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Mental health at work
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The subject of Employer's Mental Health Programs Schemes can be involved. Here, we try to simplify it. Most of the world’s population spends one-third or more of their adult time working. Work plays an important role in individual and family self-sufficiency and is critically important to one’s sense of identity and life purpose. Work and family/personal life are not separate spheres as once considered, but rather people take personal experiences, including stress and mental health to work and vice versa, they bring work experiences, reactions and stress home and into their communities. It’s time we really looked at the return on investment of workplace well-being initiatives in a way that’s accessible to different budgets and needs. The evidence is clear for a strong business case to support employee mental health and well-being. Sometimes issues or concerns at work or at home can affect employees and lead to absence or presenteeism, but sympathetic, impartial support and advice may be all that’s needed. Employers should actively encourage their team to adopt healthier working habits by working sensible hours, taking full lunch breaks, taking annual leave and resting after busy periods. Raising awareness and promoting discussion of mental health and wellbeing drives engagement, helps to overcome prejudice and means that employees will be more likely to disclose issues sooner. When someone shares that they’re struggling, you won’t always know what to say or do. What’s most important is to make space to hear how your team members are truly doing and to be compassionate. They may not want to share much detail, which is completely fine. Knowing that they can is what matters. Let’s Redefine Mental Health In The WorkplaceIf you hate your job, look for meaning and satisfaction elsewhere in your life: in your family, friends, hobbies, or voluntary work. Focus on the parts of your life that bring you joy. One in five people will experience ‘mild to moderate’ mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression. A smaller percentage will experience episodes of more severe mental health conditions; for example, psychosis or thoughts of suicide. When workers feel trusted to handle their own responsibilities, it makes them feel empowered, safe, appreciated, and ultimately helps to create a positive culture of autonomy and confidence in the workplace. But fostering a sense of autonomy among a team first starts with good leadership. Help ensure your workforce has quick access to programs and services that guide workers on how to make smart food choices, understanding nutrition basics, tips for improving sleep, guidance for controlling alcohol use, and how to find joy in exercising and being active. From a mental health perspective, programming that supports resilience and coping mechanisms can amplify your people’s capacity to deal with negative situations. Company-funded counselling schemes and free NHS services can provide a safe space for staff to explore emerging problems before they become acute. Subjects such as employers duty of care mental health can be tackled by getting the appropriate support in place. Workload ManagementIf you think an employee is considering suicide, it is important to tell him/her that you care and that you want to help. Encourage them to talk - the opportunity to talk about how they feel and why they want to die often provides great relief. Asking or talking about suicide does not cause someone to become suicidal. ehaviour and your health. At work, it is vital that your employer addresses stress by tackling the root causes of any stress that your work is causing or exacerbating. Too many employers instead focus on stress management programmes and techniques to help stressed workers cope with the symptoms of stress. Coping techniques have their place but they are not an alternative to addressing how you work. Mental ill-health is the single largest cause of disability in the UK. The wider economic costs of mental illness in England have been estimated at £105.2 billion each year. This includes direct costs of services, lost productivity at work and reduced quality of living. Mental ill-health is responsible for 72 million working days lost annually. Every year it costs business £1,300 per employee whose mental health needs are unsupported. When it comes to advocating for mental health at work, there are practical and easy steps every business can do to support their workforce. Read on for a brief guide to support mental health for employees. The only way to create a culture for trust, integrity and healthy performance is to behave in a way that supports this. It is no good stating that you want people to achieve a good balance between work and home life, if you never leave the office or send e-mails over the weekend. Be a living advocate for the behaviour you want to see in others. Thinking about concepts such as workplace wellbeing support is really helpful in a workplace environment. Workplace Mental Health ProgramsFeelings of stress and anxiety can be common in work places but it is possible to manage them without them having an impact on an employee’s ability to do their job. There are steps your business can take to provide the support that employees need. Mental health is complicated. Everyone’s experience of mental health is slightly different. It is sometimes difficult to tell whether someone is experiencing stress, anxiety or depression. A really important sign is a change in the person’s behaviour – are they behaving differently? Here are some of the common signs and signals – you may find it helpful to share this information at work if you find it difficult to describe how your mental health impacts you. The words we say have meaning. The impact of our words can create a perception in another person’s mind that has the potential to form a belief and stay with them for a long time — even their entire lives. For centuries, people have largely perceived mental health as mental illness, and it’s still mostly discussed when someone is experiencing a decline in their well-being. Find further intel regarding Employer's Mental Health Programs Schemes in this World Health Organisation page. Related Articles:How Do We Understand More About Employee Mental Health Initiatives?
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