There is, generally, a rise in mental health awareness the world over in different sectors and fields. Socially, many lives have been lost due to poor management of mental health issues. These losses have not occurred to the exclusion of businesses. Corporations tend to suffer, gravely, when employees’ mental health is inadequately addressed. Studies have shown that there are several types of psychological distress which may be health-related or general distress (Munir et al. 2007) and these affect employees’ engagement and, ultimately, organizational success.
What is Mental Health?
Mental health refers to an individual’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It is a crucial factor in employee engagement and productivity. In the workplace, some of the warning signs of poor mental health are:
- Diminished concentration
- Declining job performance and productivity
- Frequent absenteeism
- Social withdrawal
- Fatigue
- Unnecessary or excessive worry or panic
- Mood swings
- Abuse of alcohol and drugs
Exhibition of the above-mentioned signs and behaviors may be an indication of an employee experiencing mental health concerns.
The Negative Effects of Poor Mental Health on Organizational Success
Mental health challenges can, negatively, impact organizations in several ways. Employees battling with poor mental health can experience a reduction in cognitive and physical performance according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States of America. Some of the resulting trends from poor mental health include:
Presenteeism– This is where an employee shows up for work just for the attendance register but their concentration and zeal will be at their lowest. This results in vast lost time and costs more than absenteeism.
Absenteeism– Employees who may be experiencing some form of depression or a different mental health challenge pose the risk of not showing up at work at all. Some studies have, even, found that mental health problems account for absences by a ratio of 31.1.
Productivity Reduction– Unattended mental health problems cause employees to lose concentration and fail to finish or execute tasks. It usually is a massive reduction in productivity thus heavily affecting the overall performance of the organization.
High turnover – Mental health challenges, usually depression, tend to make an employee feel overwhelmed thus burnout and promoting feelings of insufficient support from the employer. When an employee feels they are not supported or cared for enough, they tend to move resulting in a loss of skills and knowledge, also, associated with high costs of acquiring new hires. In this regard, organizational performance is affected and its success is deterred.
Approaches on Addressing Mental Health for Organizational Success
Formulating and communicating Mental Health Policies
Ensure that as an organization, employees are provided with supportive resources which are strengthened by associated policies for mental health. Options such as counseling should be availed to employees such that they understand that they can talk about their mental health at the workplace and be treated with care and understanding.
Providing Mental Health Education
Some employees battle with mental health and fail to cope because of a lack of awareness or education. Regular talks and education on mental health can bring about relevant awareness needed for employees to address their mental health successfully. An organization can provide mandatory or optional mental health programs. By so doing, a warm and accommodative work environment is created which fosters productivity and better results.
It should be a vital process, in addressing mental health, to, regularly, check in on employees to ensure they have a reasonable amount of work fit for their position and do not feel overwhelmed. It goes a long way in addressing burnout and ensuring the employee that their mental health matters. By this method, efficiency and productivity are guaranteed thus a win on the part of the organization as a whole.
Encouraging Cool-off breaks
Constantly, remind employees that taking a few minutes off work to breathe and relax or, even, eat is essential. Throughout the day, one should have time to recharge and refocus. Sometimes, work pressure is unavoidable but if paired with regular breaks, mental health and sanity can be kept in check. The performance of an individual will be maintained and the work environment will be favorable.
When measures are taken to address mental health within an organization, it does not only benefit the employee but, ultimately, the organization as a whole. The organization is only a product of its employees thus creating and maintaining a mentally healthy workforce improves the quality of work done which is then translated into financial gains hence organizational success. Guest (2018), even, notes that good health is good for business while Pfeffer (2019) concurs by saying that health and well-being play a role in both individual performance and broader organizational performance, and vice versa.
Reference
Guest, D. (2018). Human resource management, well-being, and performance: Exploring the links. Keynote held on 5 September 2018 at the EAOHP conference, Lissabon. [Google Scholar]
Munir, F. Yarker, J, Haslam, C, Long, H, Leka, S, Griffiths, A & Cox, S 2007, ‘Work factors related to psychological and health-related distress among employees with chronic illnesses’, Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 259-277.
Pfeffer, J. (2019). What will it take for people to stop “dying for a paycheck”? Work, Stress & Health Conference 2019, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US. Retrieved from apa.org/wsh/past/2019/2019-program.pdf [Google Scholar]
Agatha Shanga is a consultant at Human Capital Experts.