Future of work newsletter free subscription Future of work newsletter free subscription Future of work newsletter free subscription
  • Marketplace
  • Resources
  • Business Directory
  • Events
  • Advertise
  • Brand Pulse
  • Publish a Press Release
  • Get the Newsletter
  • Contact
  • About Us
The FUTURE OF WORK® since 2003
Allwork.Space
No Result
View All Result
Subscribe
  • More
    • Columnists
      • Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
      • Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
      • Angela Howard – Culture Expert
      • Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
      • Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
    • Get the Newsletter
    • Events
    • Advertise With Us
    • Publish a Press Release
    • Brand PulseNew
    • Partner Portal
  • Latest News
  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Work-life
  • Career Growth
  • Tech
  • Design
  • Workforce
  • Coworking
  • CRE
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Columnists
      • Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
      • Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
      • Angela Howard – Culture Expert
      • Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
      • Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
    • Get the Newsletter
    • Events
    • Advertise With Us
    • Publish a Press Release
    • Brand PulseNew
    • Partner Portal
  • Latest News
  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Work-life
  • Career Growth
  • Tech
  • Design
  • Workforce
  • Coworking
  • CRE
  • Podcast
No Result
View All Result
Subscribe
Allwork.Space
No Result
View All Result
Advertisements
Maximize Flexible Space Revenue
Home Work-life

Why It Pays To Promote Mental Health In The Workplace

Psychologist Bill Howatt, Ph.D, ED.d, founder and CEO of Howatt HR, explains why it pays to promote mental health in the workplace.

Sheya MichaelidesbySheya Michaelides
June 3, 2022
in Work-life
Reading Time: 7 mins read
A A
Why it Pays to Promote Mental Health in the Workplace
  • The promotion of mental fitness and resilience in the workplace not only reduces stress and burnout but is also beneficial for financial success. 
  • Businesses can no longer afford to side-line the mental well-being of their employees – investing in mental fitness is crucial for economic sustainability. 
  • Failure to address workplace stress is currently costing an estimated $190m billion in healthcare costs. Mental fitness programmes can serve to reduce this alarming statistic and create healthier, more productive workforces. 

The month of May is dedicated to Mental Health Awareness, but one month of recognition is no longer enough. Employers need to maintain a continuous focus on the psychological health of their employees in order to thrive as business entities.   

Allwork.Space spoke to psychologist and mental health advocate, Bill Howatt, Ph.D., Ed.D., to find out more about the implementation of workplace mental health measures and discover how the organization he founded Howatt HR, and how he is encouraging leaders and employees to collaborate on programs designed to reduce chronic stress and promote mental fitness in the workplace.   

Advertisements
Workspaces Run Better On UltraSoftBIS

Some answers have been edited for length and clarity.    

Allwork.Space: Why are preventative measures to combat employee burnout, chronic stress and anxiety so integral to business success?  

Advertisements
Maximize Flexible Space Revenue

Bill Howatt: Reducing workplace mental harm and promoting positive mental health require transformative programs that encourage habitual change and practice. Talking therapies and drug treatments are around 65% effective in the treatment of mental health conditions – therefore, the primary focus needs to be on removing symptoms and positive psychology (learning how to create more positive emotions and replace negative thoughts).  

Employers can support employees to become mentally fit through the development of positive habits and behaviors that encourage purposeful and meaningful relationships.  

The attainment of peak mental fitness (as with physical health) requires time and practice. In line with this, I encourage all employers to enable their workers to develop personalized mental fitness plans. 

Allwork.Space: Did the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbate an already growing mental health crisis and how is this being played out in workplaces? 

Advertisements
Nexudus - Tech Stack Lovers

Bill Howatt: The short answer is yes. Workplace mental health across the planet has become more problematic and concerning for employers since COVID-19. The more important question is how employers responded to this mental health crisis. 

New research conducted by Canada Standards Association (CSA), a global organization focused on quality standards, showed that most employers are aware that workplace mental health is a growing problem that has resulted in more organizations taking action.   

The challenge is many employers are focused on making plans and implementing programs and policies – but not monitoring whether what they are doing is having an impact. Random acts of wellness will not curb the mental health crisis. 

What is required is for employers working with workers and leaders to create two-way accountability. All parties must work together to create psychologically safe workplaces that promote and support mental health and mitigate actions that are creating mental harm (such as reorganizing work schedules/ loads to reduce burnout).  

More stories for you

Can Workplace Design Cure Loneliness At The Office? With Amber Wernick

Can Workplace Design Cure Loneliness At The Office? With Amber Wernick

4 days ago

Rethinking the ROI of Healthcare Coverage with Robert E. Andrews

1 month ago

Fixing Healthcare in a Distributed World: A Conversation with Robert E. Andrews

1 month ago

How To Combat The 7 Self-Destructive Tendencies Holding You Back At Work With Vicky Oliver

2 months ago

Allwork.Space: What evidence is there that promoting mental fitness will boost profits for an organization? 

