Awareness of the importance of mental health continues to grow. The corporate world is no exception; businesses seek to develop programs that foster their employees’ well-being by providing a healthy, positive work environment. If you are looking for ways to support your company’s health, here are 5 essentials for workplace mental health and wellbeing.

1. Maintain Open Communication

One of the best ways to monitor your employees’ mental health and ensure that they feel supported is to engage in regular check-ins. Some ways to go about this are using an online form to collect responses or meeting one-on-one with employees. Both of these options will prevent them from feeling daunted discussing their mental health in a large group and allow them to feel heard.

It is also helpful to implement an open-door policy with your company’s management. Adopting such a policy will increase employees’ comfort in discussing workplace and personal matters with the higher-ups. Whether they’re feeling overwhelmed by their workload, having difficulties with coworkers, or struggling at home, employees’ well-being will improve when they know they can count on managers to listen.

2. Provide Mental Health Resources

Providing additional mental health resources in and out of the office is certain to improve your employees’ morale. As part of your company culture, allocate funds towards workplace mental health programs. 

Holding yoga and meditation sessions once a month for 30 minutes to an hour can make a significant impact on employees’ wellness. In turn, you’ll see their productivity and happiness at work improve. Indeed, some documented benefits of practicing yoga include reducing stress, developing a positive mindset, and improving mental clarity and focus. Plus, by encouraging them to practice yoga together, coworkers will also build trust in each other and feel closer as a company.

Continue encouraging employees to take care of their mental health outside of work by stressing the importance of mental health days. Employees should know that their mental health is just as vital as physical health. After all, no employer would question a worker staying home if they were physically ill; likewise, there is just as much reason to emphasize mental wellness. When onboarding new employees, inform them of your company’s mental health day policy.

3. Encourage Work-Life Balance

Another way to incorporate mental wellness into your business’ values is by encouraging a healthy work-life balance. As part of your employee handbook, adopt the policy that employees aren’t required to monitor work emails or other correspondences after they have clocked out for the day. This will allow them to separate their work and home lives from each other. Employees’ time off from work should be a chance to relax and rest their brains before the day ahead.

If you’re looking for other ways to facilitate work-life balance, consider workplace flexibility. Allow employees to choose their own hours, giving them a greater ability to accommodate other commitments, or allow them to work from home for greater comfort and less travel.

4. Facilitate Positive Work Culture

One of the best ways to alleviate mental health stressors is to create an inclusive, supportive work culture. Gather your management staff together to brainstorm ways to bring your company together as a team. Here are just a few ideas to get started:

• Plan annual work retreats where staff get to celebrate their successes together.
• Create affinity groups within the company, bringing together coworkers with similar experiences.
• Host office parties to allow staff a chance to relax and get to know each other better.
• Depending on the size of your company, begin company/department-wide meetings with a fun icebreaker question.

In order to ensure that all of your employees are treated fairly, it is also essential to create a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee if you haven’t already done so. Having a DEI group will improve your company’s ability to facilitate meaningful conversations about what it means to create an equitable, inclusive workplace. Workers ‘ stress will decrease when the workplace becomes more positive and welcoming.

5. Offer Health Benefits

The last of the 5 essentials for workplace mental health and wellbeing is providing health benefits to all employees. Not only do workplace benefits aid in retaining employees and giving you a leg up on competitor companies, but they also help build confidence in your staff.

Dealing with an unexpected medical condition is mentally taxing on anyone. Not only are you concerned for your physical and/or mental health, but you also have to consider the financial ramifications of paying for treatment. Offering medical insurance and other health benefits to employees will lessen their financial burden and their stresses about receiving healthcare. By investing in healthcare for your employees, you will provide them with plenty of peace of mind.

Canal HR Supports the 5 Essentials for Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing

If you are looking to improve morale in your place of work, then it turns out there aren’t just 5 essentials for workplace mental health and wellbeing; the sixth essential is receiving HR services from Canal HR! Our company offers several different services designed to improve your team’s mental health:

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): EAPs are designed to aid employees who are struggling with personal, emotional, and/or behavioral difficulties. This can include stress, financial planning hardships, and alcohol and drug dependencies. 
• Free Discount Prescription Drug Card: Canal HR provides cards to client companies that allow employees to receive discounted prescriptions. This can reduce the cost of mental health medications, making them more accessible to employees in need.
• Medical Insurance: Medical insurance is just one of the many employee benefits our company provides. Having greater access to healthcare will improve your employees’ morale and reduce stress related to getting sick. 

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to rely on Canal HR for your workplace mental health needs. To learn more about us and our services, we encourage you to contact us today. We take pride in making your business a more positive place to work.