How HR Support Can Help You With Mental Health Policies?

Mental health policies are an essential part of managing your team. Not only do well-considered mental health policies promote healthier and more productive teams, but they also create trust and loyalty between employers and employees. 

Overall, they are good for everyone! 

That’s why they are worth investing in.

First, why should we pay attention to mental health?

It might seem obvious that we should pay attention to mental health, but why is it something that a business should prioritise? 

This CNBC article on mental health made a couple of interesting points last year in regards to how mental health impacts employees' work and how they felt their companies dealt with them. 

83% of CEOs and 70% of employees had to hold back from work for at least one day due to stress, anxiety, and similar mental health issues.

71% of workers claimed that their companies increased their mental health awareness in the COVID era but only 25% maintained that awareness in the last year. 

The reality is that in this day and age people are experiencing more mental health challenges than ever. We spend a large amount of time in our workplace so it is crucial that businesses are aware of what causes mental health issues and how they can support their employees within the context of the workplace.

What Causes Mental Health Issues in The Workplace?

A harmful work environment is something that can definitely impact an employee’s mental health.

Some of the things that can cause a harmful work environment are:

• Discrimination

• Excessive assignments and responsibilities

• Insufficient compensation

• Any type of harassment

When you have a lot of things happening in your business, noticing and preventing these things can be a challenge. If you are a big business, this is exactly what a HR department will help you do. But what do you do when you don’t have an entire HR department at your disposal?

One option is that you can outsource to HR professionals like us, who will build a strategy of action for your particular situation. And with our pay-as-you-go service, you can opt for as much or as little time as you need to tackle those issues. It is far better to do that than leave these issues unchecked.

What Can Companies Do For Mental Health?

When it comes to mental health, what can your company actually do?

Creating a healthy work environment does require additional effort, but it is possible and for the good of the business in the long term. 

Does your company do any of the following?

• Standardise mental health conversations

• Reward employees and acknowledge their efforts

• Give clear directions about their duties and responsibilities 

• Advocate for work-life balance

• Have procedures for resolving conflicts

• Encourage employees to share their ideas for improving the working environment

Remember creating an environment that supports the mental health of every member of your team is an ongoing process. These actions should be repeated frequently and when needed bring in professionals who have the necessary skills to handle escalated situations.

To Wrap Up

As a business owner, you want your employees to show up every day and do their job to the best of their ability. How do you do this? You make sure someone in the business is paying attention to their mental health and how the workplace is not only impacting it but supporting it. 

If you would like our expert help in developing mental health and well-being practices then our HR partnership might be the right call for you. 

If you have any questions about your business’s mental health policies, please get in touch with us at hrsupport@pmp-hr.co.uk.