We all know the benefits of good physical health. It’s easily measured, we can often see it, we always feel it, and most importantly we LOVE to talk about it. Good mental health can be a more complicated issue and one that is often overlooked, unapparent or hidden from sight and sound.
Measuring good mental health is also a challenge. How do you measure someone’s happiness? How do you measure a thriving individual? What are the factors to consider? What’s the impact of their good mental health? How does it affect their work? Your Business?
It’s easier to measure the impact of poor mental health. The results are usually apparent: absence, lack of progress, a negative attitude which impacts the entire workforce, inefficiency, low productivity and employee turnover. However, continually referring to the impact of poor mental health has negative connotations, which have a detrimental effect on your workforce.
Promoting good mental health is the way forward, so what happens when we are focused on driving a positive mental attitude through our business?
Let’s address the issue directly and get to the good stuff:
- Productivity is high when our workforce feels good. People are ready to work, present in their applications and focused on delivering excellent results.
- Motivation can often be contagious when our employees are positive. Creating an atmosphere of enthusiasm around them, motivated individuals inspire others to work harder, enjoy their time at work and create a vision for a brighter future.
- Cost is a significant factor when it comes to good mental health. It’s also usually the only factor, or at least the most apparent factor considered and measured when discussing mental health. The cost to your business, your industry and the global economy is enormous if you don’t promote and empower your people to good mental health.
- Employee Turnover is a huge issue. Happy people are often satisfied in their work or have the capability to make the changes required to become more satisfied in their job and therefore don’t feel the urge to search for greener pastures.
- Lower Absenteeism would make a vast difference to most organizations.Individuals experiencing good mental health look forward to coming to work and only take sick days when they are genuinely unwell or unable to attend work.
- Presenteeism: switching our focus to good mental health can dramatically reduce presenteeism. Rachel Suff from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development suggests:
“Presenteeism is particularly common in organizations where a culture of long working hours is the norm and where operational demands take precedence over employee wellbeing. Also, in periods of job insecurity, people may be more likely to go into work when they are ill, rather than take a day off sick, for fear their commitment to their job will be doubted. It is this culture and these fears that need to be addressed to reduce presenteeism at work.”
Employer Brand, Retention and Engagement: As word spreads about the positive wellbeing of your people, your business will begin to attract top talent. Good people want to work for good companies.
You’re only as Strong as Your Weakest Link
As a business, you are reliant on people to make it work. Let’s re-phrase that; you are reliant on GOOD people to make it work. In return, good people want good employers to create exceptional working environments in which they can thrive.
Empowering individuals to reach their potential across all aspects of their life can only be beneficial for everyone, including you and your business. Creating a culture of good mental health is crucial for attracting, retaining and engaging your people.
The benefits of good mental health in the workplace are priceless. Measuring it, managing it and establishing policies and procedures to promote it are critical for business success and individual happiness.
To learn more about creating a culture of good mental health and the benefits of initiating a culture, read our next article.
