Supporting employee mental health helps boost individual well-being and the company’s bottom line.

At the start of every new year, much attention is focused on physical well-being. Mental well-being doesn’t the get same fanfare, but it’s critically important to everyone—including employers.

How mental health affects the workplace

When employee mental health suffers, so does the workplace. In addition to lower productivity, more absenteeism and higher turnover, morale suffers when work teams struggle with mental health. On the flip side, psychologically healthy workers “tend to be more motivated, engaged, and productive in their work,” reports Johns Hopkins University.

Causes of employee poor mental health

Stress and burnout are the leading causes of poor mental among employees, according to the McKinsey Health Institute Employee Mental Health and Wellbeing Survey. Toxic workplace behavior is the top contributor to burnout symptoms and distress.

The World Health Organization has found additional workplace factors that diminish employee mental health include under-use of skills or being under-skilled for work; excessive workloads; long, inflexible hours; and lack of control over job design or workload.

How employers can support employees’ mental health

The American Psychological Association suggests the following ways to support more robust employee mental health:

• Train managers to support employees’ mental health
• Use employee feedback to improve workplace culture
• Increase employee autonomy for where, when and how they work
• Choose health insurance policies with mental health benefits

Doing more to support and enhance mental health can boost employee well-being, company morale and the bottom line.

Support mental health with Consumers @Work

Personal finances can be a source of stress for employees. Employers can help alleviate this type of pressure. The Consumers @Work program is a perk you can offer your team free. Our team comes to your workplace to help employees boost their financial literacy and manage their finances. There’s no charge to your company or your employees.

If you’d like to bring a financial wellness support to your organization, contact a representative from Consumers @Work. We can customize a program for your team’s unique needs.

 

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