Mental Well-Being in the Age of Covid

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, it comes during one of the most stressful times any of us have ever faced. Repeated lockdowns brought about by COVID have led to enhanced worries about our health, our jobs and financial security, as well as huge changes to our work environments - whether we are working from home or in a workplace transformed to meet social distancing requirements.

Mind reports that one in six workers “experience common mental health problems” and the Office of National Statistics says that the rate of adults experiencing some form of depression has doubled compared to before the pandemic.

Protect the mental health of your team

Encouraging a culture where your employees can talk about mental health is good for them and it is good for your business - 21% of people have called in sick because of workplace stress and 14% resigned because of stress. So, with that in mind, what are some ways you can promote mental wellbeing in the workplace?

1. Appoint a mental health first-aider - somebody that your team knows they can talk to when they are feeling overwhelmed or just need a friendly ear.
2. Encourage face-to-face communication - with workers feeling increasingly isolated at home, encourage them to use video calling technology or, when in the office, to walk over and speak to co-workers rather than sending emails.
3. Encourage employees to get active - organise lunchtime walks, or launch a competition to see who can get the most steps in a given period.
4. Get social - team building is great for morale, even when it’s done via Zoom.  Organise a book club, a group class or even a pub quiz.
5. Encourage a work-life balance - let your employees know that you do not expect them to work long hours to prove their loyalty or respond to emails outside of work hours.
6. Make it easy to ask for help - build a workplace culture where people can always ask for help with work if they need it.

We have put together a short guide on spotting the signs of mental ill-health at work. If you need any advice on creating a supportive working environment, call us on 0161 839 5353 or email us at social@emp-sol.com