Good mental health and well-being of employees is crucial for the success of any organization. The mental health of employees, whether good or bad, can affect their productivity, the profitability of the business, employee retention, and organizational success. Therefore, HR practices must play a significant role in supporting mental health at work.
HR professionals can utilize various digital tools and practical strategies to integrate mental well-being into the core of HR functions. Implementing these mental health practices in HR can contribute to enhancing employee satisfaction and productivity.
The Significance of Mental Health in the Workplace
According to Gallup,19% of U.S. workers rate their mental health as fair or poor. These workers see about four times more unplanned absences due to poor mental health than people who report having a better mental health status. On average, these workers may have up to 12 days of unplanned absences every year – far more than the 2.5 days for workers who report better mental health.
In this way, poor mental health can impact productivity. Poor mental health can also impact employee retention and can have long-term consequences for organizations.
Challenges in Addressing Mental Health through HR
Historically, mental health issues have been stigmatized in the workplace, making it more difficult for HR professionals to address them. There were also fewer resources for workplace mental health strategies and HR mental well-being initiatives in the past. Today, however, it’s recognized that the HR role in mental health is important.
Strategies for HR to Support Mental Health
HR professionals can develop many strategies to support mental health in the workplace and use a variety of tools to offer employees mental health support. Below are just a few HR mental well-being initiatives that can help improve workplace life.
Developing a Supportive Culture
People often experience feelings of shame when they have a mental illness. It becomes important for mental health in HR practices to promote a culture of openness and support around mental health. This can be done through:
- Educational events that increase awareness
- Distribution of educational materials
- Creating an “open door” policy
- Developing policies (like sick leave policies) that help facilitate good mental health
Mental Health Policies and Benefits
One of the ways that employers can support employees is by creating comprehensive mental health policies that:
- Support employees who need accommodations for mental health reasons
- Establish flexible working hours, including flexibility around breaks and lunchtime
- Provide for administrative leave or unpaid leave when all paid leave is exhausted
- Provide for flexibility regarding use of vacation time and sick time for mental health reasons
- Create a comprehensive Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to provide resources to employees who need help
Integrating these policies and benefits into the employer’s digital HR system can help ensure that all employees have access to their benefits and can explore their benefits as they see fit.
Training and Awareness
Both managers and staff must know how to recognize and respond to mental health issues to help create a safe and supportive work environment. Providing training can help raise awareness.
Employers can incorporate mental health-related training into their regular yearly training sessions for employees or provide a series of training sessions that need to be taken only once. Managers may require additional training as they have the added responsibility of facilitating good mental health among their staff members. It is crucial for managers to know how to support positive mental health among their team members.
Supportive Resources and Communication
Employees who experience mental health problems need supportive channels for asking and receiving help in the workplace. Establishing procedures, offering supportive resources, and communicating about those resources and procedures are important. Your company’s HR platform can provide this information to ensure that all employees have access.
Steps for Implementation
If you’re an HR professional, you can take steps to support employee mental health and wellness today.
- Assess. Assess your company’s current mental health resources and support, to identify areas of strength and gaps.
- Goal setting. Create a list of goals to ensure greater support for employee mental health wellness. Your goals should be based on the areas of weakness identified during the assessment period.
- Planning and implementation. Draft and implement a plan for meeting those goals. Work with HR professionals and management.
Prioritize Mental Health and Wellness At Your Business with ASAP Payroll
Developing support and training for employee mental health in your workplace can help your business thrive. Policies to support good mental health, training, and digital HR platforms to dispense training are ways to create a safe workplace environment for all employees.
Ready to prioritize mental well-being in your workplace? Explore how ASAP Payroll can help you build a supportive and healthy work environment. Get in touch today!
