We all know that keeping things bottled up isn’t good for us and talking about issues has many benefits including getting problems off your chest or making changes for the better.
Mental health problems affect one in four of us, and although more has been done to highlight mental health many people still feel isolated, ashamed and worthless when affected. Time to Talk day aims to bring mental health to the forefront and encourages everyone to talk, to listen, to change lives.
We’ve pulled together some ideas on how you can promote mental health in the workplace and support those.
Communicate
Encourage staff to talk to each other rather than send emails. In today’s world, it’s easy to use technology to communicate rather than face-to-face conversations. Human interaction in the workplace plays an important part in company morale and can also improve production as a result.
Exercise
Introduce exercise into the office, whether it be getting someone in to do a weekly class, organising lunchtime walks or arranging a corporate gym membership scheme. Exercise is proven to improve mental health, mood and encourage interaction with others.
Working Environment
Create a pleasant working environment; having plants or flowers in the office can help reduce stress and improve air quality. Operate a clear desk policy so that people aren’t working in a muddle. As an employer, encourage standard working hours and ensure employees take a lunch break away from their desk. Have an area where staff can have their lunch, read a magazine or chat with fellow team members. And lastly, keep the workplace looking smart by keeping on top of maintenance and cleaning.
Local Community
Involvement in the local community has shown positive impacts on wellbeing. Investigate local charities that rely on businesses support so that your company is giving something back as well as reaping the rewards for your employees.
If you don’t have anything in place to promote positive mental health in the workplace, why not take this opportunity to get everyone together for a coffee and a chat to discuss what they’d like to see on offer and what would work for them.
Spider, an Online Job Advertiser and Specialist Recruiter in Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire and beyond.
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