Bill Howatt: Howatt HR published a report of over 8,000 participants on the Mental Fitness Index (MFI) 2.0 study. The survey replicated a Conference Board of Canada study that demonstrated the relationship between employee mental health and levels of productivity and attendance.  

The evidence is clear. Workers who are psychologically healthier are more engaged, productive and at less risk of turnover or disability costs. Perhaps one of the most significant differences is with presenteeism (feeling unwell). 

Workers who reported higher MFI scores had significantly lower numbers of days per year when they reported feeling unwell.  

Advertisements
Disaster Avoidance Experts

Allwork.Space: Are there any good practice examples of companies that have successfully implemented workplace mental fitness/health measures?  

Bill Howatt: The challenge is to standardize aspects of good practice that are working well. There is a movement toward creating standards, with the push for Environmental, Social and Governance* (ESG) to focus on employee health.   

In 2020, companies with the highest workforce treatment scores in Just Capital’s rankings outperformed the Russell 1000 by 4.7%. This is a growing area of focus that looks promising, as more organizations move toward obtaining evidence-based results using validated tools like the MFI.  

* ESG is an approach used to measure corporate social responsibility.  

Advertisements
Workspaces Run Better On UltraSoftBIS

Allwork.Space: What are some of the things an organization should do before it begins to tackle the issue of workplace mental health? 

Bill Howatt: The first step is being clear on who will oversee workplace mental health and ensuring they have the core competencies to do so. Success will depend on a Plan – Do – Check – Act continuous improvement approach, not random acts of wellness.  

It is essential to have the competency to collect the correct data, make a measurable plan, understand how to do workplace mental health audits, engage workers regularly in their experience, and balance prevention and support. This approach does not need to be complicated; it only needs to be intentional.  

Like any craft, the person or people accountable for workplace mental health benefit from acquiring the knowledge and skills through training and mentoring by an external expert versus guessing and hoping.  

Advertisements
Disaster Avoidance Experts

There is currently too much guesswork without robust evidence. When you cut through it all, the organization needs to decide if it wants to take a “check-the-box” or an evidence-based approach. 

Allwork.Space: Thank you for taking the time to speak to us today. Do you have any final insights to share with our audience regarding mental health and the future of work? 

Bill Howatt: Positive mental health will no longer be a “nice-to-have” aspect of work. It will be as critical and as necessary as electricity.  

Work can often lead to chronic stress, poor general health and even burnout. When this happens, employers discover that people (their most valuable resource) can be very hard to replace.  

The future of work must be one in which employers are much more in tune with the emotional well-being of their workforce. Psychologically safe and emotionally flourishing workers will no doubt fuel this culture. Organizations will then not only survive; but also thrive in the future.

Advertisements
Subscribe to the Future of Work Newsletter
Tags: FUTURE OF WORK®Mental HealthWorkplace Wellness
Share11Tweet7Share2
Sheya Michaelides

Sheya Michaelides

Based in London, U.K., Sheya Michaelides is a freelance writer, researcher and former teacher dedicated to exploring the intersections between psychology, employment, and education – focusing on issues related to the future of work, wellbeing and diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI). With a varied employment background across the public and private sectors, Sheya brings a nuanced perspective to her work. She holds an undergraduate degree in Organizational Psychology and Industrial Sociology and a first-class Master's degree in Applied Psychology.

Other Stories Recommended For You

Can Workplace Design Cure Loneliness At The Office? With Amber Wernick

Can Workplace Design Cure Loneliness At The Office? With Amber Wernick

byAstrid Arevalo
4 days ago

Discover how workplace design can reduce loneliness, enable flexibility, and reshape offices for the future with Amber Wernick of Perkins&Will.

Read more

Rethinking the ROI of Healthcare Coverage with Robert E. Andrews

1 month ago

Fixing Healthcare in a Distributed World: A Conversation with Robert E. Andrews

1 month ago

How To Combat The 7 Self-Destructive Tendencies Holding You Back At Work With Vicky Oliver

2 months ago
Advertisements
Yardi Kube automates flex and coworking operations
Advertisements
Workspaces Run Better On UltraSoftBIS

Unlock your competitive edge in tomorrow's workplace.

Join a community of forward-thinking professionals who get exclusive access to the latest news, trends, and innovations that are shaping the future of work.

©2024 Allwork.Space News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Exploring the Future Of Work® since 2003.

Advertise   Newsletters   Privacy Policy   Terms Of Use   About Us   Contact   Submit a Press Release   Brand Pulse   Podcast   Events   

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Latest News
  • Topics
    • Business
    • Leadership
    • Work-life
    • Workforce
    • Career Growth
    • Design
    • Tech
    • Coworking
    • Marketing
    • CRE
  • Podcast
  • Events
  • About Us
  • Solutions
    • Advertise | Media Kit
    • Publish a Press Release
    • Brand Pulse
Subscribe

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
-
00:00
00:00

Queue

Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00