Mental fitness should be a priority within your business. Follow these 10 top tips to look after staff and maintain productivity
Mental fitness should be a priority within your business. Follow these 10 top tips to look after staff and maintain productivity
The impact of COVID-19 on people’s mental health has been alarming. Personal stress can affect people’s work as well as harm them, so creating a culture where people can discuss how they are feeling and get help is essential.
The first stage of mental health is understanding what is happening. Are your colleagues aware of the impact of their emotions? Recognising when you need help is essential to avoiding a downward spiral.
Who can your employees turn to when they begin to suffer? Or for support which may prevent them reaching that stage? Identify and train a mental health first aider within your business. Training all managers in this area will also promote a culture of understanding.
Businesses which have adopted a work-from-home model should integrate regular touchpoints with staff throughout the week to help prevent a sense of isolation. How that looks depends on the business, but informal virtual catch-ups can help. Getting the buy-in from your colleagues is key, however. And don’t schedule them outside working hours.
Whether your team is WFH, back in the office or following a hybrid model, they should be made aware of the benefits of screen breaks and regular exercise. Encouraging people to plan such breaks into their day will do them – and your business – a world of good. A team yoga class is a no-brainer; or why not try weekly drop-in mindfulness sessions?
If the leadership team is seen to be taking breaks and talks openly about managing mental health, the team will feel empowered to do the same. If the culture says ‘work long hours, hit targets and pretend everything is fantastic’, they will not.
The ‘always on’ culture enabled by technology means people are often expected to check emails and messages when not technically working – for example in the evenings, at weekends and on holiday. This has been exacerbated by the pandemic and rise in WFH. Send a clear message to employees that finishing work for the day means just that – and let them crack on with the kids, their social life or just plain relaxing.
Creating support groups within the business or pointing people towards those available externally – such as from charity Mind UK – is helpful. Also take advantage of these yourself when needed.
The Unmind platform gives employees the tools to measure and manage their own mental health by supporting a diverse range of topics from sleep to connection, calmness and coping. Slack integration Spill enables anyone to book a video session with a qualified therapist in just three clicks.
To truly boost your growing team’s wellbeing, provide mental health coaching. UK firms delivering one-to-one coaching through technology include Sanctus, MYNDUP and TalkOut.