3 ways to support employee wellbeing and achieve mental balance
Struggles with mental health can have a real, tangible impact on employee productivity, and employers need to take action.
The relationship between work and mental health is at a turning point. 2020 and 2021 have tested us all in new ways and amplified employee expectations of holistic care from their employers. Business leaders are also increasingly recognizing mental health support as critical. Struggles with mental health can have a real, tangible impact – they can contribute to burnout, disengagement, loss of productivity and attrition.
The breadth of the challenge is real. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 20% of adults in the US live with mental health issues — and I count myself among them. In Lattice’s State of People Strategy Report, respondents also ranked “emotional exhaustion” as one of their top three challenges.
Related: Stress, bad decisions shoot up in 2021
A supportive leadership and work environment, however, can change this dynamic. Here are three ways that businesses best support their employees to achieve mental balance:
1. Create space and normalize the conversation.
People often suffer in silence and don’t get the care that they need. They might blame themselves, lack access to the right resources or fear discrimination from their employer. Something as simple as a Slack channel for employees to discuss the topic or an internal directory of mental health resources can go a long way in establishing a culture of psychological safety.
Leaders can speak to the importance of mental health on all hands, in communications around benefits and during awareness months related to mental health. It’s important also to equip managers as many times they will be the person an employee is most likely to open up to about a challenge they are facing.
2. Bring in professional guidance.
Companies can have good intentions for supporting employees’ wellbeing, but that doesn’t mean that they’re experts in mental health. When it comes to providing care and guidance, businesses should turn to the professionals.
This should definitely include ensuring that there are sufficient mental health options in the health insurance options and may include additional providers specializing in mental health, coaching, mindfulness/meditation or other aspects of holistic health. Hosting speakers or presentations from experts is also another way to reach people. This can provide education to everyone, not only people that are struggling with mental health but everyone else too.
3. Provide the flexibility to recharge.
Work can be stressful, even during the most normal times. One of the biggest tools employers can offer to manage mental health is the ability to truly step away from work. During the pandemic many companies have experimented with mental health days or additional vacation time. At Lattice, we added “Recharge Days” where the entire company is off on the same day with the explicit goal of stepping away from work mentally. Having everyone off at the same time has proven impactful enough that we’ve extended it into a permanent benefit with 6 recharge days annually.
Employees should also be taking sufficient vacation, but they need a healthy culture around time off. Even if there is a “flexible” vacation policy, make sure that people are actually using it and that managers are actively encouraging it. And when people are off, really enforce norms of behavior that allow them to disconnect.
Mental health is here to stay
Mental health is a major priority for employees –– especially for the next generation of workers. According to a report by A.T. Kearney, 46% of Gen Z workers (born between 1997 and 2015) are “very much” concerned about their mental health. Hybrid working models are also breaking down strict lines between work and personal lives.
The good news is that most employers seem to understand this, and nearly all (99%) are investing in technology to support employee wellness. But not all solutions require a tech investment. Creating a balanced company culture begins with normalizing mental health in the workplace, and it continues every day through community building and empathetic leadership.
Dave Carhart is vice president of People at Lattice.
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