Four Ways to Support the Mental Health of Your Workforce

Employers, human resources teams, and hiring professionals are becoming more conscious of mental health issues in the workplace. We’re not mental health experts at mCubed. So, we borrowed from a recent article that we thought was especially relevant for HR teams and employers with companies of all scopes and sizes.
 
In recognition of May as Mental Health Awareness Month, we wanted to share four excellent tips on workforce behavioral and mental health from the experts at Understood.
 
Here’s a small part of what they had to say:
 
Ways your company can support employee mental health
A nationwide employee survey found that what people want the most in the workplace are trainings and more easily accessible information about where to go or who to ask for mental health support. A more open culture about mental health at work is also important to employees, according to the survey.
 
Understand how mental health impacts your employees.
“It’s important for managers to be trained to recognize the signs of emotional distress so they can react in a supportive rather than a punitive way,” says Jerome Schultz, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist and a lecturer at Harvard Medical School. “Some employees need people around them to say, ‘Hey, I see you might be feeling stressed. Maybe now is a good time to try some breathing exercises or go take a walk.’”
 
Here are some proactive steps you can take to understand and assess your employees’ mental health:
  1. Make mental health training mandatory for your company’s leaders to help them be more aware of and invested in this aspect of their employees’ well-being.
  2. Train managers on what to do if they see signs of emotional distress or substance abuse.
  3. Use mental health calculators to estimate the prevalence and associated costs of untreated depression and alcohol and substance abuse at your workplace.
  4. Consider using surveys such as the Work Limitations Questionnaire and the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire to measure how your employees’ health and stress levels affect their productivity.
The bottom line for coworkers, executive teams, and HR professionals is to be aware and understanding of potential mental health issues in your workforce ecosystem. And when an issue arises, make sure you have a plan.
 
Keeping your workforce engaged and motivated is essential to maintaining long-term employee retention.
 
Are you a hiring manager or human resources professional with a job search, or searches, underway? The first step toward exceptional candidate placement is getting your job description in front of the right pool of candidates. This critical step makes the entire hiring process go smoothly.
 
Do You Need to Fill Your Open Positions?
We can help you locate the right candidate pool before your competitors, giving you a strategic advantage in the talent acquisition wars.
 
At mCubed Staffing, we help hiring clients just like you find that perfect candidate every day!
 
Call us today at (248) 817-2243, or get in touch online. Our expert recruiters are waiting for your call.