Manage your team’s stress for better results and happier employees

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According to ONS statistics on workforce wellbeing (2016), up to one-third of the UK workforce are at risk of suffering from the impact of mental health issues and it’s estimated that this costs around £1300 per employee who make up the UK workforce. That’s a major expense for companies to handle, as well as the detrimental effects it has on the employees who are suffering.

Stress is one of the biggest problems employees admit to suffering from and the main causes of this are due to workload, lack of job security and personal problems. Mental health in the workplace has an impact on the quality of work delivered, the amount of sick days employees take and the general working atmosphere.

Corporate health is not just a buzzword. Its implementation is integral and necessary for mental health in the workplace. Trying to ensure your employees are working in a stress-free environment and have access to resources that can help alleviate stress and will make a huge difference to the company and staff alike.

Wellness in the workplace

Stressed employee

Encouraging employees to exercise and eat healthily are two of the best stress-busters known. If your employees are taking exercise and eating a healthy, well-balanced diet they will feel generally fitter and healthier, which helps mental health. Some ways employers can implement this include –

  • Encouraging staff to take brisk walks during lunch breaks
  • Hiring a yoga instructor to come into the workplace and give staff free yoga sessions once a month
  • Offer employees subsidised gym memberships
  • Give out free fresh fruit and other healthy snacks to employees.
  • Participation in frequent corporate mental health workshops

 

Paint and Pictures

Staff spend a considerable amount of their time in the workplace and the physical working environment can have an impact upon their mental health. Consider giving the office a new lease of life. Choose uplifting colours, bring in some plants that smell nice and enhance wellbeing, add some inspiring artwork to the walls and think about improving the coffee or adding new snacks to the snack machine. These small changes will show employees they are important to the company and will make them feel calmer, happier and inspired while they are there, which means employers will get the best from their team.

Offer free counselling services

Offering a counselling service to employees means that stress levels and other mental health issues can be addressed as soon as problems begin to arise. It can take time for employees to get counselling on the NHS and private counselling can be very expensive. If your employees can make use of a free counselling service, either online or in-house, they are quickly able to address any issues they are having in the workplace or in their personal lives. This will prevent their mental health from deteriorating and means staff are less likely to need to take time off work for mental health-related issues.

Show your employees you are flexible

Offering staff the opportunity to work flexible hours can make a huge difference, especially when life events get in the way, such as pregnancy, divorce, important appointments, family problems or illness. Staff are less likely to feel under pressure if they know they are not dictated by the clock. Also allowing employees to work remotely when possible is a good idea and, since the pandemic, many companies are allowing employees to continue to work remotely. It will show staff they are trusted and valued members of the team and they are trusted to get the job done even if they are working in their own home and not in the office.

These suggestions will have a significant impact on employees and are guaranteed to improve mental health in the workplace. For more details get in touch with Vita Health Group.

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Vita is an award-winning, CQC registered healthcare provider