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Last Updated on August 16, 2018 by Work In My Pajamas
As work will be a large part of an employee’s life, a business owner has a responsibility to care for the emotional wellbeing of their staff. If employees experience much stress at work or are struggling to enjoy a work/life balance, then they are more at risk of becoming unhappy at work.
To care for your staff throughout their working life, you must look for different ways to bear in mind their mental health, which in turn can lead to strategies and actions you can take as a company to help prevent, or treat mental health issues in the workplace.
Build a Business Based on Both Civility and Respect
If you want your employees to avoid exhaustion and enjoy a happier working life, you must build a business based on civility and respect. This means imploring that every member of staff adopts a respectful, polite attitude towards their colleagues, clients, customers, and visitors. This will create a harmonious, positive work environment for everyone, which can minimize conflict and stress.
Focus on Clear Leadership
Clear leadership can reduce stress and confusion, as your staff will know exactly what is expected of them every working day. They will also know exactly how they contribute to the business and will understand the goals they need to meet each day, week, month and year. Concise direction can ultimately decrease frustration and increase employee morale.
Provide Psychological Support
If you want to cultivate a supportive atmosphere regarding your employees’ mental health, you must aim to provide them with psychological support. For example, offer a confidential forum to discuss their worries, stresses, problems, or mental health issues. Once you are aware of the issues your team members are facing, you can make the appropriate adjustments to their working life, such as a smaller task list, additional training, or vacation leave.
If they are suffering from mental health problems outside of the workplace, direct them to external help, such as talking to a doctor or perhaps sorting cognitive behavioral therapy. Your help alone could reduce their stress levels and improve their mood and job satisfaction.
Match the Right Personality to a Job Position
It is essential to match an employee’s personality to a job position when choosing from candidates. If you hire a member of staff who doesn’t deal well under pressure, you may find that they crumble when faced with complex challenges and tight deadlines.
Only hire employees that you are confident will have the ability to excel in a role every day. If you have an employee who is continuously struggling, this could lead to further issues regarding their output, and therefore their happiness, which could potentially result in issues regarding their mental health. Although this can be approached and managed with the employee in mind, you can help to avoid such issues arising by ensuring the person you employ is suited to the job and can cope with the pressure and expectation of the role.
Offer Various Growth and Development Opportunities
Employees who are bored or complacent in their job role can develop a low mood, and this dissatisfaction with their career could potentially lead to depression or anxiety. Allow your business and employees to grow by providing your talented staff with growth and development opportunities, such as training, courses, and promotions. It will give them a new challenge to focus on, and your business can benefit from their newfound knowledge, experience or confidence.
