Addressing The Mental Health Crisis In The Workplace

A FlexJobs survey has found that 56% of employees experienced burnout during the pandemic, highlighting the other health crisis that has been occurring throughout this time.

Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month and parts of the world are starting to open back up, it’s essential for companies to review their own practices and how they may contribute to poor employee mental health.

“Mental and physical health go hand-in-hand, and one is equally as important as the other. In the workplace, an employer needs employees who are not only present, but highly productive,” Scott Kirksey, CEO of BenefitMall. “Presence and productivity are often tied to a person’s mental health and, when conditions are left untreated, work performance suffers.”

Employees can make daily choices to ensure that they are maintaining their mental health. For instance, incorporating a nutritious diet, appropriate sleep, mindfulness and exercise have all been found to improve mental health.

Organizations also play a significant role in supporting the mental health of their employees, especially as society prepares for another seismic shift of reentering the world.

A Paychex survey of 1,000 American employees revealed that, while low morale more than doubled during the pandemic, 44% of respondents said their manager encouraged them to vent about work-related frustrations. This has been found to actually bring teams closer together.

Employers can continue creating this type of company culture by conducting regular check-ins with employees, starting out meetings with non-work questions and acknowledging stress and burnout. Doing so unifies employees and inevitably helps their wellbeing.