental Health?
Companies’ support of their employees’ mental health is an important priority. When employees are in good mental shape, they will find it easier to do their job well. Employees become versatile, flexible, and efficient.
Moreover, the mental health condition of an employee can also qualify as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If such situations arise, the employer is obligated to protect the employee from discrimination and harassment.
The employer must also provide reasonable accommodation in the workplace for the employee’s needs. Under ADA, employers are obligated to ensure all employees enjoy full and equal access to the company’s benefits and privileges.
There are various ways in which businesses and companies suffer when they deal poorly with mental health issues. The ramifications can be damaging depending on how employers handle mental health disabilities.
Here Are the Reasons Why Mental Health Matters in the Workplace:
1. It Helps Boost an Employee’s Creativity And Efficiency
Companies can achieve peak performance by supporting and emphasizing their employees’ mental health. Employers benefit from increased employee morale, loyalty, commitment, innovation, productivity, and profitability when they care for their employees’ mental health.
Moreover, an employee with untreated mental illness performs poorly compared to their peers with healthy mental well-being. Mental illness can affect an individual’s cognitive performance by around 35%, according to a report cited by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
It also significantly impedes the ability of the person to perform physical tasks around 20% of the time, according to the same report.
An untreated mental health issue among employees can cost companies more in the long run.
2. It Enhances Communication
Communication is the key to every relationship. This principle also applies to an employer-employee relationship. Good communication is the hallmark of optimum performance. On the other hand, poor communication can result in chaos in the workforce because it strains the work environment and results in higher stress levels.
Good communication encourages teamwork, which results in improved project collaboration. It also streamlines communication within the organization, making workers confident with their tasks. It ensures that everyone—managers and workers—are on the same page.
3. It’s A Smarter Business Approach
Employee commitment and a mentally conducive working environment are directly proportional. To put it simply, if the employees are working in a healthy mental state, they can be more proactive in addressing the needs of the company.
Employee commitment and productivity can be strengthened by a dynamic approach to mental health management.
Employees need to feel appreciated, included, heard, and valued if employees are to achieve their peak performance, and that is what commitment is all about. Making adjustments that improve the quality of life for employees is necessary.
4. It Results in Lower Employee Turnover
People with mental health issues quit their jobs more often than those without them. A high employee turnover not only affects the employees, but also does more damage to the employers because they’ll keep using resources to recruit, hire, and train staff. This is why employers must emphasize the mental well-being of employees.
If the employees are well taken care of, they will thrive and excel in the work environment that they are in. This way, the employers will not waste money, time, and effort looking for replacement staff.
Conclusion
Mental health consists of a person’s emotional, social, and psychological health. Promoting good mental well-being in the workplace benefits employers and employees in the long run.
Mental health support in the workplace makes employees thrive; it boosts their morale and improves communication, which ultimately helps the business. Promoting mental health is a necessity and not just a nice perk.
