Ways to Identify Mental Health Issues in the Workplace

Several types of research have concluded that improving the mental health of employees leads to a dropped rate of absenteeism & attrition and enhanced productivity and engagement at work. Corporate wellness programs are reshaping to explicitly target the mental health hurdles of employees in the workplace

Challenges for Organizations to Address Mental Health Issues of Employees

• Insufficient Understanding of Mental Issues 
• Feeling of Discomfort or Disgrace to Communicate Psychological Concerns of Employees
• Tagging Mental Issues as Personal.

To overcome these challenges, companies must come up with appealing and personalized mental wellness programs for employees. To spread awareness regarding mental health issues within the organization, employers should use videos, online resources, health-related apps and plenty of reading essence. Online video sessions are the best means to address the mental problems whether work-related or personal without any sense of humiliation.

Businesses should thoroughly work to develop a wholesome culture in the workplace so employees do not feel any embarrassment or never feel fearful of talking mental or psychological problems they face in the workplace or outside.

The absolute corporate mental wellness program is the perfect combination of counselling, exercise, yoga and meditation. It is designed to cater to every viable and proven method of improving the mental well-being of employees. The company must have a team of mental wellness experts such as psychologists and psychiatrists who have a precise understanding of corporate culture. This team of wellness professionals will thoroughly supervise the employees experiencing severe mental issues and provide them with the best possible recommendation.

Employers can employ the most advanced technology to approach mental health issues in the workplace. Many corporate wellness companies have the app or web-based wellness platforms to track insights related to mental health such as the amount of sleep, physical activity, calories burned and more. This health data given by apps can prompt employees to take suitable actions like participating in yoga and meditation programs or other self-improvement activities for mental well-being.

In India, People often never share their sentiments with anyone when they experience anxiety, stress or other emotional discomforts. This also implies to the victims of corporate industries who cannot reveal their mental concerns owing to unhealthy workplace culture. This makes mental health issues are not clearly visible in the employees at the workplace.

Also, read Pillars of Mental Wellness 

Possible Indicators to Identify Mental Health Issues in the Workplace

Increased Absenteeism and Decreased Productivity of Skilled Employees

This is a noticeable change in the workplace when the employees who have been efficient and productive in the past, start taking days off frequently or suffer from performance issues in delivering daily tasks.

Increased Number of Sick Leaves

Generally, if mental concerns such as stress, anxiety or depression exist for a longer duration, will produce other physical health problems such as migraine, headache, dizziness, nausea or body pain. Besides, the unaddressed mental issues adversely impact the immune system of the body in such a way that it becomes chron to minor infections like cold and flu.

Besides, there may be other symptoms in people suffering from mental health issues such as a change in sleep habits, reduced concentration and listening capacity at work.

So what

Mental health issues like fear, sorrow and stress are spread broadly across the globe amongst the employees working in the corporate sector. To address this, employers must start frequent conversations with employees in terms of their mental or psychological health concerns so they never feel degraded while seeking any professional guidance.  Arranging corporate yoga and guided meditation session once in a while in the workplace can also be proposed as a part of a wellness initiative as studies have shown that regular practice of yoga and meditation is the most reliable alternative to form physical and mental relaxation within employees. 

Besides, as an employer or HR person of the company, you can work towards the workplace elements to enhance the mental well-being of your workforce.