Mental health at work is considered to be one of the greatest challenges for organizations around the globe, as the world has been faced with a pandemic, followed by a recession.
Organizations throughout the world had to quickly learn that mental health at work is what severely affects their business and their employees on multiple levels.
We could agree that companies have a responsibility and need to acknowledge that the well-being of their employees is to be taken seriously and that it is something employers need to address.
But what we also have to consider when talking about mental health at work is prevention and we could ask ourselves what is it that we could all do to ensure to have safer and better workplaces.
There are several strategies and solutions out there being offered to increase resilience and general well-being, but we have to understand that these strategies are not there to help us “fix” a dysfunctional department or to design new strategies that once implemented will change the company’s climate, improve teamwork and help achieve success.
They are here to teach us what options we have if wish to create healthier working environments, regardless of the circumstances. These strategies are here to show us how we can prevent our own burnouts, and what it is that we can all do to stop adding to unnecessary stress and overall dissatisfaction at our workplaces.
They are showing us what tools and resources we have available that we are not aware of perhaps, but which could work for us if we implement them.
All these strategies have in common is that they will tell you that Leaders need to Lead these initiatives at organizations, and that is absolutely fundamental in having them work. But here we are discussing what employers and employees can do about creating healthy, stable organizations without any formal procedures needing to take place first.
Both employers and employees can promote awareness about the importance of stress management and mental health at work and stress prevention strategies.
Mental Health at Work is as much about prevention as it is about healing.
Here is what can be considered as prevention steps, regardless of field or industry you are in, the number of people at your companies, or whatever your position may be. If you aim to promote mental health at your workplace you can:
1. Promote learning
2. Build connections
3. Ask for help
4. Manage your own feelings
These methods are highly effective for building awareness and helping us minimize the impact of work-related stress. So here are some WHYs and I’ll start with the most obvious one:
Why keep learning – As simple as it is, there is no growth if we don’t embrace learning. Creating a learning culture is not just for achieving business results, increasing efficiency and effectiveness. It is also about increasing employees’ satisfaction and awareness of their own impact on the environment they are creating while working and interacting with others.
Educating employees on important technical and professional skills are necessary if you wish to thrive in your business. When educating ourselves we are making better choices and thus better decisions for ourselves. We don’t need to wait for employers to send us for new training. By keeping ourselves updated and investing in our skill sets we are exposed to less fear, we have more confidence in our abilities, and are more likely to face challenges with greater belief and less stress.
Why build connections – When we have the support and we have managed to build connections, knowing that there is a colleague to whom we can turn to when faced with a challenge, or when we make a mistake, whether it is someone from our team or another department, we will feel at least a bit more at ease when there is someone who can support us.
No matter where or how we work, we are always going to need to collaborate with someone, even if there is no team around you, you still have your manager to work with, so collaboration and people skills are something you will always need and it’s good to have these skills working for you.
Why ask for help – Don’t be afraid to ask for help, but be ready to take rejections. If you are working on a project that you think an additional input from your colleague would benefit it or that you might have to ask your manager for additional help, ask, but try to be realistic in what you can get.
To some people, it doesn’t come that easy to delegate work or to ask for help and there are many reasons for that. However, remind yourself that it is OK to ask for help, to ask for more clarification, clearer instructions because ultimately you are all working towards the same goals.
Why manage your own feelings – When you own your behavior, you are not only creating a more positive and respectful work environment for yourself and everybody else. You are also doing a massive favor to yourself because you are increasing your own resilience, your emotional intelligence, your likeability, and ultimately your trustworthiness. It shows that you can manage a project and manage your own emotions equally well, by responding as a professional, and not letting your emotions take control over your actions, which you would probably regret later.
Prevention is a cure and something we can all focus on.
And additionally, what always and always will help is Promoting Humour at work – You have probably heard that humor can be a key to success at work. Some people can “crack a joke” and humor is in their nature, and their general likeability factor is probably high, but it isn’t that everyone has this talent, right? If you, on another hand, are not the one with an obvious sense of humor, what you can do is to try to look at the things from a bright side, for the beginning, or be willing to make a joke on your own account when you make a mistake next time; But remember, only on your own account. Think of the people you have worked with that could create this relaxed atmosphere with humor, how it benefited them and how it benefited the team. It is easy to conclude that promoting humor connects us in one of the fastest possible ways.
If your company doesn’t have a Well-being Policy ready and you are a decision-maker, you might want to look around, as probably there are members who would like to contribute and support in spreading well-being and resilience initiatives, who wish to contribute to and support healthy workplace cultures, but are staying hidden as there are no formal ways or procedures on how to do that.
All of the above-mentioned strategies do not require a strict policy to take place to be implemented at your workplace, it is something that you can decide on and start doing whenever you choose to, because as we know for being the truth- “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi.
Author: Ana Toroman, Talent Development Consultant
Being a part of training and development education programs across companies in the Middle East, I help people develop their potential through learning key social skills for career building, with a particular interest in emotional resilience in the workplace. Having started my career in HR and education and working as a Corporate Trainer & Coach in Dubai, I work on self-development strategies for both teams and individuals. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn here or follow me on Instagram on HR and Wellbeing page here